I was going through antibiotics like water for chronic sinusitus. I had a deviated septum and a very narrow nose. I found a wonderful and gentle ENT and got the surgery for it last August. It has been wonderful! I have not had any significant illness since then (aside from a bout with a winter stomach bug and severe asthma). It was getting to where antibiotics weren't working at all. Now, I no longer require them. If I feel something coming on now, some supplements and a bit of extra sleep will fight it off. I can't recommend it highly enough!
At first, the doctor did not recommend surgery because my CAT scan did not show significant abnormalities. When it got to where I couldn't even work until 5:00 pm and antibiotics were ineffective, he decided to do the surgery. Sometimes, a CAT scan just doesn't tell the whole story.
The horror stories about sinus surgery are, for the most part, from the old days. Mine was a very healing experience. The pain, what little there was, was well managed by the medication. I was back to work in four days and off of the medication in one week. No more chronic fatigue! No more catching a cold just because someone drove down the highway!
Make sure you find a good doctor and surgical team. Kudos to my ENT and his group!
I had chronic sinus infections until I moved out of my parents house (i.e. away from the dogs and birds, which I was highly allergic too).
I think the allergens kept my sinuses chronically flared and swollen, making back to back infections a nighmere. Antibiotics worked, but I would have another infection in no time.
I moved out 6 years ago, and haven't had an infection since.
This young woman clearly has acute and chronic sinusitis. It is hard to imagine that she would be able to engage in college level studies with this chronic sinusitis. The poor response, or even lack of response, to antibiotics is telling. It suggests that the sinusitis may due to anaerobic bacterial infection or to fungal infection. The sinusitis could also be non-infectious and granulomatous, with or without evidence of vasculitis.
Anaerobic and fungal cultures of sinus drainage should be performed by an ENT specialist and consideration given to biopsy of sinus mucosa and, if feasible, biopsy of the "focus of soft tissue density at the anterior left ethmoid sinus."