Sinus won't drain
Question:
I’ve been plagued with sinus problems and headaches for a long time. My doctor has had me on Claritin for well over a year and it doesn’t appear to be helping. I’ve read a lot about irrigation and am wondering if this will help my sinus to drain. I’ve used every otc remedy available and they really do no good. Any suggestions will be most welcome.
Response:
On Sun, 29 Apr 2001 21:08:27 GMT, puddy-tat23 <puddy-ta…@att.net> wrote: >I’ve been plagued with sinus problems and headaches for a long time. My >doctor has had me on Claritin for well over a year and it doesn’t appear >to be helping. I’ve read a lot about irrigation and am wondering if this >will help my sinus to drain. I’ve used every otc remedy available and >they really do no good. Any suggestions will be most welcome.
Is your doctor an otolaryngologist or a G.P.? Antihistamines can have a drying effect on the sinuses that causes moer problems than it solves. Also, what do you mean by "sinus problems." That is a conclusion rather than a description of symptoms.
Response:
>I’ve read a lot about irrigation and am wondering if this >will help my sinus to drain.
YES! YES! YES! Another shameles, unsolicited advertisment for Dr Gossan’s magic nasal irrigation attachment! Nadine
Response:
In article <3AEC6683.CE533…@att.net>, puddy-tat23 <puddy-ta…@att.net> wrote: > I’ve been plagued with sinus problems and headaches for a long time. My > doctor has had me on Claritin for well over a year and it doesn’t appear > to be helping. I’ve read a lot about irrigation and am wondering if this > will help my sinus to drain. I’ve used every otc remedy available and > they really do no good. Any suggestions will be most welcome.
Have you ever told your doctor that the Claritin was not working, and that you hope he/she would have some other modes of treatment to try? Larry
Response:
puddy-tat23 wrote: > I’ve been plagued with sinus problems and headaches for a long time. My > doctor has had me on Claritin for well over a year and it doesn’t appear > to be helping.
If you EVER have a problem that a doctor hasn’t helped in over a year, you need to get a second opinion. In this case, you could go either of two ways: If you strongly suspect you have allergies, then you should see an allergist. Otherwise, you should see an otolaryngologist (ENT). Because in either case, a family physician won’t be of much help. Family (primary-care) physicians simply don’t have the training to do the kinds of tests and examinations that these specialists can do. Time for me to get on my soapbox: Over the last 30 years, there has been a HUGE advance in diagnostic medicine: CT scans, MRI scans, endoscopy, etc. But little or none of this has filtered down to the primary-care physician. The examination the primary-care physician gives today, differs little from the way family physicians examined patients 30 years ago: Look in the ears (otoscope), listen to chest (stethoscope), take patient history. That’s it. And that’s nearly useless for dealing with sinus problems. — Steven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlit…@earthlink.net "I guess I could have paid a little closer attention when I was in English class, but it all worked out OK. I’m gainfully employed." – President George W. Bush
Response:
<I’ve been plagued with sinus problems and headaches for a long time.> Give us a little more of your symptoms and you’ll get some suggestions. Do you often feel stuffed up? When do you feel better? For me, irrigating using Dr. Grossan’s tip/WaterPik is part of my arsenal of controlling my nasal-sinus congestion and resultant pain. I went 20 years suffering and now with the suggestions found in this ng, feel a whole lot better. Read this ng’s FAQ. It’s got all kinds of info but you gotta be committed to putting in the time to diagnose yourself, do research and wow, the results are out there. Good luck…. Brad ————————————————– to email direct, remove Xspam.
Response:
I cannot deal with the headaches anymore which are especially worse at night. I am ready to try anything to get a good night’s sleep! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Brad36 wrote: > <I’ve been plagued with sinus problems and headaches for a long time.> > Give us a little more of your symptoms and you’ll get some suggestions. Do you > often feel stuffed up? When do you feel better? > For me, irrigating using Dr. Grossan’s tip/WaterPik is part of my arsenal of > controlling my nasal-sinus congestion and resultant pain. I went 20 years > suffering and now with the suggestions found in this ng, feel a whole lot > better. Read this ng’s FAQ. It’s got all kinds of info but you gotta be > committed to putting in the time to diagnose yourself, do research and wow, the > results are out there. > Good luck…. > Brad > ————————————————– > to email direct, remove Xspam.
Response:
One more thing: how do I find the FAQ? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Brad36 wrote: > <I’ve been plagued with sinus problems and headaches for a long time.> > Give us a little more of your symptoms and you’ll get some suggestions. Do you > often feel stuffed up? When do you feel better? > For me, irrigating using Dr. Grossan’s tip/WaterPik is part of my arsenal of > controlling my nasal-sinus congestion and resultant pain. I went 20 years > suffering and now with the suggestions found in this ng, feel a whole lot > better. Read this ng’s FAQ. It’s got all kinds of info but you gotta be > committed to putting in the time to diagnose yourself, do research and wow, the > results are out there. > Good luck…. > Brad > ————————————————– > to email direct, remove Xspam.
Response:
Hi here’s my reply to your 2 posts about the faq and your desire to get a good nights sleep. The last faq update was on 3/4/01. There are lots of ways to retrieve it. One way is to use Google Groups search at http://groups.google.com/ then enter "sinusitis faq" (be sure to spell it correctly in the search box, then click on "sort by date" and you’ll get it by going back a page or so. Couple thots about a good nights sleep. I would obtain Dr Grossan’s sinus tip that you use with a water pik. You’ll find info on this at his website at www.ent-consult.com. Use it to clear out your nose/sinus area in the evening. I also use Dr Grossan’s Breathe-Ease and Clear-Ease. All good stuff. In the interim, try a hot steamy shower in the evening, hot packs on the face, squirt saline water into your nose (ayr, ocean etc), try eating hot spicy food. The objective is to get your nasal/sinus area to drain. I get relief taking Maximum Strength Tylenol Allergy Sinus at bedtime. It doesn’t bother my sleep. I think there’s even a PM option for taking at night. We’re all a little different with medicines. For me, the Tylenol does not help with pain but the antihistamine & decongestant works good. For my pain, only Excedrin works. Here’s my broken record message. You gotta do a lot of trial & error methods and in there somewhere will come some help. Keep plugging away. And follow the directions you get with all this stuff. A lot of us have made mistakes and caused more problems. Good luck and keep us informed with your progress……. Brad ————————————————– to email direct, remove Xspam.
Response:
Also, try elevating your head when sleeping. Some people put blocks under their bed legs at the headboard to raise the whole bed. Adding pillows or rolled up blankets under your head can work too. This takes some time to get used to sleeping with your head raised but you can change your habits. This helps the sinuses to drain while asleep. The worst thing is to sleep on your stomach without a pillow. Brad ————————————————– to email direct, remove Xspam.
Response:
Hello (I tawt I taw a) Puddy – tat…. I have found 2 things that have worked wonders for me in controlling the (never ending) sinus headaches that I have experienced: The water-pik with the Grossan irrigator tip and Flonase spray. I irrigate about 4 times a day, and I give one spray of Flonase in each nostril, first thing in the morning — then repeat spray 15 minutes later. ….It is important not to over-do the Flonase spray, as spreading it over the day or exceeding a twice a day shot , actually contributes to the congestion. Ie: don’t use it as an anti-histamine/decongestant sprayer. Additionally, about 15 minutes after I irrigate, I lay on the bed, hang my head over the edge, and by rotating my head every few minutes from one side to the other, I allow the water to drain out. ….It also helps considerably to hold the nose a few times, while in this position and swallow (this creates a vacuum, which helps pull material out of the sinuses) …. Further… I never blow my nose as if I’m trying to force my brain out through my nose. I blow very gently, as Dr. Grossan suggests, with the mouth open. I recently had a very bad cold a few weeks ago, and this method got me through the subsequent sinusitis aggravation without even having to resort to another round of antibiotics. Good luck with your condition…..Jon
Response:
Dear Jon, It isn’t a good idea to irrigate with the Water Pik 4 x a day unless you are trying to prevent a common cold after bad exposure to others with colds. If you do 4x a day you remove Lysozyme and other products that the body makes to combat infection. Lysozyme and other surface products kill the bacteria in a natural "good" manner. Therefor twice a day should be the desireable frequency if you need it. For the common cold to enter your body, it requires a natural product called ICAM 1 in order to enter. If you irrigate frequenly you remove the ICAM 1 and so there is no entry way for the cold virus. On the other hand if its working for you …… Best, Murray Grossan, M.D. http://www.ent-consult.com http://www.TinnitusRelief.net
Response:
Filed under: Sinusitis Antibiotics
Leave a Comment
XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
TrackBack URL | RSS feed for comments on this post.