Siuns Infection Causing Odor

[raul79]

I have noticed that everytime i get a cold or sick, my sinuses naturally worsen but it causes a very bad odour from my frontal sinus cavity and upper head near my forhead.  The odour has been there since i got a raelly bad sinus infection 3 years ago. I was given some nasal spray but the sinus infection never went away and the smell never went away...it was not a strong odour, but i could notice it by the end of the day. I went to the doctor for the smell and i used a fungus shampoo for 3 months but nothing happened.  I have recently caught a cold again and the odour is strong again.
I notice that the mucus coming out when i blow my nose is green/brown, with some blood and it carries the same smell that is present on my head.
And suggestions on what to do? Why the odour? Should i be making a 10th doctors appointment again?

[caregiver222]

My goodness gracious. Sinus infections, whether bacterial or fungal, are a bear to get rid of. If they are bacterial, the standard two week protocol is not up to the job, and invariably results in an antibiotic resistant strain developing tucked away in a nook and cranny. You need a consult with a good ENT specialist and with a clinic specializing in these problems. I would be stunned if anyone has bothered to make a culture or attempt to identify the organism. Heavens to murgatroid! The green-brown mucus should be positively identified by an appropriate lab. Therein lies the rub. Most hospital labs are not set up for such a task. But these labs are around. Making a tenth appointment with this particuliar practicioner seems pointless. A saline spray will help, however you require treatment directed at a specific organism, and the identification of that little buggy is the key to the whole situation. It might well be a fungal infection, however there are definitive methods of providing positive identification of such mold.  The cost of identification has gone down rapidly lately, because of a process called PCR. Traditionally, a certain quantity of sample was required for a positive test and invariably a nasal swab did not contain sufficient material. The PCR protocol enables the replication of a small sample into a sample large enough to provide a definitive test. This is the process where detectives identify a person from saliva on a cigarette butt. It is difficult to assert yourself in such a situation, and I am sure the physician may be a long time family friend and someone you want to continue treating your family. He isn't necessarily incompetent, but your problem is somewhat labor intensive, and everything might not be covered by your insurance plan. You need to find a specialist that will agree to identify the bad creature that is making whoopie inside your sinus cavity. Don't settle for less.

[meiann]

i'm no expert or anything. but some doctors recommend like snorting water with salt to cleanse your sinuses or just go to the beach and take a long swim.  of course this is not a replacement for proper medical attention.