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  1. #1
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Default please help, how to reduce sinus swelling/pain??

    not so much in the nose, but in the other sinuses (maxillary sinus - cheek area, forehead, near eye). i have literally had a non-stop sinus headache for 4 days, and it's starting to affect my sleep. i've tried ibuprofen, nasal rinse, etc already. a steam bath or shower makes it worse..i feel better though walking out of a shower into fresh, non-stuffy air. i don't have a runny nose at all..just pressure.
    bac/kground: following 3 back-to-back colds this season...i have been having daily headaches for a few months now...negative allergy testing, on Monday i had a CT scan at my ENT showing that my sinuses were very swollen which indiciated chronic sinusitis. he said i would be a good candidtate for surgery to open up the sinuses. i still said i would think about it, though i'm leaning towards getting it. 3 years ago a different ENT dr did a CT scan and told me the same thing.

    however now with my headaches just getting worse and worse (i have had the same headache for 4 days, no break) im at a loss of what to do..even if i go ahead and schedule the surgery in a few weeks..i cannot go on like t his. i have been taking 600 mg ibuprofen and it helps maybe a little...and i can't take more doses in a day because my stomach gets upset. tylenol doesn't do anything. i haven't tried stronger pain meds because i am a SAH to 1 yo and 2yo, we have no family in town to help and DH has been out of town and i can't be groggy during the day driving them here and there to their dr appts, etc. i did try taking Sudafed and it helped maybe a little...but i only take one dose bc that stuff makes me crazy wired and shaky (i can't take it at night).

    anyway if there are any suggestions on what i could do, let me know. i am feeling downright awful. my former preemie DD"s birthday is today, and instead of being happy i just feel like i want to crawl in a hole and die. My DH is out of town until very late tonight bc his grandfather passed away and he had to fly back to his hometown for the funeral which of course was today, so he will be missing DD's birthday (he missed DS's birthday this year also for work related stuff). sorry to feel so negative and selfish, but it's hard to focus on anything else besides the pain i'm in right now.
    Last edited by ♥ms.pacman♥; 03-08-2012 at 09:12 AM.

  2. #2
    hellokitty is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Default

    I don't have any good advice, but lots of commiseration. I have been dealing with the same issue this past month. The weather here is very screwy (extremely warm, like today it's 59 degrees, normally it would be in the 30's or 20's) and I have had such bad sinus pressure. Same with DH. We keep blaming the weather.
    Mom to 3 LEGO Maniacs

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Default

    Mucinex has helped me greatly when I have had sinus pressure - usually get it under my eye around the cheek bone area. Felt like I have been punched.


    DD1 MiniMoo 11/10
    DD2 MiniMoo2 9/13

    “I have certain rules I live by. My first rule I don't believe anything the government tells me. and I don't take very seriously the media, or the press, in this country." - George Carlin

  4. #4
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    I would ask for a script for Flonase, it has helped me a lot and it works quickly.
    DD1 Jan '10
    DD2 Jan '12

  5. #5
    KLD313 is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Mucinex and a wet washcloth microwaved and put right over your face.

  6. #6
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    thx everyone. i just took some extra strength mucinex along with ibuprofen and sudafed.hoping it does something.

    i've never tried the warm washcloth thing..i have been doing ice on my face/eyes since eyes felt like they were BURNING and i thought ice was supposed to decrease the swelling. but it never really helped, so am gonna try heat next.

    i do have prescription nasal spray and while it does help the nasal stuffiness, it doesn't seem to do anything for swelling in other areas..

  7. #7
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    btw, i agree Hellokitty that it does seem to be affected by weather.my headaches/stuffiness are worse in fall/winter and has gotten worse since moving to TX a few years ago. last night and this morning i was so stuffy and in pain and i walk outside and it's so incredibly muggy and warm and i think just started raining. bleh.

    i am leaning more and more towards getting sinus surgery. as it is now, i am just so hyper-sensitive to any change in weather, fragrances in the air (i get headaches/sinus pressure almost instantly from things like walking into a stuffy or scented room) and it would be so great to not have that as much.

  8. #8
    MSWR0319 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Have you been given any steroids? Seriously when I get feeling like that, the only thing that helps is either prednisone or a cortisone shot. Both reduce swelling. I'd ask your doctor. I'm really surprised he hasn't tried to get the swelling down. When I finally found out I had chronic sinusitis, they first treated it and then let me decide if I wanted surgery. I will admit though that the surgeon did not want to treat only operate. So I went to another doctor for treatment. I hope you can get some relief until your surgery!

    ETA the warm washcloth will help at least a little. I like mine hot. Oh, and are you using your nasal spray consistently? If its a steroid it should help with swelling, but may take a few days to start working, especially back into the deeper sinus cavities.
    Last edited by MSWR0319; 03-08-2012 at 11:59 AM.

  9. #9
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    thanks, i was given prednisone pack back in January or so, and i think it helped but then shortly after i got a cold AGAIN and i think having 3 nasty colds back to back really screwed me up for a while and made me worse than when i started!

    i just called my ENT asking about possibly getting a steriod shot sometime soon and left a message. i too was wondering about possibly getting one more steroid shot until i had time to consider surgery, find out more, schedule it etc. i know you can only get the shots so often, so we'll see.

    my first ENT that i saw 3 years ago for same problem (lots of headaches in fall/winter time, seemed sinus related) gave me a steriod shot + medrol pack right away, and i remember it helped a ton at first..then months later when i still had issues had me do a CT and said i definitely needed surgery bc i had chronic sinusitis. i didn't like the guys' bedside manner and i thought he was too quick to recommend surgery and a little knife happy so i left. i saw a different ENT who i liked much better, but now after trying everything, years later and seeing my CT this guy is telling me i could use surgery as well...so i'm more inclined to believe him.

  10. #10
    mackmama is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Aw I'm so sorry. I am a sinus sufferer also so can totally commiserate. On the advice of other BBBers, I recently bought and have been using Nutribiotic Nasal Spray. It's a grapefruit extract. I had a minor sinus infection when I started using it, and I really think it helped kick it to the curb and keep it gone. Maybe that would help?

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