I started having problems Feb 2006 with my first ever sinus infection.
Since then I have been to a Vestibular Therapist, Allergist, 3 ENT's,
Ophthalmologist, Dentist, Septoplasty Surgery, 2 CT Scans of my sinuses,
1 CT Scan of my brain, blood work, variety of sinus/allergy medications
such as Rhinocort, Nasacort, Astelin, Allegra, Allegra-D, Mucinex,
Pseudovent, Claritin, etc... As well as rounds of antibiotics and steroids
such as Augmentin, Levaquin, Z-Pack, Cerofuxime, Prednisone,
Methylprednisolone, etc.. I also occasionally use a Neti-Pot like device called NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit.

My symptoms include dizziness, lightheaded, trouble focusing with eyes,
pressure in face, side of head, forehead, and ears. Pain from side of
nose across under my eyes to where it lines up with the opening to my
ears. Fullness in ears and unable to "pop". Sounds like it crackles in my
ears when I try to pop them. I can pretty much breathe out of my nose
with no problem. There is little to no post nasal drip that I can
detect. When I blow my nose it is clear. Changes in weather seem to make my
symptoms worse as well as lack of sleep. Sleep also seems to be sort of
a "reset button". My symptoms get worse as the day progresses and when
I wake up they start off mild. Sometimes I have stiffness in my jaw,
but I am unsure if it is just residual from my other symptoms. I also
have a tendency to clench my teeth and sometimes grind my teeth at night.

I use a humidifier never set over 50% humidity. We have allergy covers
on the bed and pillows and an Ionic Breeze with Ozone Guard. I try to
take very hot/steamy showers and go to the steam room at my gym once a
week.

These symptoms have plagued me now for over a year and are severely
impacting my day to day life. My symptoms can vary from mild to severe on
any given day and I have not found anything to help me.

For the past 6 weeks I have given up on conventional Western medicine and have been going for Acupuncture treatments once a week. I have been off the sinus/allergy meds for the same time frame. Going off the meds have not increased my symptoms which leads me to believe I don't need to be on them. I am looking for anything that can help guide me in the right direction. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

Hi Spoonybard,
I think we are in a similar boat. I had my first sinus infection in August last year. Glazed eyes then chronic pain around and behind my eyes and then big sinus infection. I then developed a dizziness that is best described as walking on a trampoline or like being on a boat. I've marginally improved but still have sinus pain and dizzy feelings (fatigue has improved). Like you i've tried everything - sinus rinses, acupuncture, massage, humidifier, etc etc etc. My ENT whose a balance specialist reckons i picked up a hard core virus that disrupted my balance system. I'm going back in a week to get another CT-Scan as I can't help but feel its my sinus pain causing the dizziness.
Like you my pain stretches across one side of my sinus and feels like pressure all the way through to my ear.
Sorry I can't offer much help although I have found cardio exercise has helped me a bit. Did your CT-Scan show a sinus inflammation?

Sorry to hear about your misery.

I am the person who posted about tea tree oil curing my fungal sinus infection. The only similarites in our symptoms was dizziness, so I am not sure if we had the same type of sinus issue. The only way to find out for sure what kind of infection you have, is to have a physician take a culture from your sinuses.

As far as any other suggestions.....
I have heard that chiropractic adjustments can be successful at treating chronic sinus infections and If I hadn't tried the tea tree oil, it was next on my list.

Good luck!

Thanks for replying dreddk and nosila. I go to the gym anywhere from 2 to 3 times a week, see a chiropractor once every two weeks and play roller hockey about 2 times a week.

When I first started going to the chiro, I saw an instant difference in the pressure in my sinuses. Due to my symptoms increasing in severity, the relief does not last as long. However, exercising always relieves my symptoms for a short time. The steamroom at the gym is great.

The last CT Scan I had was at the end of Jan 07. It revealed that I had significant inflammation in my ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. I really want to give acupuncture a full run. I think it will take at least a few more treatments to really get mid-long term relief. I don't want to mix western and eastern medicine. All the meds they had me on wasn't doing anything for me.

The ENT I was seeing before going for acupuncture wanted to add on to my already 3 medications a nebulizer. It had an antibiotic, steroid, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory all in one. The crazy thing is that I mentioned to him on one visit about taking a culture of my sinuses and he waived it off, but yet he wanted to give me an anti-fungal in the nebulizer. He did not even know if I had a fungal infection and if I do, which one.

Thanks again for replying!

Spoonybard,

Changes in weather seem to make my
symptoms worse as well as lack of sleep.

Did the allergist suspect vasomotor rhinitus? Weather change inflammation and irritations as well as minimal response and effect from anti-histamines is a signature symptom of this condition. Basically it as allergy to pollutants and irritants.. not your normally of feasibly tested for allergens. Cure? None. But there are some sinus surgeries that can give you relief. Bilateral Turboplasty is the least invasive and traumatic.. a full endoscopic sinus surgery with membrane reduction/removal and complete window insertion and passage widening is like the ultimate surgery.

I have had them both. Recovery for the turboplasty.. no problem. A sinus headache for a few days. The second.. well it wasn't bad pain wise but not being able to bend over for a while sucked.. help out the old posture though.

Sleep also seems to be sort of a "reset button". My symptoms get worse as the day progresses and when I wake up they start off mild. Sometimes I have stiffness in my jaw,
but I am unsure if it is just residual from my other symptoms. I also
have a tendency to clench my teeth and sometimes grind my teeth at night.

Have you consulted with a sleep MD yet? There are over 80 different sleep disorders.. bruxism.. grinding of the teeth is normally a disorder that goes hand in hand with a few others. Why do I mention this? Chronic sleep deprivation is linked with chronic sinus/respiratory funk. It is one of the first signs that a sleep disorder has developed. Snoring is not necessary.. but is a possible sign of enlarged tonsils and obstructive sleep apnea. I would do a little research into sleep disorders. Many people get there sleep disorders fixed and it cures everything from acid reflux to high blood pressure.

I was in the same boat and had a great ENT finally work me through to the optimum surgery. In addition I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and insomnia. Needless to say, between my CPAP (sleep apnea air pressure regulating device) and my recent surgery in October. I am tonsil/adnoid free with fully roto rootered sinuses. Minimal headaches and no sinus infections.

What do I do now? I still take Zyrtec for my allergies to everything living and various foods. However no more Nasonex or decongestant necessary. Instead I use Simply saline nasal spray 2-4 times daily and an OTC (phamacy has to order it) Nasal oil "Ponaris" at night before sleeping. The ponaris oil is great and has started helping my husband. Who has yet to get a septoplasty and sinus surgery performed.

Best wishes on finding answers.
MG

Thanks mkgbrook for replying to my post. I never considered the sleep disorder route. I thought I always slept pretty deeply through the night. However, ever since my problems started, I always wake up tired and feel fatigued throughout the day.

Thanks again!

I had similar problems years ago. They kept telling me oh you are dizzy because of your sinuses, there is nothing we can do except give you decongestants. Still, I remained dizzy even when I did not have a sinus infection. So I figured there was some other problem and I kept pushing the doctors for more tests. Turns out I had sever inner ear damage that may have been caused by a virus, which of course, could have seemed like a sinus infection at the time. Almost any sort of infection, especially if you get them frequently, can infect and damage the inner ear.

My rule of the thumb: if you are only dizzy while experiencing a sinus infection, it's probably going to clear up on it's own.

If you are dizzy in between infections and while you have no other symptoms, then it's probably an inner ear problem.

Thanks loralei for replying! I have the dizziness during and between sinus infections. From the acupuncture I have been able to get a better hold on where my symptoms are really coming from. I have a lot of pressure in my ears and they keep "crackling" and I cannot pop them. I feel very off balance and it is making my head feel like it weighs 100lbs and it is screwing up my vision.

I made an appointment with a new ENT in my area for next week. Hopefully he'll be able to help me.

When I went for the Vestibular Therapy last spring the therapist told me what you said about a virus attacking your inner ear. It sounds very plausible.

Thanks again!

Loralei I forgot to ask in my last post, what type of tests did you have done to determine that you had damage to your inner ear and what did you do to correct that problem?

Thanks.

Loralei I forgot to ask in my last post, what type of tests did you have done to determine that you had damage to your inner ear and what did you do to correct that problem?

Thanks.

You have to go see an otoneurologist or a neurotologist. They have special tests for vestibular problems. They sit you down in a dark room with a chair in the middle and they spin the chair with a camera on your eyes. Your eye movements help indicate how you ears are damaged. They also put you on this surfboard type thing and change the background in front of it while the surfboard moves all around. I believe there were a few other tests, but I dont quite recall.

I was so surprised to find this site since I have had the very same trouble since October! three or four dizzy spells - spacey, or like on a boat, and if I am lucky enough when I am able to get anything out of my nose it clears up.

I've had the test at the ENT for dizziness - I aborted it! I have tinnitus anyway - the ear w/the tinnitus was not much affected, but the good ear sent me whirling into "outer space" - I cannot tolerate anything like that at all. According to the ENT though, the information they got was that it did not appear like there was anything physically wrong.

I have done a lot of research though on fungal infections, especially in the sinus and, as I am working in the middle of a field in a constructin job trailer, we have all kinds of stuff floating around and lots of us have gotten infections that don't clear up easily. I am also candida-sensitive and have been on way too much sugar in all my foods - the the point of total yeast infections. According to a recent article from the Mayo Clinic, they've isolated over 40 fungi in their study on people with chronic sinusitis and no relief - Candida is one of them.

I am now pursuing a completely organic and holistic herbal remedy and way of life - I've drank gallons of Pau d' Arco tea (kills Candida and a host of other fungi), a pot of homemade chicken vegetable soup w/a huge bulb of garlic (fights bacteria), loads of spring water and in 2 days I am feeling better. Ginger, astragulus root, Coenzyme q10 are my next steps along with 1000 mg of vitamin C. I am, once again, cutting out all prepared foods and going totally organic and leaving sugar - including simple carbs and hidden sugar - completely out of my diet so that the Candida cannot thrive and multiply very well.

I see my doctor on Thursday - I'm asking him for a culture of what is in my nose/sinus before we go on to more tests, unless it is an MRI (I'm almost 60 and need, in my mind, to rule out any TIA activity or benign tumors, etc.) The MRI will show everything in my head once and for all.

I hope you find this useful - I was sorry to hear of your problems, but feel lucky that I am not crazy after all - yours is exactly like mine.