Can't Stop Congestion and Drainage

If it happens about the same time every year, it's likely (but not necessarily) allergies. I know that this area (DFW) has had a severely high pollen count for Cedar/Juniper in the last couple of weeks. My family has been plagued with severe drainage and congestion. The doctor gave me RX for Allegra (OTC Zertex might be equivalent) with Nasonex (also an RX and VERY helpful) and tells me to also take 24-hr Sudafed for congestion relief. This combination worked wonders.

You might ask the doctor about Rhinocort, a nasal steroid. It is low dose and really has dropped my sinus infections from like monthly to maybe one a season. It is definately worth looking into. Saline nasal spray is another thing I swear by.
Good luck,
L.

I was always told there nothing over the counter that works for children I always had to have my dr give me a perscribtion. I have take AllegraD And 8 year old takes Allegra and a red sudafed pill. Talk to you dr he should be able to give you a year round meds

After years of dealing with the same symptoms as yours, my doctor (who is definitely an enigma in the field of medicine) put me on Probiotic Sinus Ease, by Nature's Life. I take 2 TBLS a day and have no problems with my allergies/sinuses anymore. It's great stuff!!! You might have to get a health food store to order it for you. It has to be refrigerated after opening, and doesn't have a long shelf life, so notice the Exp.date. I looked it up on the Internet, but couldn't find a way to order it direct from the manuf. I've recommended it to several friends, and all report wonderful results.

There's a great article in the most recent Good Housekeeping magazine about preventing sinus infections, and one of the things the doctors quoted in the article say is to do whatever you can to keep your sinuses draining (it's when they stop that the infection gets going). You might also consider running a cool mist humidifier in your (and your kids') bedroom at night since the dry winter air dries out your mucus membranes which forces your body to produce more mucus. Good luck!

my son has this same problem and his allergy and asthma dr put him on FLONASE it has helped tremendously...it is a preventative med as well.

I have lived in Dallas 13 years. I always had spring/fall allegies, but here it is year round. I used to average 2 to 3 sinus/respiratory infections every year until about 2 years ago when I added Singular to my daily allergy regimen. It has made all the difference. The allergy medicine I take 2x a day is Allegra D. People tease about vitamin C, but I take 1,000 mg morning and night and the kids take chewable vit c 500 mg a.m. and p.m. It can't hurt and I feel it helps with prevention and healing. You could try with your 2 1/2 year old. My son was 3 when I started giving him the vit C. When my kids were as young as yours I just gave them grape sudafed at the first sign of congestion. When they were babies they alway had lots of congestion when teething. Drink lots of warm fluid, bath/shower daily to help sinus, and get plenty of rest. If you have not recently changed your house air filters, change them. That will help if you are allergic to dust. I hope you and your family feel better soon. I have not gone to an allergist.

Have you ever tried the Neil Med Nasal rinse? You can get it at the drugstore. My ENT highly recommends doing this rinse once or twice a day to clear out your nasal passages. Many people swear by it!

My Shaklee products have immunity boosters which keep you from getting sick in the first place AND we have a Defend and Resist product to use at first sign of a cold or flu to reduce the length of symptoms.
We have children's chewables and liquid vitamins.
Alfalfa tablets keep the allergies at bay.
Give me a call and I GUARANTEE you and your kids will feel better.
AND it's a lot less expensive than doctor visits and over the counter products.
###-###-####

V.,
I know that is frustrating. I have come across a great thing called activate from Melaleuca. You take at the first signs of getting sick, and 9 times out of 10 it will stop it before it gets any worse. Also staying on a great vitamin if you are not might help your body stay healthy.
visit www.livetotalwellness.com/2learn

I get the same thing and they want to do allergy testing but I do not have good medical coverage. The last one, about two weeks ago I used Mucinex D and that sucks out the snot. The problem I hate is you then get a runny nose like a cold and it is miserable. But I did get better. Then I use Choreceptic in my throat. It was so raw from drainage. My friend on my trip mixed a $25 bottle of grapefruit extract 11 drops in sailine solution and she has not had a sinus infection for 13 years. You spray it in your nose a couple times a day. Then use this 24 hr Nasal pump at night but I have not had to use it. ZiCam nasal gel. All this kills any pollins in the nose. Put it in and then squeeze your nose and try to let it sit. It will make you sneeze. Son far so good. Anyway, I would go to a health store to see about grape extract. I looked at the bottle and she wrote grapefruit but told me grapes. Years ago she touched some grapes and then her nose on one side and found she was able to breathe so did the other side. I would do anything to be able to breath right. I had a lot of asthma for years and went through migraine headaches some but then realized to relax and do less and they went away. Good luck. G. W

I have the same issues you described. What finally worked for me (and has kept me from getting sick this year) is a nasal allergy medicine rather than a pill. I take veramyst in my nose every morning and it works like a charm! The pills never helped much, but the spray is great. You might ask your doctor about that since all of your allergy symptoms are nasal in nature.

I had the same problem. Mine grew into a severe infection. They had me on several different antibiotics and none seems to help. Finally I was referred to an ENT doctor and he did a ct scan on my sinuses and found out I need to have surgery. I had a deveiated septum. He said a lot people have this problem it is just worse for some. It was causing my sinuses to not drain properly. I went ahead and had the surgery. It is very simple and I feel soo much better. He goes in thru your nose holes so there is no scarring. The recovery was just annoying. It didnt hurt that bad. Definatly get your allergies checked. Have your children tested as well. Maybe you need the allergie shot. My boss is very alergic to cats and he gets the shot. It helps him so much that he has about 6 cats in a small apartment.
I pray you get to feeling better.

It sounds like allergies to me. I have them too and I started going to Dr. Barbara Baxter in Dallas years ago. She is an allergist/immunologist on Sherry Lane between Preston and the toll way. I've been going to her for years and she is very good. I've sent several friends and she's helped everyone. If you are interested, her number is ###-###-####. She can test you and see what you are allergic to. If you can avoid the allergen, problem solved. If not, she has many ideas for treatments natural or presctiption.

Try a neti pot. They are awesome. You can purchase them at Walgreens or look on-line at www.sinucleanse.com. It has truly saved me...keeps me from taking meds other than supplements. I think it will really make a difference for you. My 7 old dtr uses it too. You can use it as many times a day as you want...it's just a saline packet mixed with water. Good luck!

Adaptogens are a natural way to help boost the immune system. To learn more and watch "The Story of Adaptogens Documentary" 10 minute video, go to VitalHealth.TunguskaMist.com

The Immune Tunguska Mist formula contains the following adaptogens to support a healthy immune system and target the respiratory system: Amla, Astragalus, Holy Basil, Eleuthero, Licorice, Reishi, Rhodiola, and Schizandra. My husband no longer deals with allergies since he's been taking adaptogens, and they may provide some relief for you, too. We usually get our orders in 2-3 days first class mail from this website.

I also highly recommend an incredible book titled Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Winston and Maimes. From the book "There is a category of herbs called adaptogens that help the human body adapt to stress, support normal metabolic processes, and restore balance. They increase the body's resistance to physical, biological, emotional, and environmental stressors and promote normal physiologic function".

Hang in there! I hope you and your girls feel better soon:)
God Bless!

Dear V.,
sounds like a allegry problem.
Check out www.yourbestair.com/garrett I use to have to take something all the time till I found out about this.
Good luck and God Bless
J. G

I had the same problem. It was allergies. I tried sinus surgery to repair my deviated septum, several different allergy meds, Rhinocort, etc. The only thing that ended up working for me was allergy shots. They really helped. Although, my mom still swears by her Neti pot to irrigate her sinuses. That seems to help also. You can pick one of those up in any vitamin/health food store. I have even seen them at WalMart.

My husband has horrible allergies - so does my 2 year old. Give her 1 tsp of zyrtec 1x a day and use saline wash for her nose. I do the saline wash as often as possbile. This helps to prevent them from getting sick as often and as severe. Also, you can make the saline wash at home - ask your pedi for recipe. Kroger sells it; however, it is just salt, water and baking soda. Everything has to be sterile.

Hello V.,

definitely sounds like allergies. have you been tested? get tested before you keep taking meds (well, at least after this particular episode is done because you need to be off allergy meds for about 10 days before you can get tested).

anyways, get off milk products --milk makes you produce more phlem. I don't think zyrtec has a decongestant. so what the doctor gave your daughter probably had a decongestant and that helped to dry her runny nose.

question everything... from xmas tree to flowers, plants in the house, plants outside the house, air freshener, shampoo, lotions, cleaner, etc.

the netti pot is a great suggestion. also, try and use chemical-free cleaners.

get tested for allergies so you know what to avoid. just taking allergy meds is not the answer. After I stopped eating lettuce, sunflower seeds/oil and safflower oil I only have to take allergy meds/decongestant every few weeks sometimes months go by and I don't need it. you see, I'm allergic to ragweeds and in that family you'll find lettuce, artichokes, sunflower, safflower, daisies (my favorite flowers), dandelions, echinacea, chamomile, etc. now that companies are trying to get away from soy oil... they're using sunflower and safflower oil for everything. That's making it very difficult for me to enjoy snacks and many other prepared food products. I'm not saying that's your problem, but just wanted to show that avoiding a few things can have a big impact in your everyday life. Good luck! and get yourself and your daughter tested. ~C.~

I think everyone experiences some kind of allegies this time of year since the houses are closed up and the furnaces are running. unforunately germs are everywhere and more people are shopping and spreading them around! I have 3 daughters and it seems we were always fighting a cold or something until we started taking Nutriferon from Shaklee. All of us have interferon in our bodies and to put it short these ars the antibodies that fight off infections. When our system gets weak and run down from stress the amount of interferon is low, by taking Nutriferon it boosts these levels and will take care of the infections with out having to take antibiotics. Here is the link to my website with lots more information www.shaklee.net/getcleanlivegreen/prodNuFeronHome
another culprit we are finding more and more people are getting asthma and breathing disorders from everyday household cleaners that are loaded with toxic chemicals that the EPA has banned! Shaklee has a wonderful line of biodegradeable non toxic cleaners that really work! I suggest you look into these as well here is that link www.shaklee.net/getcleanlivegreen/prodHou

The netty pot is very good as well as a nasal rinse. The same company sells the netty pot and nasal rinse in the pharmacy section with sinus meds.

We got the rinse and it makes a world of difference.

Good luck!

I could have typed that post not too long ago! Since then, I've discovered the wonders of my "routine" at the first sign of sinus trouble or drainage (what I often call an allergy attack):
1) avoid dairy and carbs like you're on a mission; i.e. eat plenty of vegetables, lean meats, and nuts & **avoid** cheese, milk, yogurt, fruits (and fruit juices), candy, cereal, bread, pasta, tomato sauce, etc.
2) get as much sleep as possible and try to avoid stress whenever possible
3) take a half teaspoon or so of sodium ascorbate* when you wake in the morning, before you go to bed at night, and 2-3 times per day
4) saline spray in the nose whenever it feels dry or you're in a heated environment
5) inhale hot steam (cool mist doesn't work for me) for about 10-20 minutes, 2-3 times per day

I have only had to go to the doc for antibiotics twice in the last 5 years - instead of the 2-3 times **per year** like before...so hopefully "the routine" can help you & yours too!

*Sodium Ascorbate is a powdered, buffered, bioavailable form of vitamin C suitable for therapeutic dosing; you can find it at most health food stores, Central Market, Whole Foods, etc. Other sodium salts are NOT the same (calcium ascorbate, for example), nor is ascorbic acid. SA SA SA SA SA SA SA!! ;D

My husband finally bought a "netty pot" (I think that is how you spell it.) and he swears by it! I think it would be difficult to do at first..if you have never seen it, it is a small tea pot looking thing, that you mix a saline solution in, and then pour it through your nostrils...it is hard to explain, but the design is to clean out your sinuses. I dont have a real problem with congestion unless I am pregnant,but he does, and tells anyone he can that they should get one. It is worth a try, esp. if you can avoid more drugs. I will add that one time I did have a sinus infection, and the dr. prescribed entex, and that dried me up..so much so that I had to drink a ton of water, but the congestion was gone!! Best of luck, this is a tough time of year for lots of people!! ~A.~

For yourself I would purchase a Netti Pot. (walgreens or a health food store will carry it.) It is a little pot that you mix saline and water in and you tilt your head and pour it into one nostril and it flows out of the other one. (They have demonstrated this on Oprah.) It will help clear out your sinuses so it does not sit in there and turn into an infection.

For your babies I would purchase "Liquid Light- Sinus Minus" they are herbal drops that taste sweet. We use this with my 15 month old and it works wonders to clear up their snot and help them feel better. You can get it at the Sunflower Shoppe and probably Whole Foods.