My Nose. Help!

Updated on March 06, 2013
N.G. asks from Arlington, TX
14 answers

Five years I've been struggling with this and no answers. I've seen three MDs, a DO, two chiropractors, and two ENTs, and no answers. I have chronic issues with my nose. Sinus infections, post-nasal drip. I wake up with a bloody nose every morning. I've been off & on antibiotics so many times I fear I may develop a resistance to them, so I've been refusing them for the past year or so. The ENT has found nothing wrong structurally, suggested maybe allergies. Allergy sprays and anti-histamines, however, do not improve the symptoms in the slightest. I have tried flushing with saline solution regularly, I have tried moisturizing nose ointments. I've tried a humidifier. I've tried everything I can think of.

Please tell me you've got a suggestion, because I'm open to all of them. I am so tired of it being an issue, honestly.

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So What Happened?

Victoria, I will look into that. Injection therapy is the one thing that I know of that I haven't tried. I just figured that with the antihistamines & nose sprays, that if it were allergies, it would have at least alleviated the symptoms, but your son didn't get relief, it sounds like.

O&D, I haven't used a neti pot, but my daily regimen for months has included zyrtec & a steroid nasal spray.

More Answers

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J.C.

answers from New York on

When you went to the ENT, did he/she put one of the long rubber things up your nose and take a look? I went to one ENT who did nothing and I suffered and suffered. Then I went to another ENT who stuck the hose up there and said - HOLY ADENOIDS!! I have bad ones that get infected a lot. It's so weird - adenoids are a real PIA. My doctor said it's due to allergies. His recommendation was shots. If you have not had allergy testing done, now is the time. It will help you to know what you are allergic to and what to avoid. Do you have pets? That could be part of your issue. If you are allergic to dust mites - cover your mattress / pillows with allergen covers ASAP!

If you can, go to an office that has both an ENT and allergist who work together. Good luck!

4 moms found this helpful

☼.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

My MIL finally had to have minor sinus surgery to clear the area out, nothing else worked. Since then, she rarely has a sinus infection.

3 moms found this helpful
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N.L.

answers from Dallas on

I had a friend who delt with a similar issue, come to find our after 2 yrs of suffering she had a wisdom tooth that needed to be pulled and it was causing infection that I guess moved into her sinuses. Once she got that tooth pulled it all went a way. The tooth wasn't even bothering her. When she finally got some dental insurance she went for a routine check up and they told her that her body was constantly fighting the infection in that tooth.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.F.

answers from Dallas on

I had severe sinus issues for years that we believed led to lung issues. I had sinus surgery in 2005, but still had the recurrent pneumonia.

Cutting out yeast and dairy will probably help. The antibiotics are horrible for your body. Yes, they have their place, but we do become resistant and they cause a yeast overgrowth. Probiotics will help.

Sinus Survival is a great book if you're interested in treating naturally. It does take time, but as you've discovered the medicines aren't working either and they all have side effects.

http://www.amazon.com/Sinus-Survival-Treatment-Allergies-...

Good luck! I know it's miserable.

3 moms found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Dallas on

Stop drinking milk. It's one of the leading food culprits in regards to chronic sinus issues. ;-)

2 moms found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Raleigh on

Can you ask them to do a MRSA culture if they haven't already? They can be pretty persistent, and the standard antibiotics won't help. The infection can go on and on and on unless treated properly.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

Have you been tested to see what you are allergic to?
We have a hepa air purifier (from the allergy store $450). if it is dust and air born allergys this will help. Along with showering when you come in from out side to rinse of.

If you are eating something that is causing your body to react to, it could be increasing the sinus issues. Maybe an allergist can get to the root of the issue .. you remove that item, and then the other stuff corrects itself.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.N.

answers from New York on

this may not apply to you but my daughter, 8, has been battling sinus infections, ear infections, and stuffy/runny nose for a few years now. she was even put on low dose antibiotic year round. she did the ct scan of sinuses, and it showed holed filled. about 3 months ago we were told to do immunity testing. wow, the testing showed she never developed immunity to a pneumovax vaccine. she got a booster, and we just did blood work two weeks ago, and she has antibodies now. i can also say since the vaccine (been 2 months now) she does not have drainage or sinus problems.

1 mom found this helpful
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D..

answers from Miami on

I would worry that the sprays have become a problem for you. If you read about Tammy Faye Bakker, she became addicted to nose spray. (I think it was Afrin.) Afrin isn't the same as your nosesprays, but maybe they could act like the Afrin. I'd read about that, if I were you, and then hunt for a new ENT to give you some help. Have you had a 3 dimensional CT scan? It's different than a regular one.

I urge you to get another doctor. I've had sinus surgery and I know how difficult it is when it's a hard diagnosis, N..

Good luck!
Dawn

1 mom found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Chicago on

Do you eat a lot of dairy? Drink a lot of milk? I used to and had chronic sinus infections. Once I stopped my half-a-gallon a day habit, my sinus issues cleared up. I still have allergies, but they are seasonal. I rarely get sinus infections now. I do eat cheese and yogurt, but not daily and I rarely drink milk. I do use it in my oatmeal (1/2 cup) or cereal.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

You may need to have your sinuses scraped.

Our doc says for noses like that, an allergy med DAILY (Zyrtec), nasal steroid (Flonase) and Afrin are your BFFs. Every day.

Have you used an actual nasal flush/irrigation -- like with a neti pot? (Not just saline spray)

1 mom found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Well, my son has never actually had a sinus infection. But he had horrendous (and worsening) allergies. His symptoms were mainly sneezing, sinus congestion, post-nasal drip, and (probably TMI) but copious amounts of ear wax.

He is 14 now, and has been receiving allergy shots for about 2 years. He is at the point where he goes every 2 weeks for injections. He is largely symptom free at this point. He still has times when it flares, of course... but before now, it was year round. Constant. No relief, no down time.

We just went through a terrible uptick in (in general, the area--- his doctor said he had tons of patients asking for additional treatments b/c theirs were flaring) and son's did flare a bit in January, but since then he's really been fine.

Before starting with the injection therapy, he did several prescription meds, tried the saline sprays, the neti-pot style rinses, OTC stuff... you name it. During most of his treatment, he was taking daily OTC meds also... he is pretty much weaned off of those now too. He may take a Zyrtec every few days... but I don't think he has taken one in the past two weeks.

I don't know if it would help you or not, but have you checked into it at all?
-------
He was put on singulair (oral tablets) when he was 7. I think it might have helped a tiny bit, but it caused stomach aches (about 45 minutes after he took it, every night) so we discontinued it. Then tried Nasonex (nasal spray) same thing. It was difficult to even tell if it was helping or not. But in general, his allergies seemed to be trending to worse, not better. The doc who prescribed both of those (and actually "diagnosed" allergic rhinitis for him) closed his practice here and moved elsewhere, where he could be closer to extended family and in a larger group practice so he could have days off, so when the prescription for Nasonex ran out, we didn't pursue refills with another doctor, b/c it just didn't seem to do much. So we began OTC. Alavert, Claritin (same thing --loratidine), etc. But he still had horrible drainage and used a half box of tissues a DAY. I don't know how he managed at school---I guess it was all he knew, so he just went on with life. In 6th grade, he got double pneumonia, and within a few months after that he had an asthma attack. Those scared him enough to consent to seeking allergy injection therapy. It's working for him.
----
oh, and when I was in a health food store, the lady there suggested removing milk from his diet. (he LOVES milk). I did actually try that for 2 weeks. NO milk. No change, either. Right now, (after @ 2 yrs of allergy shots, still ongoing) he drinks milk every day. His symptoms are still almost gone, for the most part, even drinking milk every day. It's what he washes his breakfast down with every morning. I'm not saying it might not help you to avoid milk, but it didn't seem to have any effect on my son one way or the other.

1 mom found this helpful

S.L.

answers from New York on

what worked for me ( I was having sinus infections every four weeks) was cutting all yeast, yeast extract and MSG out of my diet. NO MORE sinus infections

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Des Moines on

I too was going to say milk....or a food allergy/sensitivity

1 mom found this helpful
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