going through a horrible time... has anyone ever been through this?

[ItWillPass]

As my subject title says, I am going through an absolutely horrible time right now. I have been sick for almost 4 months. I have had a sinus infection that just will not go away. I was on 4 courses of antibiotics, and each time it would get better, then come back. My doctor put me on a really strong antibiotic called Levaquin... and while it seemed to help the sinuses, I had a horrible reaction to it... terrible headaches, racing heart, weird thoughts... just totally out of it. I explained this to my doctor who told me I should stop with the levaquin... Of course... here I am now feeling the pressure in my sinuses yet again. I only took 3 doses of the levaquin. The doctor is at his wits end doesnt know what to do for me. I am just feeling so horrible. Physically and mentally. I dont know what to do. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Antibiotics either dont help or cause horrible side effects, but the sinus infection is very uncomfortable, causing head pain, and dizzyness... and I am also scared of the infection getting really bad and going to my lungs or even my brain. I am just doing terrible right now... Sorry this is so long... and thank you so much to anyone who has taken the time to read this. I really need help.

[ItWillPass]

anyone? I feel like such a nag... I am just at such a low point right now... I feel like I cannot go on. I know my anxiety is playing a role... but I do feel my main issue that I have actually been sick for months now with whatever infection this is! :weep:

[lrforge]

I can't offer much advise, but I did have problems with my sinuses to. About 6 months of the being kinda congested, but then I got a cold and had about 6 weeks of sinus/infection. I had 3 rounds of antibiotics that I think made me feel worse, until he prescribed flonase. The first day on it, the dizziness was going away, he told me wait about 2-3 weeks to get the full affect of it, and Monday this week-my sinuses do not bother me! Yeah! I highly recommend this. Everyone is different of course, but I have 2 friends on this as well, and it works wonders for them. It helps flush out sinuses and I am oging to keep taking it.

[ItWillPass]

Thank you so much for the reply... sometimes it helps so much to know what i am experiencing is not so unique. I feel so horrible and sickly right now. Sometimes I worry that I will never be well again. Thank you again for your reply.

[justbananas]

hey - this post was in another thread. not sure how true it is or if it will help but try to look up this med and see ..

dkatzmd


Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 4
Country:

Re: Sinus sufferers please help!
Hello to all of you,

I am a newcomer, so I will introduce myself first.

My name is David and I post under my real name "dkatzmd". I am a Physician located in southern California and have practiced for many years.

This response is related to "Chronic Sinusitis" issues. I hope it will be helpful to all of you.

As you may know, Chronic Sinusitis is the "Darth Vader" of medicine -- and medical dilemmas. It afflicts more than 35 million people in the USA, and is oftentimes confused (or misdiagnosed) by practicing clinicians here, and abroad.

Its symptoms, and consequences, are insidious, protracted and very dibilitating (even in otherwise healthy individuals).

The most important dilemma surrounds the "ineffective" treatment usually prescribed. Let me draw an analogy to help you understand.

Think about your nasal sinuses as a "grass lawn". A grass lawn has many layers -- starting with the underlying dirt surface, followed by the grass "base" and then (finally) by the grass "leaves" and "buds" that we see on the surface of the Lawn.
If you need to "clean" or "fertilize" that Lawn -- you need to penetrate below the top surface of the visible "leaves" and "buds" in order to deliver the fertilizer. Otherwise, the Lawn withers.

Our sinuses are very similar. There is a layer of "base" epithelium tissue that covers the underlying bone structures -- and above that "base" layer of epithelium is a covering surface epithelium (the "grass leaves", so to speak).

Similar to a grass lawn, our sinuses need to be "penetrated" adequately in order to restore their delicate epithelial membranes to proper health.

Therewith is the problem!

In order to properly "aerate" sinus membranes and effectively "eradicate" the infectious organisms that have created a comfortable "home" for themselves on the outer sinus epithelium layers, you must use EFFECTIVE antibiotics for a SUFFICIENT period of time.

Although most of the antibiotics mentioned on this thread (e.g., Clindamycin, Ciproflaxin, etc.) may be systemically effective for other types of infections in the body, they do NOT reach into the sinus membranes very well (if at all)!

There is only one antibiotic that has unique capacity to "break through" the sinus membrane barrier and reach therapeutic levels in the sinus cavities to wage an effective "war" against sinus bacteria. And, in order to be effective in that "war", it must be taken for a minimum of 28 days! (Not 5, 7 or 10 days!)

The name of that antibiotic is Dicloxacillin. It is an early "spin-off" of the penicillin family -- and therefore easily forgotten by current practitioners.

But -- it works! (250 mg 4 times per day for 28-30 days!) It is also relatively inexpensive (another reason why it has been forgotten by modern day practitioners who are deluged with outrageously expensive "new" antibiotics!)

I have treated many patients with the above recommended regimen (including members of my own family) with 100% positive results (sometimes, patients require an additional 2-3 weeks of therapy -- depending on the length of time that they have suffered from chronic sinusitis).

I hope that this helps you!

David

[ItWillPass]

hey there. thanks so much for that information... uchhhh i just cannot imagine having to take an antibiotic for 28+ days!!!! Has anyone ever gotten rid of this? I am feeling a little doomed here.

[Cococj]

I had recurring sinus infections for 9 years, until last year when they cleared up, I won't go into how that happened as it's not going to help you here.

This long post that justbananas quoted is interesting, if not entirely helpful - to me dkatzmd's post sounds like an advert but eh who knows. I say that as although this antibiotic may well be useful to suggest it's the only one that helps is utter rubbish. Admittedly with sinus infections a lot of doctors don't treat you for long enough but many different types of antibiotics will work, depending on the patient. Also take into account that blood flow to the sinuses isn't very good, especially when infected so they don't always work immediately, if at all.

The first thing you should be asking your doctor for right now, if he hasn't already done so, is confirmation that it is a bacterial infection that is causing your sinus problems. If multiple doses of antibiotics haven't cured you then it could simply be a viral infection or even a fungal sinus infection. Neither of which will be solved by the use of antibiotics.

Whichever, I hope you find relief soon, it's a horrible problem especially when it's chronic and I feel for anyone who has to put up with it long term.

[mick_uk]

Hiya,
I've had this sinus bug/virus for a while now and after the antibiotics had failed my doc tried me on beconase nasal spray. It's not quick working but it has helped. I've been on it two weeks now and it is improving. I also use a saline spray called sterimar which has helped. My doc then told me the formula to make my own saline nasal spray.
1/4 teaspoon of rough sea salt.
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. (not baking powder or you might blow a cake out of your nose instead :D )
and a mug of boiled water.
mix the salt and baking soda into the mug and stir well, then inhale it into your nose. I bought an empty travel spray bottle to spray it with.
This has helped me.
I would check first with your doc before doing it, but it helped me.
Also he gave me some tablets for the nausea caused by the post nasal drip
hope you start to feel better soon
mick