Please help me, newbie with allergie and sinus problems
Hello all, I'm gab! I've been suffering from allergies all my life... itchy throat and ears, watery and itchy eyes, stuffy nose, etc. These past couple of years it's even worse as I started my business/hobbie making candles and soaps. All the scents that I was working with in a daily basis made mi nose stuffy. I could NEVER breath, NEVER. So I used AFRIN DAILY FOR ONE YEAR!! Yes one year! If I didn't use it I couldn't breath and I would get anxiety.
I decided to go to the allergist last december and she did the allergy test and I ended up being allergic to mold, dust, polllen and a bunch of other things that I don't remeber now. When I went there I had bad sinus pressure and totally blocked nose. I had a CAT scan that didn't show any infection, so they put me on Allegra, rhinocort, and an oral steroid for the inflamation. I got better after taking the meds, so i decided to stop using the Allegra and nasal spray... well I started getting stuffy again and I ended up with a sinus infection 2 months later. After that sinus infection I have had 2 more this year... This is killing me.... 3 sinus infection IN ONE YEAR??????????? is that possible????????????????
Anyways at this point nothing seems to help. I decided to quit my little busniess. I have 50 candles to deliver this sunday and THAT's THE END. I finished my antibiotics last Friday (2 weeks on treatment) but I still have sinus pressure and sinus headaches. I have a doctor's appoitnment tomorrow....
Sorry for the long story but I need help... what can I do to prevent this from happening again. I have no energy and my sinuses hurt so much.
I've been reading your posts for a while and I decided to buy an irrigation system yesterday at walgreens (not the machine, the one with the little container for $14.99). I started last night and it feels soothing. I have so many questions?
1. Can I prevent sinuses infection in the future by irrigating my sinuses twice a day?
2. When am I gonna start feeling better after starting the irrigations, specially the sinus headaches?
3. What's the best allergy medicine out there? Allegra doesn't seem to help anymore
4. what's the best nasal spray? I'm on Flonase right now. Rhinocort worked and Nasonex didn't.
5. Do you think I'm getting infections now because I used AFRIN for one year and it messed with my sinuses.
6. Does an air purifier really help? I just got one yesterday, the hamilton beah with HEPA and Uv light. Pretty expense. I have it in room.
7. what else can I do so I don't get this again???????
I'm so depressed right now... I'm tired of these sinuses infections, and allergies.
Guys please help me.....
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. Your comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!
Re: Please help me, newbie with allergie and sinus problems
Hi,
There are no guarantees when it comes to sinus infections.
That said, a fairly common regimen for folks with allergy related sinus issues is:
--oral antihistamine (clarinex/claritin, zyrtec or allegra - those are the only nonsedating ones currently available. Allegra doesn't work for me, I use claritin)
--inhaled steroid (flonase, rhinocort, nasonex)
--sudafed (not needed separately if you use claritin-d or allegra-d)
Sinus irrigation will not necessarily prevent infection, although it can by flushing mucus out and keeping sinuses cleaner. it can also mitigate infection.
I also use Astelin nasal inhaler - it's an antihistamine nasal inhaler in addtion to the meds above.
It is important to take these meds even when you are feeling well, to prevent reaction.
Also, I have had as many as 9 sinus infections in a year, all allergy related.
Re: Please help me, newbie with allergie and sinus problems
The best way to prevent sinus infections is to keep your allergies under control. Keep taking your allegra and using your Flonase. Don't stop it, unless instructed by your doctor. The air purifier will help you a lot. Also, keep your house as dust and mold free as possible. If you are allergic to dustmites, get dustmite covers for your bed.
The afrin can cause rebound congestion, which since you used it so long, probably caused the drainage in your sinuses to slow down, which left you vulnerable to infection. But now that you've stopped, it should NOT have caused any permenant damage.
Sinus irrigations will help your sinuses to drain. You will most likely feel somewhat better right away, but it can take weeks before all the gunk gets flushed out. It will help prevent infections.
You might also ask your doctor about allergy shots. All the stuff I've listed has helped me, but it was really the shots that helped the most.
Last edited by sneezydiva; 10-23-2004 at 02:30 PM.
Re: Please help me, newbie with allergie and sinus problems
Hi Gab!!
3 sinus infections in 1 year? Is it possible? YOU BET--Try getting 4 or 5--That's my average. no joke
That said, I know it totally sucks. I usually , after I take the antibiotics, get better results w/ Afrin or a NON Steroid nasal spray. Definately try to avoid those sterioid ones as they tend to make your nostrils feel FILLED with cement if you keep it up for even just 2-3 days....
Do you usually feel all weak and sore when you have your sinuses acting up? My face gets very tender and the last infection I had this summer, had me on steriods for about 2 weeks b/c of the swelling....
But, my ENT did tell me that keeping my allergies in control would help a lot!
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