Sinus infection from hell! (cross-post from general forum)

[KZero11]

I've been suffering for 6 weeks now with an infection from hell. I'm feeling woozy all the time because my sinus below my left eye is all clogged up (revealed by CT scan), and none of the antibiotics I've tried so far worked! If you've ever taken any antibiotic that worked well for you, lemme hear it so I can discuss it with my ENT doctor. Meds I tried so far:

Ceftin - no effect, even though it worked well the last time I had an infection
Biaxin - no effect
Avalox - made me really dizzy so I had to stop
Augmentin XR - currently suffering allergic reaction (rash), so I'm taking benadryl and staying home from work.

Thanks,
Kzero11 (sick, depressed, and going crazy)

[ammom1]

Have you tried a few days on decongestants to get the sinuses drained out a bit? Breathing steam? Hot faceclothes on your sinuses? I remember once having a sinus infection that landed me in the ear/nose/throat doctor's office where he actually vacuumed out my sinuses. Sounds gross, but the relief was phenomenal. (I was pregnant and couldn't take decongestants and was at the end of my rope.)

This is an awful feeling, I can sympathize. Did this infection follow a cold or just pop up on its own?

Last winter I suffered terribly, starting in September, first with difficulty breathing and then with cemented sinuses. The doctor tried numerous antibiotics on me, all with no positive results. When I was still bad in March, I went for allergy testing. It turned out I was deathly allergic to my daughter's guinea pig. It hadn't bothered me during the summer when the house was open, only in the fall when we closed things up. Is there anything new in your environment, have you recently moved, changed jobs, etc?

Good luck and hope you find relief soon.

[TexasJeep]

I think I am having a sinus infection that won't go away. Unfortunely I haven't found anything that works either. I haven't heard of the drugs you mentions except biaxin. I am just started taking it. I have also taken cipro.
If you have sinus surgery be aware of the complications that could happen. I had pnenumonia after the surgery and also had a puncture on the top of my sinus cavitiy. I got bacterial mennigtis (sp) and spent a couple weeks in the hospital.

I will let you know if I find anything that works.

Good luck

[acme]

Glad I came across this topic! I've been suffering the last 4-mos or so with sinus problems. Never had a sinus problem B-4! Ear-Eye-Nose Doc Had me take an antibotic for 3-weeks then a catscan. My right sinus is 100% blocked & my left is 90% blocked. He wants to do surgery and clean em out. I have headaches throughout the day ........everyday!
Anyone here have any advice Pro & Con for Sinus Surgery? Doc claims it'll take one hour and I'll be knocked out.......recovery after outpatient......3-5 days.

[ammom1]

As I look over the list of antibiotics you've tried, it occurs to me that your doctor went right for the big guns first. Why is that?

Other meds that can be very effective on sinus infections;

Keflex, Cephalexin, doxycycline, erythromicin.

Sometimes I think these doctors get so much advertising and influence from the drug companies on all the new antibiotics, they forget the old standbys.

As for sinus surgery, there are very few surgeries that come without a price. Think very long and hard before you every let a doctor cut into any part of your body. I have a deviated septum that should have been fixed years ago. Since then, I've hear numerous people mention oh, ya, they had theirs fixed and now they are way worse than before the surgery.