Sinus trouble - help!

Do you ever have seasonal problems with your sinuses?
What products or procedures do you use to keep it from getting out of hand?
Any natural remedies?
What about prescriptions you found invaluable?
How do you sleep at night?
How do you eat?
What air filtration do you use to minimize allergens?

My sinuses have gotten out of control. Seasonal allergies have morphed into severe sinus congestion. I can't breathe well, I wake up several times in the night, unable to breathe because my throat is overly dry and I cannot breathe through my nose. As I eat, my nose gets so stuffed I cannot breathe. Forget about smelling or tasting anything. I feel like I have glue in my head. Horrible sinus headaches, that spike when I bend down and stand back up - something I do thousands of times a day thanks to the copious amounts of time I'm spending with children these days.

I spoke with my doc about this last week and he recommended flonase. Haven't filled the script yet because it's a class C med and I'm pregnant - I'd rather exhaust other options before snorting a steroid daily.

 

My regimen probably doesn't apply to you: Claritin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl on a particular schedule; Claritin in the morning, Zyrtec and Benadryl at night. I also use Nasacort (side note: it also works for nonallergic rhinitis). This is preventative. Should something take hold, I Neti with a solution heavy on the saline to dry stuff out. I also use Simply Saline as needed; it does wonders if you're sneezy.

The Flonase will make a difference, but here's how to do it--Neti first, open up your passages so the Flonase can really get at the swollen tissues, then use the Flonase. You may only have to use it a couple of days to bring down the swelling and clear out the crap. And, an upshot for Flonase: if you ever get a bad cold, the kind that lodges in there and swells everything up, including your eustachian tubes, Flonase works for that! So does Nasacort. Don't use a Neti for at least a few hours after using a nasal steroid so the medication has time to absorb into your tissues.

I have horrible allergies, and I have to keep this regimen up or I start having breathing problems, which sucks.

 

If it is truly allergies, I'd get a comprehensive allergy test. Then do allergy shots. Works wonders for many people. And the allergy tests are not nearly as scary as they used to be a few years ago.


I have extremely mild sinus issues (since having my deviated septum fixed and nasal polyps removed). I use some Nasonex one or two days a week and I am golden.


Hope you find a good solution. Severe sinus issues are not fun.

 

Thanks for the tips on netipot + flonase. That seems like a very reasonable option. Hubby was supposed to bring me back a netipot from his shopping excursion today but instead got a mosquito fogger. I'm a little confused on his priorities. At least Cinnabunny won't be chased by clouds of mosquitoes in the backyard anymore.

 

I've gone to see an allergist...gave me some indicators of what I'm allergic to.
It helped pinpoint things and gave a bit more insight.

Generic Zyrtec (great buy CostCo)
Nasacort (also a good buy at CostCo)

I take the generic zyrtec in the evening (the height/strength of the 24-hr cycle of the med hits in the morning when the allergy is at its highest)
I take the Nasacort with it...it's also 24-hr

During the heights of my allergy season (Early Winter for me ...or a rainy Spring) I take Qvar (prescription from my allergist)
Albuterol if my lungs are bad. (but I try to avoid this, if possible)

I sleep with nasal strips (again a CostCo buy)

Make sure my air filters for my place are replaced.

 

I also use the generic Zyrtec from Costco.

 

I have to revisit this thread and offer a huge thank you. Everyone's advice was very helpful. My misery is now over, thankfully.

Neti pot was very helpful. I used it twice daily. It took about 4 days of using it twice a day to fully clear my sinus infection out, but each day I saw substantial improvement. I am down to using it once a day and expect to no longer need it at all soon - to be packed away for later use.

I went to home depot and purchased the best filters they carried for our HVAC system (Honeywell, FBR 10 elite allergen filters) I also purchased a better, new prefilter for the HEPA filter we keep in our bedroom. I ran the fan on our AC unit constantly for a couple days and it cleared all the pollen and such from the air in our home. Our home is now a safe haven against airborne allergens. It also made a huge impact.

Hubby purchased and will install a new, higher end cabin air filter for my Passat wagon. I do hope that it will be worth his effort.

I have tripled my generic zyrtec dosage, taking 2 at night and one in the morning. It may be overkill and I will eventually reduce it back to 2 then 1 daily, but it has made a difference.

Thank you again for all the tips. My daughter and husband were really suffering from allergies as well (I used a simple saline rinse frequently on my daughter's nose, and it has helped her clear out as well. Hers hadn't gotten to the infection stage yet, but it was pretty miserable for her). It is good to have this issue resolved and to know how to battle it proactively in the future.

 

Yes, this is a stronger formulation the doc suggested. Another reason why I avoided it. Also, my insurance pays for prescriptions and not OTC.

 

Also, just so you know--you should be using distilled water or previously boiled water in the neti pot.

 

Ehh, it's not that hard to use previously boiled water. Usually, if I'm using the neti on a regular basis at any given point in time, I have it on hand anyway. I'm personally not that worried about the quality of my water, but other people on this board may live in areas where it should be given consideration, plus I find it's a little less harsh that way. I also heat my water up to exactly 100 degrees in the microwave, which helps a lot, too.

 

Yeah, wouldn't even wash it with anything but distilled water, and I sterilize it after every use.