enie

Yesterday was my 4th trip to the PC Clinic since Jan. 3rd. Had to wait 2 month for my 1st appointment, Aakk. In Nov 05 I picked up an ear and sinus infection and couldn't get an appointment until Jan... I couldn't stand the pain and the T3 I had didn't help enough, so I started taking a pseudoephedrine 12 hr decongestant. Yes I know, it is not recommended, but I thought it would be ok as long as I kept an eye on my BP.
The decongestant really does ease the excruciating head and ear pain quite a bit. I haven’t noticed a great increase in my BP but it does make my heart beat increase. Now when I’m speaking of a faster heartbeat I am talking maybe 70 or 80 beats per minute instead of my normal 60 to 65. To me that is very uncomfortable.
I am thinking that it’s the decongestant interfering with the flecainide I take (which work is supposed to not only help my rhythm but to keep my heartbeat under 60 as much as possible). Therefor my pacemaker is not keeping my heart chambers beating in synch, like it usually does. I have a pacemaker because of blackout spells and to help my heart chambers to beat in synch, (The Doctor had a long name for the problem but, as usual, I can’t remember). Problem is it only corrects it when my heart is beating under my pacemakers setting of 62.
So I said all that to say this; Because of the increase in my heart rate and subsequent unequal heartbeats in the upper and lower chambers happening more often than befor the decongestant, it is wearing me down.
Yes – I’ve told the Doctor, so, yesterday, after writing me a script for my 3rd round of antibiotics, he finally made me the appointment with my ENT (I hate mandatory referral junk). He said my faster heartbeat might be caused by the decongestant and I was to stop taking it. He said that he wished he could do more but that was the soonest appt…. He gave me no alternative relief except pain pills.
My problem is I’m looking at another 5 week wait just for that appointment because the antibiotics are only helping for a little while and the pain starts to come back within days after finishing. I could keep on and on explaining my heart conditions but I just want to ask a general question.
QUESTION:
How do heart patients find relief from ear and sinus pain if they are not able to take decongestants to relieve the pressure?
I need some suggestions here…
Please…
I shouldn’t have to choose between horrendous head pain or extra heart problems.
Enie

Note: In time past I’ve tried several alternatives that did not help me at all or even made things worse – corisidenD, flonaze, saline, antihistamines.

PS I’m allergic to penicillin and also I take a lot more meds than Flecainide.
I also take - Atenolol, Plendil, Celebrex, Plavix, Aspirin 81, Nexium, Zetia, Nitro patches, plus, Albuterol, and T3 as needed,
And, I started Zyrtec a month ago although I can’t tell any difference except it makes me sleepy.