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Horrible 24-7 Sinus Pressure / Congestion but no classic allergy symptoms

I'm a 26 year old male and since October 2006 have been experiencing 24-7 sinus pressure in the upper corners of my nose (always one side at a time), but NO allergy symptoms (i.e. no running nose, sneezing, coughing, itchy nose/eyes/throat, etc).

The pressure is so bad that it presses back onto my brain, causing terrible lightheadedness, forgetfullness, and general mental impairment.  I must emphasize that this pressure is ALWAYS there--I am becoming severly depressed and feel like I have run out of options.

CT scan came back perfectly normal.  I have tried Rhinocort, Nasarel and Flonase for many weeks with no improvement, and have tried Astelin nasal spray and Allegra with no effect.

I doubt this is allergies, as I have never in my life had allergies, and also because this sinus pressure is CONSTANTLY there regardless of whether I am possibly in the presence of allergens.

The only things that help are Afrin spray (works for about 20 hours, but has awful rebound congestion) and heavy exercise (the pressure clears up almost completely while my heart is beating fast).

I am going back to my third ENT in a couple weeks.

Anyone else out there have similar symptoms?




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Avatar universal
charoun.. I sure as hell hope ur better. found this post today..and it makes me sad. ive been throu it all. so far they cant figure nothing out( drs.) yes this sure ***** big time. been thru 14 orthopedic surgerys. broken bones everywhere. this ear ringing sinus b.s. came on overnight.  been 3 months and I cant shake it. takn gabapentin and oxy .masking it somewhat isn't the answer. you wrote ur post 4 yrs ago....so im hoping ur cured by now and / or u have any advice? thankyou thankyou thankyou.
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Avatar universal
i suffer from the symptoms you have mentioned and there exact to the point although for me it affects me in the head, not upper nasal.To be honest I'm depressed about it as well and I've tried everything there is to use locally still to no avail.
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Hi how did you get on with this ?
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You are allergic to wireless, wifi and cellphones; sorry to be the one to tell you this, but we are all in and under a blanket of electrosmog, from all this damned technology and the effects are mindblowing. The symptoms are headaches, sinus pain, ringing in the ears, brain fog, fatigue, body aches and pains, dizzy, imbalance, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and on and on and on and on. And NO doctor will help, they don't understand these new emerging symptoms and can't diagnose them. Sorry, but your cellphone is making you sick. Turn it off. Also turn off wifi, routers, printers and all other gaming and mobile phones devices at home. We are now amongst those in the population who cannot withstand EMF's, electromagnetic radiation from wifi. It is poisoning us all. And it must be turned to airplane mode, the cellphone, if you plan on still using it. Use speaker phone or earplugs. Your life is in danger with the continued use of wireless technology. I would know, I am disabled from a smart meter.
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Avatar universal
You are allergic to wireless, wifi and cellphones; sorry to be the one to tell you this, but we are all in and under a blanket of electrosmog, from all this damned technology and the effects are mindblowing. The symptoms are headaches, sinus pain, ringing in the ears, brain fog, fatigue, body aches and pains, dizzy, imbalance, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and on and on and on and on. And NO doctor will help, they don't understand these new emerging symptoms and can't diagnose them. Sorry, but your cellphone is making you sick. Turn it off. Also turn off wifi, routers, printers and all other gaming and mobile phones devices at home. We are now amongst those in the population who cannot withstand EMF's, electromagnetic radiation from wifi. It is poisoning us all. And it must be turned to airplane mode, the cellphone, if you plan on still using it. Use speaker phone or earplugs. Your life is in danger with the continued use of wireless technology. I would know, I am disabled from a smart meter.
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Avatar universal
My post was edited since it had links in it .  

CLEARGUARD  PRODUCT    

TRIGUARD ENCHINEA PRODUCT

are both of the products I am trying out now, will try to keep every posted on how this process goes over the next couple of months.

Suppose to help with immune, infections, clearing sinuses.  

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Avatar universal
Having all the same issues too and have had them for several years. Doctors kept giving me medicine that was for temporary relief or that did not address the main issue.  Starting to take some natural methods of using vitamins that seems to help with the drainage that seem like was not occurring with me lately.  Just started using them about a week ago. When I stopped using it for a day I felt the pressure come back, but just by using them over a few days it started to help.  

I can actually feel tingling in my sinus area  from the cinnamon after taking this multiple times.  There are multiple products out there like this but this is the one I am taking since it was recommended by someone.

There is another natural vitamin that deals with infections that I have been taking as well.

There are many natural vitamins out there, so what if those may be the answer so we are not depended on medicine which we have no clue if there are helping one area but causing problems to another area in your body.  

Also I am trying out the Proboitic Pill Solutions to dela with increasing my good bacteria to help fight infections or anything occuring my body.

Will try to let eveyone know how this goes.

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Avatar universal
Ive been a non aura migraine sufferer for over 35 years and discovered Imetrex about 18 years ago on my first trip to the ER, where I was given the injection.  I take the tablets which almost always work, when they don't (usually around my period) I use the injections, which ALWAYS bring quick and complete relief.  Ive talked to so many migraine sufferers who have never heard of Imetrex (Sumatriptan) or any of the others Triptan drugs. I am so puzzled as to why doctors aren't prescribing these drugs more.  Please ask your dr about them, maybe they're not for you, but they have been my miracle!  
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Avatar universal
I  found  the  causes  to  my  sinus  problems,  along  with  swollen  lymph  nodes  in  the  neck  were  due  to  wheat   and dairy  intolerance  and  also  from  mercury  toxicity  from  silver  dental  fillings, which  have  now  been  removed. I  found  this  out  through  a  naturopath  after  years  of  suffering.  I  stopped  getting  green  mucus  after  I  stopped  consuming  cow's  milk. The tinnitus also  stopped  after my  fillings  were  removed.

Just  thought  I  would  share  this  in  case  it  helps  anybody  else.

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Avatar universal
Good Day to all of you, i have read all the comments and hoping to share my experience with all of you.I was diagnosed to have a sinus last month,i am a 20 years old student. After taking antibiotics,painkillers and anti-histamines to cure my nose congestion, sore throat, heavy eyes, pressure on my sinus points and heavy headaches, i started to had headaches back and pressure on my sinus points. I searched many home remedies for this pain or anything that could be helpful.After a month i found this acupressure points which were really helpful to me. i would like to suggest you all to at least try it for sinus pain. the pain disappears within 3 seconds !

the point i tried is in the mid of eyebrows, up to the nose. press gently on that point for 1 minute and the pain will disappear like a miracle.
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I have the same problems as u all, have had them for three years now I also have a lump on the left side of my neck , has anyone been tested for lymphoma?
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An explanation as to why you need steroids, as a follow up from my last post...

When the lining of the sinuses get irritated (dust, allergies or even viruses) they block the drainage points. Your sinuses become like little incubators  for the bacteria that live inside them and you get repeated infections.

Repeated antibiotics can stop the infections but don't treat the cause- that your sinuses are pissed off by the environment. Steroids work long term by stopping the swelling of the lining and so allowing them to drain properly. By using saline you are helping to wash the sinuses out but again this only treats the symptoms and not the cause.

As an aside, if you use the steroids as a nose spray, you won't get the side effects which come with taking them as tablets. That's why they are safe to use long term.

I really hope this helps- I know how miserable sinus stuff is and how no one seems to know what is going on. I'm just lucky that I found a doctor who was able to explain all this to me.

Good luck.
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Avatar universal
Guys, you need to be taking NASAL STEROIDS. It's the only way to get your sinuses to calm down. I had the same symptoms, headaches, dizziness and feeling foggy every day all year round and getting steroids from my GP was the only thing that sorted them out.

The ones from the doctor are stronger and work better. Fluticosone furorate is the best one going at the moment.

You need to take them FOR A FEW WEEKS before everything goes back to normal. You have to spray at least once a day, every day WITHOUT FAIL or it won't work, but you have to give them time as they don't work instantly like the ones containing adrenaline-like compunds such as phenylephrine.
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Avatar universal
I am so glad and sad at the same time to know I'm not alone. It is currently 6:23 am EST. I have been waking up at 5 am the past few days with a terrible migraine, every single night. The sinus pressure in the back of my nose moves to my left eye my jaw my cheeks neck and ears. The ENT did absolutely nothing but suggest nasal decongestant spray which had the worst rebound congestion which leads to another horrible migraine, and zyrtec D seems to only help w allergy but not this congestion. I have tried the net I pot, does nothing, clarinex, nasonex, claritin, zyrtec, zyrtec D for what doctors think I might have, "allergies", for migraines I've tried every possible thing, OCT ALL OF THEM, excedrin, excedrin pm, naproxen, acetaminophen, ibuprofen,aspirin, for prescription, hydrocodone, orphineradrine, butalbital, tramadol, topamax (seizure or epilepsy med used for migraines made my hair fall out in handfulls), propanolol, amytriptaline (depression med supposed to help with migraines, increased my appetite drastically and I felt like I was gonna tear up my kitchen because nothing would satisfy me), currently just use treximet for migraine,  has been the only thing to work, except the side effect is cravings and ibs but I have no choice otherwise I'd end up in the ER as I have in the past. When I did end up in the ER they would use delaren. (Apologies as i have mispelled many of these meds but with my current migraine I can't think straight) 6 years ago I had a terrible flu and ever since my ears have been clogged, ENT found no cause to this, just minimal scarring on my left ear but that was due to recent poking with a q tip. I have suffered with migraines since I was like 8, barometric pressure is a trigger, that I'd have to move somewhere and hope it would work, i don't have family elsewhere but Florida, some foods and drinks are too those i can sometimes avoid, sinus or whatever this is is only made worse by Florida weather and I highly believe every home here has mold unless it is spanking new. I currently have to sleep almost sitting entirely up, would I have known this would be how it would progress I would've gotten a lay z boy chair and kept it as a bed.back in 2009 I had a car accident that ruined my neck, my muscles just keep getting worse, I had braces as a child and now I have TMJ. I too can only pass mucus down my throat not by pushing it out my nostrils. The ENT didn't find any mucus buildup or any kind of terrible inflammation when i saw him, yet every time I lay down i too experience the clogging and how it moves from one nasal cavity to the other depending on which side i lay on. This is just sad, that with the years of medicine we still haven't gotten to determine what this is, i feel like I'm running out of hope and energy, i feel exhausted, and I work as a hair stylist to make matters worse, I'm running out of options. And living like this isn't one of them. Wish everyone the best of luck and hope that soon one of us can find a solution and share it.
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Whoops I met 2/15/13. My typo error lol.
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Well I had my wisdom teeth pulled last 2/15 and still the sinuses are as bothersome as ever. So I really don't know what caused it or why it's there. I guess I'm going to resort to the neti pot or some other stuff from the pharmacy. Good luck to all you sinus sufferers out there. We can get out of it somehow :)
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Avatar universal
I've had the same feeling of pressure and the "burning" sensation on my eye, congestion, etc. It's only on the right side of my face. The pressure starts at my teeth on the right side of my face and goes up to the top of my head. It feels like I had a numbing shot all over the sinus area of the right side of my face. It's been almost two months now that I've had these symptoms. I'm on Clarithromyc, and after five days I still don't feel any better. The prescription I got from an ENT is for ten days, so hopefully, I will feel better in the next five days.

If this antibiotic doesn't work, there's another consideration I have. I have two impacted wisdom teeth on the right side of my mouth. The DDS I saw, said that the symptoms I have may not be due to my teeth. I think there's a chance he could be wrong though, because I still have my wisdom teeth, and the removal will take place in two weeks from now.
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I have been plagued with headaches that alternate from one side or the other for years. I often thought it was diet related because bowel movements were too often irregular and I felt bloated alot. I just didn't know a lot about GLUTEN allergies. I have eliminated wheat products and anything with gluten from my diet and I feel better than ever. I have to be careful because not everything is straight forward out there in restaraunt land. Read carefully nutrition information before eating anything that you have not prepared yourself. I had some tacos recently and I thought that I was fine because they looked like corn taco shells, but they were made of a blend of flours that were not gluten free. Today, wheat and even corn are so genetically altered from years past that I wonder if there is an increase of food allergies because of such change and introduction of GMO's.
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Avatar universal
Didn't read every posting, but of 85% that I made it through, it sounds like you are all suffering heavily.

I had/kinda have still the same symptoms.

Concreted sinus passageways
Pressure affecting vision/hearing
Miserable "episodes" where symptoms would get drastically worse
Very uncomfortable pressure in my ears
Face numbness/tingling
Odd chest pains
shooting pains
General Misery

After chest scans, allergy panels, blood glucose tests, hypo-hyper thyroid-ism tests, and several others: Absolutely nothing. Still miserable.

Last thing on the list was food allergies. So, sick and F****** tired of wasting money on doctors, I decided to do my own "Elimination Diet."

It lasts 2 weeks and basically takes everything that you could be allergic to out of your system so you can add it back in strategically and hopefully discover any food related allergies you may have.

I won't go into detail, a simple google search for "elimination diet" should provide any and all details you need, but basically you remove from your diet for 2 weeks:

Corn
Wheat
Sugar
Dairy (milk, butter, cheese, ..etc)
Alcohol
Citrus
Several below-ground vegetables like potatoes
Red Meat

After experiencing very similar symptoms to that of narcotic withdrawal, I began to feel amazing. Clear minded, no pressure, zip in energy, everything I knew/felt was being inhibited by my "condition"

After the diet, you add in each food group you have eliminated, one at a time over periods of 3 days each. That is to say: the first three days off the diet you could add back in dairy. You don't eat any of the other eliminated items during this period, just the one you are re-introducing.

You then go through everything you eliminated one by one and hope for results.

Luckily in my case, the first day off the diet I made the biggest cheesiest, milkiest, butteriest, plate of eggs I could handle and drank about 1/4 of milk to wash it down. Turns out, that was the suspect for me. Instant congestion/pressure/fear of clarity slipping back away struck.

Now, I don't eat dairy. Symptoms are 85% eliminated. I.AM.CELEBRATION.

Seriously though, not one F&*%*&* doctor mentioned a dietary elimination approach even once.

Try it. Worse case scenario is you lose a few pounds and become much more healthy.

Side note:

Asterpro Nasal Spray does help quite a bit for very temporary relief if I accidentally chomp down some dairy by accident. I wasn't thinking and ordered ranch dressing for my cheese-less salad the other day and was instantly aware of it containing dairy. Symptoms last for about 3-4 days
after dairy exposure. NOTHING AT ALL like before I was aware of the dietary issues though.


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Avatar universal
i have the very same condishion and have been to ENT who is sending me to allergest. i can't belive this is allergy eather ?????? i have been on prednisone, decongestionents, allergy meds 4 mo.s  balance is stilll bad. pressure in upper sinus and sides of head but at least my ears are clear now.

have you had any progress ??
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It's been a while since a posting here, but I have the same exact thing with sinus pressure, more specifically the switching of sides if I lay on the opposite side of the pressure, I didn't know someone else had this weird anomoly.  The doctors are useless, they truly don't have a clue nor do they care, not a single one, I've been through every single test as you have and I don't have allergies.  The fatigue is almost unbearable, and I haven't just wasted my money on doctors over the years, but had them steal it from me as they've never once come close to resolving my problem, basically never provided a service, and still took tens of thousands from me.  
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After having four sinus infections, some with a fever, within a year, I had sinus surgery a year ago. I also tested positive for allergies for everything they tested, except molds. I am 7 months into treatment with allergy (SLIT) drips and have noticed an improvement. However, it has been extremely wet in Phila area since last spring. After several days of heavy rains, like this week, I feel sinus pressure, headache, dizziness, lack of energy, sneezing/itching nose and post nasal drip. Ironically, my ENT said that since my sinuses were opened up "like caverns", allergens are not being filtered out by my much wider passages. I have much more energy since the surgery and my weight dropped by 8 lbs because my metabolism increased. My ENT prescribed Nasonex for dealing with the latest symptoms. He said it was allergies and not a cold or flu. The recent heavy rains washed most of the leaves off the trees and this may have unleashed allergens that I have not built up an immunity to yet from the drops treatment. I believe that without the surgery and SLIT, my symptoms would be much worse now.
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Avatar universal
I too have almost the exact same things going on. Mine started 2 years ago after getting the flu.   CT scans are "normal".  swollen membranes, swollen turbinates.  I had a cyst in my sinus, but two different ENTs said it wasn't a big deal.   I had a deviated septum corrected recently with no results.  (i wouldn't of done this, but I had broken my nose, so i reasoned with myself that I was just restoring it to its original place :) )  ENT says my turbinates aren't as swollen as before surgery, but still are a little bit.  I'm assuming that my sinuses are still inflammed (even months after the surgery) and that there is obviously something causing this.  Ive been tested for allergies, tried everything under the sun...and still am suffering from this!

I have an upcoming appointment with a notable ENT doctor from Johns Hopkins University.  It seems that not all ENTs are not created equal.  Look for one with Advanced Fellowship Training and ones that specialize in sinus diseases, rather than just structural things.  Surgeons cut...thats why they look at you wierd when you continue to tell them things arent right.  We all need to find doctors that treat sinus diseases, rather than cutting us open.  All of us hear have complex things going on, so we need doctors with complex thinking skills, and alot of advanced knowledge on this sort of thing :)

Good luck to EVERYONE in here.  I feel your pain, and I know how these symptoms pretty much find their way into every aspect of your life.  

Please let us know if you come up with any resolution, and i'll do the same!
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