kicked to the curb again - recurrent sinus infections, headaches 2 years

Hi Alcie~

I'm sorry your doctors are being so incompetent! When you can't even trust the doctors you wait to see and pain dearly for then there just doesn't seem to be much hope. There's on idea that yo might want to consider. Across the country and around the world are universities that not only have medical schools but have hospitals and research labs attached to them. These typically get you the best, latest & greatest treatment on the planet. Anyone can use them and most often insurance covers them. In the Chronic Pain 101 thread there's a link to these facilities around the globe but, most important, around the country. Here's the link so you don't have to go searching for it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_university_hospitals

Find one closest to you even if it's a long drive. I would think it would be more than worth it in the end. It does sound like a change of doctors would surely help you.

Warm hugs,
Chutz

Thanks for the replies.   Current Medications for Sinus Infection: Flonase Spray BID Saline or baby shampoo sinus wash Astepro 0.15% spray BID Bactroban sinus spray BID Diflucan every other day – stopped 3/8/11 I think I'll just stop all of them for a while.    I think the Flonase just doesn't get far enough in and doesn't work long enough.  The ENT had me try Prednisone 20 mg last year, but that gave me a gosh awful headache on top of the one I already had. Antibiotics Tried, Didn’t Work, for Sinus Infection:    Amoxicillin, Bactrim, clindamycin    All seemed to help briefly - maybe 3 days.   Medical Conditions: Heart attack 2006 – LAD stent; Circumflex stent 2007; Post Polio – weak swallowing, cough reflex Breast IDC 1.1cm 2009 lumpectomy Fibromyalgia Diverticulosis; abscess 2010 Vasovagal syncope when supine Food, medicine allergies, intolerances, especially sulfites Spinal arthritis, kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis, Degenerating disks, spondylosis, arthropathy Extraforaminal protrusions, annular tears Radiculopathy L5, S1, herniated disc L3-L4 Cervical foraminal narrowing Left ankle pronates (orthotics) Cataracts, macular drusen Slipping ribs, deviated nasal septum, headaches, sinus infections  Knee arthroscopy torn left knee cartilage 2010 Toupet fundoplication 2009 → vegetable intolerance and vitamin K deficiency Trigger fingers – surgery 2010 Right shoulder bursitis, tendonitis   I also take a few vitamins, a little fiber.  All I tolerate for pain is tramadol, and not that much either - 50mg TID, 100mg ER at night.  I get serotonin syndrome if I take too much or most anything with it.  I take Ambien at night.  I took a Vicodin, which I never take except after surgery (different type of pain) last night because the pain was so bad the Ambien wasn't enough.  I have a whole page of med intolerances, in small print, that I've recorded over the last 4 years. I'm sulfite intolerant, but seem to be able to handle Bactrim OK.  I just got an appointment with a neurologist for next month, have to get the CT scans (showing open sinus drainage from a year and two years ago) faxed to him.  They do show swelling! I've put up with the pain for 2 years, so another month isn't bad.  I'm positive the headaches are related to the wreck.  I had a broken nose, deviated septum, cut over eyebrow, lots of bruising - all from airbag!  The seatbelt did a lot of damage too, but I can only take care of one pain at a time.  Monday was spin injection day again, after not having them for a year.  

So yesterday I stopped ALL the sinus remedies, and I'm no worse, except for nosebleeding, but no better this morning either. Frontal headache's the same at about 5-6. Nose is dripping. Pink mask across cheeks and nose the same as the last week - which indicates inflammation. It's work to get a decent breath in through the swollen nasal tissues, but steroid spray only helps for a few minutes. I don't tolerate Prednisone.

I'm not angry with the ENT, only disappointed. My doctors actually do care, but I don't have interesting enough conditions (see post above), especially for surgeons, for them to keep suggesting treatments. Of course there was the surgeon who wanted to gut me like a fish and take out a foot of sigmoid colon when I had a first bout of diverticulitis. I knew enough about that to say NO! IV antibiotics fixed the abscess. My allergist took the most interest in the sinus problem, but the sinus rinses and Diflucan were not a cure. My PCP prescribes antibiotics and pain meds if I need them. My pain doc doesn't deal with headaches but has prescribed everything imaginable for the fibro, but I haven't tolerated anything except tramadol in low doses. He does work with my back pain. The 4 muscle injections he did Tuesday along the opposite side of my spine when he was injecting my L2/L3 spine for the sciatica, have worked where I didn't expect anything at all. He suspected muscle spasms. He's right, and I've had relief with Valium from those spasms, but he's worried that I will get addicted from even an occasional 2 mg, so I stopped that to please him.

Isn't there some procedure for cleaning out sinuses, rinsing them with antibiotics? I can't get the mixes I've tried, even netti pot style, up there far enough or long enough to work.

  Dear Alcie,

    I sorry to hear of all your troubles! I too get recurring sinus infections. It is normal for me. I was born with a deviated septum. It is completely blocked. I have had many offers to get the surgical procedure done to repair it. I just don't see the use. It has been like this my whole life. I cannot take nasal sprays because in variably a piece of booger will harden behind my deviated septum and of course you know what comes next... the ball gets larger, then it becomes tender, then of course! Infection time because there is no way to removed the infected "ball" until I can get down to the ENT to remove it for me and treat the subsequent infection with antibiotics. I just don't use nasal remedies any longer. They are designed to dry you out so that you can breathe, but when it "hardens" the "boogers" the problems begin. I have no way to pass the hardened balls out of the effected nostril.

    I use an infant "sucker" to clean out that nostril while in the shower. If it gets bad during the day I boil some water with salt, put it in a bowl. Place my head over the bowl with a towel over my head and sides of bowl. Then I use the infant nostril cleaner. As for in office procedure to clear sinuses.... my ENT uses a humid mist coming out of a machine. It has a steroid of some sort and another type of antibiotic mixed in. He places it in my nostril (pushing the septum aside to get inside the nostril) and releases the "medicated mist" in little spurts. It makes me sneeze terribly but does the trick. He removes any excess from back there. He fully cleans behind my deviated septum nostril. I am not sure if that is what you are thinking of though....

     I hope you are able to get some help with it all. 

*hugg*
   dani