Severe Sinus Problems and GERD

[Sue812]

I've had sinus problems for years but nothing like this!  At the end of October, my sinuses started bothering me, my left ear became blocked and the lymph node under it swelled up.  I went to the doctor.  She ordered a CBC blood test (never heard results) and an antibiotic to help clear up the lymph node.  I knew the antibiotic would probably do nothing for my sinuses.  My sinuses are causing severe headaches, drainage and mucous.  I also have reflux disease.  Now, every night about 4 hours after I go to bed, I wake up with shortness of breath, chest pain and a stomach ache (which I assume is GERD).  Can sinus problems cause a flare-up of GERD?  Until this point, the GERD has been well controlled with Nexium.  I've tried everything I can think of with my sinuses.  I wash them out every day with a Neti Pot, I use guaifenesin (sp?) for chest congestion, I use a sample corticosteroid spray the doctor gave me, Tylenol Sinus, and even a spray of Advair (I have borderline asthma) when I go to bed.  I'm disabled and have no health insurance, so going to specialists and having a battery of tests just isn't possible.  I just wondered if anyone else here has had a similar situation and maybe how it was handled.  Thank you so much to anyone who responds.

[4painkiller]

Dear Sue812

I could not stop myself to respond to your question; I have similar symptoms going on like GERD, blocked Sinus eventually triggering asthma, waking me up in the middle of the night due to shortness of breath;

Here is the theory so far (Though I also agree with other users comments that you should get you hear checked as well); There is enough of articles on health web sites that talks about the direct relationship between GERD  and shortness of breath (or Asthma); You should search and read about it; I developed GERD recently and it was causing severe Asthma issues; My allergy specialist tried to treat me with every possible inhaler on earth, antibiotic as well anti allergy medication but I could not get rid of it;  

After learning about the relationship between GERD and shortness of breath, I talked to other doctor who agreed to this analysis; She got me on OTC Prilosec and Zantac; This really helped with the chest pain, and improved my breathing (that inhalers could not); However, my sinuses are still blocked enough; I read your note about yeast infection and have a theory that there is something there too ; I also happen to have number of Vaginal and oral yeast infections as well as BV recently and when I blocked my sinuses;  I will post my progress after I discuss further with an ENT specialist in next week or so;

[tam0072]

CAN PROBIOTICS (KYO-DOPHILUS-9)
HELP WITH SINUS AND TEAR DUCT INFECTIONS

[Sue812]

Thank you so much for writing and going into detail.  I appreciate it.  It was rather alarming to hear about the possibility of congestive heart failure!  Both my Mom and Aunt had it.  I'll go over and check out the "Heart Failure Solutions" area, as you suggested.  I'll try to follow as many suggestions as I can.  Unfortunately, I have a completely destroyed knee (OA) and can't do running or vigorous walking and heavy exercise.

I am drinking a lot of water now.  I use a saline nasal flush kit and it does help temporarily.  I will look into getting a probiotic product.  After posting here, I browsed the Net some more.  I hadn't mentioned before that I have a vaginal yeast infection (first I've had in years) because I didn't think it had any relevance to the other problem.  

It was very scary to see that I have many of the symptoms associated with a nasty candida (yeast) infection.  It seems that these infections are not limited to "female" infections or Thrush but can get into your sinus and digestive systems too.  Probiotics were also mentioned there as being helpful.  I have just started taking Colostrom, which is supposed to be helpful too.

I have suffered through six deaths of close family members (including my Mom) since last December.  I will admit that I have been grieving and not looking after my health the way I should have been.  It would not be surprised that my immune system could have been compromised.

Thank you for your concern.    

[alohacarrie]

I am concerned that the waking at night you describe, may be low oxygen level.  What you are describing is very typical with Congestive Heart Failure.  Do you know if you have an enlarged heart?  Whether you have an enlarged heart yet, or not, it is important that you check out the possibility of low oxygen levels, because this will CAUSE heart failure.

The other possibility I see is that the antibiotics may have killed off your healthy gut bacteria, and that would be the reason for your stomach issues.  If you don't have insurance, I would avoid treating your sinus symptoms with medication.  You need to boost your health instead of drugging your symptoms.

What are some natural things you can do for sinuses?  Drink plenty of water everyday.  (Just water, you may add a squeeze of lemon to help with absorption.)  Xlear nasal wash is a good one to use that will help with drainage.  It isn't a drug, it just makes your mucosa slippery so your head will drain.  Avoid dairy and other mucous forming foods.  I've heard good things about the use of a nasal flush with salt water daily.  Avoid smoke like the plague, and don't eat or drink anything dehydrating.  (coffee, tea, salt)

As far as your gut, you need some healthy gut flora.  You can get that with probiotics.  My favorite way to find balance in my gut is with Kombucha, which is fermented Chinese Tea that has a billion organisms per bottle.  My fav is made by GT's Synergy Kombucha.  It turned around severe stomach issues for me, that started after I needed antibiotics for an infection after the birth of my son.

Good luck, hope you are feeling better soon.  You have got to prioritize with your health.  Waking at night with chest pain, shortness of breath and a stomach ache is of particular concern.  Don't ignore this serious symptom until your heart is damaged.  If you have any fluid retention, you can bet that your oxygen level is low.  We teach heart health education at Heart Failure Solutions.  I hope you will join us whether you suspect heart disease or not.  It is the biggest killer in the western world.  Heart health advice would apply to sinus health as well.  Building health is worthwhile.