Sinus/Ear Problems

[vanboosh]

I have been having general fatigue and sinus problems ever since I came down with mononucleosis this summer, almost six months ago.

The problems first manifested themselves as persistent headaches and pain/pressure between the eyes, in what was most likely some kind of infection of the ethmoid sinuses.

Thankfully, that part stopped, but what I'm faced with right now is frequent mild pain in the maxillary sinuses, a persistent post-nasal drip that I can feel on the back of my soft pallate (over 4 months now), a seemingly abnormal fatigue, and a ringing in my ears coupled with some ear pressure. I also have two "growths" that I can feel on the back of my soft pallate with my tongue (haven't had ENT look at them yet, could they be a serious problem?).

I have had two different courses of antibiotics (Avelox, Zithromax), have tried antihistamines (Zyrtec, Astelin), corticosteroids (Nasonex) and am unable to shake this. I've had a sinus CT scan that shows that, except for a slightly deviated septum and very slight fluid buildup in the maxillaries, everything is fine - the ENT said that surgery was not necessary, but the situation doesn't really seem to be resolving itself and I am set to study abroad next semester. The fatigue and ear ringing/pressure, along with constantly having mucus in my throat is really wearing me down, is there anything else I can do??

[vanboosh]

Is this something that an ENT should be able to look at if it is a tooth issue, or is there another specialist that would be best?

[mikebee]

The growths on your palate sound like something caused by an infected tooth.  I've experienced those in the past when I needed root canals.  The infection debris is backing up and trying to vent, and will work its way out your sinuses if possible where it may be expressed as post-nasal drip, and if not, will cause bulges in surrounding tissue due to pressure  of the build up of pus.  The pus can escape from around the tooth structure itself, too, causing a bad taste.