Hello all.

This is my first post, but I do kind of feel guilty just diving straight in with a question :)

About 4 weeks ago I started to come down with what I thought was a normal cold. Bunged up nose, headaches and that nasal sound when I talk. Fine, it's only what you expect at this time of year. Anyway, 2 weeks later and nothing was changing. It was all in my right nostril. No clear fluid coming out, just thick green nasty stuff. So I went to my GP and he prescribed Amoxilin. I finished this course last week and now one week later there is still very little change. If anything it's now moved over to include my left nostril and I am starting to develop a slight cough. I haven't had any sense of smell or taste for the last two weeks and my ears are always bunged up. I am feeling weak most of the time and very tired. Two or three nights I have had the aches, pains and shivers of something coming to a head, but then .... no change and back to the same old feelings. Last night was particularly bad, with the whole of the right side of my face aching like toothache which kept me awake most of the night.

It is all very weird. During the night my nose just blocks up, but during the day they can both appear quite clear, but slightly runny ( a mix of clear and green now when I blow ) There is no sore throat or swollen glands though.

Anyway, I am back to the GP's in a couple of days or whenever he can fit me in when they open tomorrow (ahh, the good old British health service!), but I thought I'd ask for any opinions first. I really am quite down about all this.

Many thanks.

I used to have repeated sinus infections like you describe. It got to the point where I could not even detect the odor of a natural gas leak (the sulfur smell that they add as a safety measure). After about two years of antibiotics and steroid sprays with no positive effects, I finally had surgery. All eight sinuses were filled with polyps and thickened membranes. Those were removed and a deviated septum was corrected. Now, when I get a cold (very seldom), the "great green globs" clear up in a couple of days. My sense of smell has only partially returned, but it's certainly better than it was.

Back in the bad days, I would get some relief using oxymetazoline HCl. It's a spray, very powerful decongestant. Available over the counter here in the US, but I don't know about the UK.

You're probably just not getting enough air circulation into your sinuses. It's no fun, but hang in there, and be persistant. Get things cleaned out.