Recurrent Sinus Infection, possibly more?

[BrimmyV]

Well, here's my little ticket, but before current symptoms I'll give a quick recap of recent treatment.

Started about three weeks ago. I go into my dentist's office due to persistent pain across the right side of my mouth, or I should say the individual teeth therein. So he spots a sinus infection (and my first cavity; at least I got it later than my friends from school) in an x-ray, I go on antibiotics for 5 days and all was well starting two days after I finish taking them. Can't remember for the life of me which they were, not sure I recall tetracycline.

Starting a week after that, the sinus infection symptoms resurfaced, or perhaps began anew - I'm hearing this is a terrible year for allergies and sinuses. So I get the sore teeth again, usually one at a time and they vary by the hour. Ah, maxillary canal's a schrew...

But just yesterday I was out on a boat (I work at a campground on a lake) and within 15 minutes on water there was a show-stopping pain in my lower back molar. Seems like 2 or 3 minute intervals it would happen, and felt not unlike a small being was battering upward against it. I called my dentist upon reaching shore and moved up my appointment to tomorrow, as it was originally next week. They didn't seem to think it was an emergency, and sure enough that particular pain stopped occuring ten minutes later. I'd like to venture a guess that surrounding water (/evaporation) and changing barometric pressure didn't do my sinuses any good, though it still seems odd that a bottom tooth would have such pronounced pain when the infected canal is on the top.

So I just have to get through today before my appointment and I'll surely go back on antibiotics, as well as get my permanent filling for the cavity (possible culprit for new infection?). But so far I've been experiencing nausea as I eat or drink something, soon offset by a small belch, and the cycle repeats. Curious if my sinusitis could likely have started an infection in my gastrointestinal region (oh, I pray it's not gastroenteritis again). After all, isn't the stomach where the mucus takes in bacteria to be destroyed in the first place?

Bit of a scatterbrained post, I apologize, but such has been my head for the past couple days. Appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

[BrimmyV]

Well, I hit the dentist's office, turns out the bottom molar has its neighboring wisdom tooth butting in, so there's a whole issue on its own. In a way it's comforting, since I'd hardly like to imagine a sinus infection capable of kicking a lower tooth's butt.

Since then I've noticed a couple things. My top row of teeth aren't hurting constantly like before - in fact, hardly ever, and only for a couple minutes when they do - so I reckon it's just a matter of congestion rather than a concentrated infection in my maxillary canal like before. I'm definitely reacting to pressure with headaches and congestion when driving with the windows up in my vehicle, and I live a ways above sea level. Bit of nausea too, but that wears off quickly if I roll the windows down or when I exit the vehicle. Also, it seems a couple of lymph nodes in my neck have swollen.

Currently I'm irrigating my nose fairly often with a natural saltwater spray, and sometimes I'll just stand around sources of steam (boiling water on a stove, hot showers, etc.). Also taking Benadryl at once a day for some antihistamines. Plus it makes the night go a little slower, and I can't complain since I love sleep so much.

The lumps on my neck are two inches beneath my jaw and one inch from my collar bone on the right side, so I'm assuming cervical and supraclavicular lymph nodes respectively (as I gather from a nifty chart I found). Neither produce constant pain/burning/irritation, the cervical is only a little sore to the touch and pea-sized, while the lower one offers no pain and is even smaller. I've only had them for three days now, so they seem to sync right up with my sinus problems.

'Cause, y'know, it's either that or the panic of lymphoma, which I swear is the first thing google gives me when I search "lumps on neck." But I like to think optimism is better. Though any encouragement/input from you's guys will still be helpful.

[BrimmyV]

Ah, very helpful answer, thank you.

Your guess of azithromyacin sounds very familiar, so I venture it's correct. At the very least I recall the "myacin", particularly because a friend who's married to a doctor added that myacin's are well known to disturb the stomach by killing related bacteria. Plenty of yogurt was on the bill for those five days, but it's been a couple weeks since I finished antibiotics, and even then there was virtually no nausea, just stomach pain.

In any case my nauseous reactions are subsiding, so at least I'm able to eat fruit without discomfort. As for TMJ, certainly not that I know of.

[bsmsl]

Several thoughts:

First:  Tetracycline usually is given in longer courses than five days.  My guess would be that your were on azithromyacin (z-pac).  Many patients with recurring sinus infections do not feel that this is correct antibiotic to treat sinus infections adequately and kill all the bacteria.  I think it is very possible that your sinus infection was not really cured and came back.

Second:  Is it possible that you hav e TMJ?  TMJ can also cause the sensation of pain in the teeth (referred pain).  If you grind or grit your teeth this is a possible cause of the pain.

Third:  The gastric symptoms could be a side effect of the antibiotic.  All antibiotics kill all the bacteria in your system, even the beneficial, good bacteria required for propper digestion.  This can cause acid reflux, balching, nausea...  I would recommend that you eat A LOT of yogurt or pick up a good probiotic to take twice a day.  One problem with good probiotics is that they have to be kept refrigerated to keep the bacteria alive.  

Just some thoughts.  Hoping you feel better.