Sinus surgery..when does it become necessary?

PinkBananaz · 02-29-2004, 05:11 PM

When exactly does it become necessary to have surgery done on your sinuses/possibly ears?
I've been taking Flonase and Clarinex for my allergies for some time now, and while they do help, they don't completely help. My sinuses haven't been clear for about 2 years now. My nose only runs if I don't take Flonase everyday, twice a day, and no matter what, I can never blow my nose enough to even slightly clear it. At night I find myself waking up several times b/c I can't breathe through my nose, and that leads to asthma problems from breathing through my mouth..I wake up coughing and short of breathe. Sometimes the PND is so bad it feels like I can't breathe and like i'm choking b/c there is just so much. The allergies then also have settled in my eustachian tube and my throat swells till I can barely eat and my ears hurt and swell up till my hearing is muffled. I have almost daily sinus headaches, sometimes so severe I can't get out of bed and sometimes I get really dizzy(their not migraines I do get migraines but thats different), so dizzy I can't sit up for more than a few mins..like if I'm sick, or it's allergy season.
I'm getting frustrated. I don't know exactly all that i'm allergic to, but I do have a lot of problems with allergies. I haven't been able to be tested b/c I have skin allergies. It's been suggested to try Atrovent for the nose or Nasalcrom, but i'm beginning to think there is really something else besides allergies blocking up my sinuses.
I haven't seen an Allergist or ENT, doctor thinks it's useless to see an Allergist if I can't get allergy testing anyway, and ENT hasn't really come up. I did see a pulmonologist..but yeah he was horrible and he doesn't deal with allergic conditions anyway. Who should I see? Should I request a CT scan of my sinuses? Or to try new meds..i'm getting so frustrated..i'm waking up a couple times an hour at nite from not being able to breathe. Any similar experiences..and what did you do?

Halo31 · 03-08-2004, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkBananaz

When exactly does it become necessary to have surgery done on your sinuses/possibly ears?
I've been taking Flonase and Clarinex for my allergies for some time now, and while they do help, they don't completely help. My sinuses haven't been clear for about 2 years now. My nose only runs if I don't take Flonase everyday, twice a day, and no matter what, I can never blow my nose enough to even slightly clear it. At night I find myself waking up several times b/c I can't breathe through my nose, and that leads to asthma problems from breathing through my mouth..I wake up coughing and short of breathe. Sometimes the PND is so bad it feels like I can't breathe and like i'm choking b/c there is just so much. The allergies then also have settled in my eustachian tube and my throat swells till I can barely eat and my ears hurt and swell up till my hearing is muffled. I have almost daily sinus headaches, sometimes so severe I can't get out of bed and sometimes I get really dizzy(their not migraines I do get migraines but thats different), so dizzy I can't sit up for more than a few mins..like if I'm sick, or it's allergy season.
I'm getting frustrated. I don't know exactly all that i'm allergic to, but I do have a lot of problems with allergies. I haven't been able to be tested b/c I have skin allergies. It's been suggested to try Atrovent for the nose or Nasalcrom, but i'm beginning to think there is really something else besides allergies blocking up my sinuses.
I haven't seen an Allergist or ENT, doctor thinks it's useless to see an Allergist if I can't get allergy testing anyway, and ENT hasn't really come up. I did see a pulmonologist..but yeah he was horrible and he doesn't deal with allergic conditions anyway. Who should I see? Should I request a CT scan of my sinuses? Or to try new meds..i'm getting so frustrated..i'm waking up a couple times an hour at nite from not being able to breathe. Any similar experiences..and what did you do?

You sound just like I did prior to the surgery I had in 1999. You should request to see an ENT and ask for a sinus cat scan. They normally won't reccomend surgery unless you have continuous infections that require antibiotic treatment. I stopped using all allergy meds and steroid sprays, like Flonase, rhinocort, Nasonex. It seems they can exasperate the sinus infections. I am glad I had the surgery, but ended up with the worst sinus infection I had ever had post operative. I ended up seeing a naturopath who placed me on herbal remedies and herbal nose sprays. I still use the herbal treatments and sprays today. They have made a world of difference in my life. I hope this information helps and you finally find some relief. Sinusitis can wreak havok on ones mental and emotional state , as well as their physical one!
Halo