Sinus Infection

[ShoppingCartDiva]

I'm tired of going to the doctor and being told it's a sinus infection. So I'm not going this time to hear the same thing. :D

I've had a lot of ear infections / sinus infections since I moved here, due to allergies I assume. I'm now on Singulair and Nasonex. They help, but I'm still having issues.

Anyone have any thoughts for things I can do? I'm going to get some of those allergy filter things for the AC. I'm going to replace my pillows, too. Those are all I can think of.

[buddysmom]

- I'm prone to sinus infections & they can make you real sick. Happened to me when I thought I had just a cold.
I know they say not to dry your clothes outside when you have allergies.

[Lisaloo]

ok i know this is going to sound strange> BUT........ we are a family with horrible allergies and our doctor told us when you nose is getting really congested fill up your bathroom sink with luke warm water shake in some table salt then scoop some water up in your hand and snort it up your nose ( i know this sounds so wierd but it really works! ;) some how the salt water clears our your sinus cavity, you will be blowing you nose for a few minutes , and you'll be surprised how much comes out but you will feel much better and usually if i do it 1 or 2 times a day depending on how bad my allergies are i don't get a sinus infection. hope you feel better soon!!!!

[ShoppingCartDiva]

That's funny, because my doctor wanted me to do some type of nasal rinse dealio.
I just couldn't stomach the thought, though.

Maybe I'll have to try it. :)



I have ALWAYS had allergies. But wow, here in North Carolina I think everything bothers me. I'm sure it will be better once I am more acclimated to the region.

[pokey]

Dr Oz said to get a Netti pot. I also heard you could buy a baby syringe a lot cheaper and use it.

Nasal irrigation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WikiAnswers - How did Dr OZ cleaned sinus cavities

Being picky, but I would not use the sink for the salt water because of germs in the sink. I would use a paper cup or any clean container to mix the salt water.

[arahzel]

YES! Nasal irrigation is awesome! I've never used a neti pot. Instead I have an attachment for my waterpik. I LOVE this thing. I used it earlier in the year for my seasonal allergies. It was a lifesaver because I'm pregnant and not comfortable taking meds.

I have my mom doing it, too. My coworkers think I'm nuts because anytime they mention allergies, I mention nasal irrigation.

With the waterpik you don't have to tilt your head to any one side. It works really well to flush all the nasties out.

[QueenAngie]

Wash your hands with running water & soap.
Dry on a papertowel. No hand towels in the bathroom.

Consider putting a little bacitracin ointment on a q tip and inserting into each nostril each evening.

Gargle with listerine or a similar mouthwash to kill germs.


Good luck!

[TheWoman]

A year or two ago RiteAid had a sinus wash system FAR. I got one and on those days when I have allergy problems I use it and it helps a lot. It is the same idea as a neti pot, but was FAR

[abond0017]

Allergy problems run rampant in my family and I have had sinus infections so bad that the infection spread to the nerves in my teeth. HORRIBLE!!! I got them so often, all I had to tell my doc was that I had an infection again and he would write me an antibiotic without an exam or anthying...and this happened almost every month or two.

It is hard when you have allergies and move to another area that gives you problems. I move alot and the last place I lived gave me big problems. I lived there for 3 years and NEVER was able to acclimate. So just beware that acclimation doesnt always happen.

I agree with the other posters that the nasal rinse thing is very helpful...it just feels so much better after you do it even if it may be unpeasant during the flushing part.

Also you can try a different or more medication. I was on 3 different medications before because they all treated different causes of allergies to combat it from every angel.
The only one that I was taking that you arent was Zyrtec (or any other med. that treats like it does). Zyrtec and Singular combat different causes so you might want to add it as well to see if that helps more. Although I dont want to be pushing meds on you cause I know I hated having to be on that much stuff...unfortunately I just had it so bad it was necessary.

Try the nasal flush first...it may bring it to a manageable degree for you so you can avoid more meds or maybe even cut some out.

[jedda]

I feel your pain, literally. I have had nonstop sinus problems since moving to Florida over 8 years ago. I have tried allergy shots, otc remedies, and nearly every prescription allergy med out there. For me, most allergy meds work for a while, but over time they lose their effectiveness. Right now, I am on Allegra 180 and NasocortAQ spray. The Allegra is available as a generic but the Nasocort is not. They do have a program for co-pay assistance up to $20 per refill, but if you don't have insurance it is over $100 per bottle.

Recently, I bought a sinus rinse kit at CVS for $11.99 (used ECBs, of course, plus it had a $2 rebate inside). It's called the "SinuRinse" kit, made by NeilMed. (You can google them to find the website, I'm not sure if I can post it on here.)

The kit contains a special high-volume, low pressure squirt bottle, a booklet about nasal irrigation, and 50 pre-measured packets of saline mixture. You basically fill the bottle with warmish water, dump in a packet and shake to mix. Lean over the sink and squeeze the bottle up one nostril. The water goes up and over the septum, and back out the other nostril, taking all of the nasties with it. You empty the bottle with 4 squeezes, 2 on each side, and then gently blow your nose. It isn't really all that bad, once you get the hang of it. (The first few times that I did it, I didn't lean forward, I leaned to one side, like you do with a Neti pot. The water flushed back out of my mouth. Not hazardous or anything, but kind of gross.)

I wish that I had tried this years ago. It has made my day-to-day allergies so much better, because it removes the allergens. I haven't had a single sinus infection since I started using the kit. I highly recommend nasal irrigation to any allergy sufferer.