Someone remind me...Sinus problems

[Kristie]

To dry out your sinus's...what do you take?

My sinus's are congested, not sooo much that i can't bend down or have constant headache/pressure but it's more drainage wise...glop down the back of my throat and it's fatiguing.

i've heard some say that you should get your sinus's draining.. i've heard some say you should dry them out.

With the sticky type glop i have going down the back of my throat, i'm wondering if i should be trying to make them more runny or dry them out?! and if so.. how...

I'm already using flonase twice a day (been for a week now), trying sudafed non-drying sinus and sinus headache and NO change.. at all....I'm getting bored with it...and i want to get back on the treadmill with some enthusiasm...HAHA

I'm not coughing anything out because it's gloppy, slow and sticky..so far, i'm trying to get the drainage more diluted with the non-drying, just don't know if i'm making it better or worse.

so do i dry them out and if so, with what?? and is it ok to pump more than the directed amount if what the directed amount isn't working?

[DaytonaBeachGal]

Originally Posted by Kristie

To dry out your sinus's...what do you take?

My sinus's are congested, not sooo much that i can't bend down or have constant headache/pressure but it's more drainage wise...glop down the back of my throat and it's fatiguing.

i've heard some say that you should get your sinus's draining.. i've heard some say you should dry them out.

With the sticky type glop i have going down the back of my throat, i'm wondering if i should be trying to make them more runny or dry them out?! and if so.. how...

I'm already using flonase twice a day (been for a week now), trying sudafed non-drying sinus and sinus headache and NO change.. at all....I'm getting bored with it...and i want to get back on the treadmill with some enthusiasm...HAHA

I'm not coughing anything out because it's gloppy, slow and sticky..so far, i'm trying to get the drainage more diluted with the non-drying, just don't know if i'm making it better or worse.

so do i dry them out and if so, with what?? and is it ok to pump more than the directed amount if what the directed amount isn't working?

Ughhh..Kristie that sounds terribly uncomfortable. I am not a nurse but I had my share of sinus trouble...it sounds like you might have a sinus infection? Have you seen your Dr. about that possibility? Just sound like something that keeps hanging on...that and the drainage down the throat. If not an infection, I recommend " ocean spray " natural salt water worked for me..its very healing the salt water in a natural way...flonase I found can be harsh long term. good luck!

[Kelly]

Advil Cold and Sinus works wonders for me.

[Brenda]

Originally Posted by Kristie

To dry out your sinus's...what do you take?

My sinus's are congested, not sooo much that i can't bend down or have constant headache/pressure but it's more drainage wise...glop down the back of my throat and it's fatiguing.

i've heard some say that you should get your sinus's draining.. i've heard some say you should dry them out.

With the sticky type glop i have going down the back of my throat, i'm wondering if i should be trying to make them more runny or dry them out?! and if so.. how...

I'm already using flonase twice a day (been for a week now), trying sudafed non-drying sinus and sinus headache and NO change.. at all....I'm getting bored with it...and i want to get back on the treadmill with some enthusiasm...HAHA

I'm not coughing anything out because it's gloppy, slow and sticky..so far, i'm trying to get the drainage more diluted with the non-drying, just don't know if i'm making it better or worse.

so do i dry them out and if so, with what?? and is it ok to pump more than the directed amount if what the directed amount isn't working?

You poor thing! You've been having this sinus thing on and off for a while haven't you? I think if you are still all goupy and thick you need to loosen it, right? Then if you are non stop drippy you dry it?
Stick your head under a towel with hot water and Vicks. That should open your passages. If it's pretty bad, wet a towel, microwave it for a min then place in a wrapped towel on your sinuses Spray nose. Are you spraying towards the centre of your nose so that you don't get the drip down your throat and can maybe speed up the opening of sinuses. And repeat. Advil cold and sinus. Last resort, see a doctor before it gets way out of hand.
My worst fear with all my sinus infections is that one of these days I'm going ot be told that I'll need a good scaping of all the gunk. I hear it's painful.

Let us know how you're doing!

[Kristie]

yea... i really should go get the MRI but i don't really think having surgery on the sinus's is a cure.. at least i hear that it helps for a while but it's not permanent.

yuppers, i am spraying towards the center on the nose.. 2 sprays each nostril...

earlier i took another non-drying sudafed and that seemed to loosen things up but now my throat is all dehydrated...weird!

I think i'll try some ocean spray before bed.. see if that doesn't clean things out a bit since i don't have one of the neti pots yet.

I don't mind the drainage/pressure that much, it's livable...I'm just tired of being tired.

I don't think it's a sinus infection because i don't get any goop out and it doesn't taste bad. I usually know when it's an infection if it tastes bad or makes my breath smell bad...none of that, so that's a good sign that the flonase is working to protect against infection.

Thanks for the tips..i really do appreciate them!

[Kristie]

YAY! i feel better...stuck with the sudafed throughout the night and NOW, it seems to be doing something...maybe it was just taking it every now and again when it got bad that is keeping it coming back...so i'm gonna stick to taking it at the recommended dose for a few days and see if that doesn't kick it.

[Dana]

Originally Posted by Kristie

yea... i really should go get the MRI but i don't really think having surgery on the sinus's is a cure.. at least i hear that it helps for a while but it's not permanent.

yuppers, i am spraying towards the center on the nose.. 2 sprays each nostril...

earlier i took another non-drying sudafed and that seemed to loosen things up but now my throat is all dehydrated...weird!

I think i'll try some ocean spray before bed.. see if that doesn't clean things out a bit since i don't have one of the neti pots yet.

I don't mind the drainage/pressure that much, it's livable...I'm just tired of being tired.

I don't think it's a sinus infection because i don't get any goop out and it doesn't taste bad. I usually know when it's an infection if it tastes bad or makes my breath smell bad...none of that, so that's a good sign that the flonase is working to protect against infection.

Thanks for the tips..i really do appreciate them!

CT Scan will tell you if you have a chronic sinus infection. It looks for thickening of the sinus cavities, secretions, etc. Very useful tool.

Kristie, I would put money on the fact that most of your problem is allergies. Have you ever had allergy testing done? If not, something to seriously think about. ( we do it in our office)

I have never heard of Non-drying Sudafed. That is what Sudafed does; drys you out.......???? makes no sense to me? What is the active ingredient?

Both allergies and sinus infections can be fatiguing. Allergies are more likely to be clear cloudy nasal drainage, sinus infections you usually (not always) have a headache or facial pressure, and discolored discharge... both have post nasal discharge ( glop down your throat)

Sinus surgery is different for every person, if you have small passages and they open them up, you get good results. If it is because they don't drain well, sometimes there is nothing you can do. If it is because you are just harboring thick secretions and can't clear them or the organism is not bacterial but fungal, once they clean out the sinus cavities, culture them and properly treat the organism, you may have a very successful outcome but there are no guarantees.

Flonase works well on allergies, it helps to decrease swelling tissue in your nose, if your tissues swell, your sinus can't drain and then you get back up and pooling of secretions then bacteria grows and WHAM - infection.


Saline is great as a moisturizer and helps to kinda flush out the nose.

[Kristie]

Thanks Dana...

yea...it's a sudafed version called non-drying sinus...has 200mg of Guiafenesin and 30mg of pseudophdrine HCL

If most of this is allergy related, then how come allergy meds don't do anything? is it because it goes from allergy straight to a sinus problem?

[Dana]

Originally Posted by Kristie

Thanks Dana...

yea...it's a sudafed version called non-drying sinus...has 200mg of Guiafenesin and 30mg of pseudophdrine HCL

If most of this is allergy related, then how come allergy meds don't do anything? is it because it goes from allergy straight to a sinus problem?

HUMM: Guiafenesin thins secretions, usually for cough. Pseudophdrine HCL is the active ingredient in Sudafed. Again, the "non-drying" makes no sense to me.... marketing. (maybe because it is only 30mg's)

Lots of times people have allergies and allergy meds don't work. Especially if they have used them long term. OTC allergy meds don't work all that well. I don't like Claritin. 98% of the population gets poor response from it, but it is OTC and insurance's won't pay well for the others, Allergra, Zyrtic, xyzal (new one). Sudafed works "ok". Usually takes 60mgs 2x/day. Benadryl.......soso, drowsy.

That is why I am saying, it might serve you to be tested. If you have a lot of allergies or you have several that are severe you would likely benefit from the weekly allergy shot to desensitize you. If you test and you don't have severe allergies then you need a CT. IMO, you need a through exam by a provider to see which route you should go first, testing or CT. Sometimes it is a process of elimination. Just thoughts.... You might do well with the Niti pot (sp)

[Kristie]

makes sense...I'll look into it Dana!

Thanks!