Constant Sinus Infections

[lilokins]

For the past five or six years of my life, I have been getting sinus infections. I am now fifteen. I get them, am treated sometimes for a week, and sometimes, all the way up to three weeks. I usually feel better for about two weeks, when my symptoms present again, and I am told I have another infections. I typically get seven or eight a year. I have mild allergies to dust and grass, which I receive allergy shots for. I had been to my ENT several times over the past few months and have had sinus surgery to clean out my sinuses, shrink my turbinate and air filters, straighten my septum, among other things. Within a week post-op, I had the worst sinus infection of my life. After about every antibiotic on the market, it is April, and I still have it. My ENT is stunned and no one can tell me why I am always sick. Along with my sinus issues, I have many others. From age five, until eight, I had constant strep throat. I had my tonsils and adenoids (adenoids) removed. I have social anxiety disorder. I have been recently diagnosed with a thyroid auto-immune disease. I don't know if this is relevant, but two times in the past year, my doctors have thought I had cancer. Both times test came back negative.  I am constantly tried and congested.I am also overweight, but I eat really healthy. It's because I am always so tired, I just come home and sleep. No one in my family believes me; they say I choose to do it, but how many teenagers do you know that would rather sleep, than go hand out with there friends? Sometimes, when I have reading or watching television and I move my head just slightly in one direction, I'll will fell extremely dizzy and like I am about to pass out, but within seconds, it's gone. I also often feel weak in the knees, and my hands and arms get tired really easily. I just want to know what's wrong. To me, all of my doctors are treating everything separately, but I want to know if everything is really connected.

[National Jewish Health]

It is difficult to put all of these symptoms together into one simple response and answer.  Some people who have recurrent sinus infections have a blockage of one of the openings of the sinuses.  This blockage allows for an accumulation of fluid which periodically gets infected and then re-infected over and over again.  There are others who have a problem with their immune system which makes them more susceptible to infections.  When this occurs, these individuals get one infection after another.

When you have a chronic infection, it can make you feel tired and lethargic.  This can be related to a chronic sinus infection.  Once this starts, many of the other things you describe follow.  I would speak to your family about how you feel and ask to see your family doctor to discuss the chronic and recurrent nature of how you feel and these infections.

[lilokins]

I have talked to my doctor about it, and they just send me to other doctors, who only treat their specialty. In December, I had sinus surgery and within a month, I had a sinus infection. My ENT has no idea why and basically told me that there is nothing else he can do, since I have been on every antibiotic under the sun, and nothing helps it. As for my family, they are really frustrated with me always being sick, even though they know it's not my fault. They just kind of write my complaints off, or they simply don't believe me. A year ago, when I went to the oncologist, he told me after a ton of blood work, that all the components of my immune system are they and working fine, but I should see a doctor who specializes in immune systems and infectious diseases, to see if the parts are actually working together. Is this something I should push for, or what specialist do you think I should try to see.

Emily

[hound101]

Are you hypothyroid or hyperthyroid?