does this sound like sinus problems or something more serious?

[suz777]

i'm a female in the UK, age 25.  i think i have a bad sinus infection but im not sure.  i had sinus problems 2 years ago which i took antibiotics for but i didnt complete the course of the medicines. anyway, i got a cold this february. the cold went away and i was left with a dull headache in my forehead and especially behind my eyes (mainly my right eye). it also feels more swollen above my right eyebrow. my right eye feels funny, and weaker than my left eye, like my left eye wants to dominate. my right eye feels more pressured and the eyelids are puffy and its sensitive to light. when i close it to go to sleep sometimes i still see white lights. im also scared as my right pupil is 'sluggish', and usually seems larger than the left.since i have bad astigmatism in this eye i went to an eye doctor, but he said my eyes were fine.i have also got nausea and have been feeling lightheaded,tired and have dark circles under my eyes,post nasal drip,and cough. i cant breath through my right nostril and it feels pressured. when i blow my nose sometimes it sets off a headache and pain deep behind my nose. this all seemed to getting better after about 6 weeks of being ill and no answers from the doc (all bloodtests were fine). i had an appointment with an ENT at the end of march and the doc put a telescope in my nose and said theres an obstruction in my right nostril. they did a CT scan of my sinuses but i dont get the results for another 3 weeks. last week, i got another cold. this time,my mucus was yellow (it was clear before)and my eyes hurt again.can sinusitis cause eye problems?

[jtex]

Whoops, I should have been more precise, the water in the coffee cup that is used to warm the saline bottle should be hot water from the faucet, NOT boiling hot coffee-temperature water.  Warm saline is much more soothing, and is more effective, but I prefer the "feedback" that room-temp saline provides.

[jtex]

delyro:  the burning is the unusual sensation of water going into your sinuses, where it needs to go to flush out a sinus infection.  Every kid on a swimteam has experienced it.  To alleviate it, place the saline queeze bottle in a coffee cup of hot water to warm it up before you get in the shower, and it won't feel so unpleasant.  Thanks for the info on tonsilloliths--I used to get them during my chronic sinusitis days.

[delyro]

GeorgiaGurl:  What you have is called "Tonsilloliths" or "Tonsil Stones" - I get them too.  See http://www.bad--breath.net/art_tonsilloliths_tonsil_stones.htm for more information.

jtex:  I have tried nasal irrigation but it burns like the dickens so I quit doing it for fear I was doing something wrong.  Will the burning go away?  What causes it?

[GeorgiaGurl]

I have had sinus/allergy problems for several years . The biggest problem is the odor that accompanies it. I often have a horrible nasty taste before I develop an infection. This odor I have found out,is coming from my nasal cavities into my throat.If I cough, sneeze or gargle in the shower sometimes small peices of stuff comes out that is usually white in color and has the consistency of Tofu ! As a matter of fact it looks like small peices of Tofu.. The smell is absolutely horrible! What could be causing this? Could the sinus cavities be blocked  by mucus because of too many decongestants? This is horrible! Has anyone else had this problem? Some friends of mine, I have noticed have this SAME breath odor.But of course we don't talk about it.But it makes communication very difficult..

[suz777]

well my sinus CT scan was crystal clear! all the doctor could see that was wrong with my scan was that the bone in my nose is swollen. apparently this can be due to allergies? the specialist told me to go back to my GP and get referred to an allergist.all this is going to take a long time!i dont know if i should try and see a neurologist first to rule out anything going on in my brain.this is so frustrating! :(

[suz777]

thanks for all your comments. SchalaZeal
yes, my eye does hurt a little when i press it! also, when i press it sometimes i see a white light. do you have any vision problems at all??my ENT appointment is today,so i will post here tomorrow to tell you all the latest. i really think my problems are sinus related though,as some of my symptoms disappeared for a while until yesterday,now i have a very blocked nose and my eyes are hurting again.so are my cheeks and ears. but this time more on my left side, which i guess is reassuring. well lets see what the doctor says!

[Patti Lodes]

Have you taken Accutane in your past?

[Sparkle*]

I have been lightheaded for about a month now. It is interferring with my work ( and my daily life). Some days are better than others. My bloodwork came back fine and so did an ekg. My dr. says allergies, the emergency said anxiety. I feel like my ears are kind of plugged and the back of my head feels weird. I too am worried and think about it all of the time. I dont know what to do. I have kids and am afraid to have something really wrong. I am a single mom.

[jtex]

As my father--a doctor--pointed out, medicine doesn't work very well in the sinuses, because there is very little blood circulation.  He told me this after I had taken every antibiotic and steroid spray my local HMO doctor could give me for sinusitis.  The Mayo Clinic proved my father correct.  (Google: mayo clinic snot)  Mayo discovered that the way to get rid of sinusitis is to get rid of the infected snot.

My father recommended a saline nasal wash, but of course that doesn't work, because of gravity.  Fortunately I used to swim, so I know that you have to hold your head upside down to get saline solution into every nook and cranny of your sinuses to wash out the infection. It works incredibly well.  My method gets rid of any kind of sinusitis--viral, bacterial, or fungal--and if your problem persists, you at least know that you can have your doctor look for another cause.

Here's how it works:  Get a gallon of distilled water with an expiration date in the distant future.  Pour in 6 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt.  Pour saline solution into a clean plastic 4 or 8 ounce squirt bottle.

Stand in front of a bed or a soft rug and practice bending all the way forward, with your head perfectly upside down, 3 or 4 times. This is to make sure you don't get dizzy and fall when you do it in the shower.  

Get in a hot shower to loosen the mucus in your nasals and sinuses.  STEP ONE: Tilt your head back, fill each nostril with saline solution, and pinch your nostrils shut.  Set down the bottle, and with your nostrils pinched, sloooowwwly bend forward until your head is upside down.  Release your nostrils and let the saline drain into your sinuses for about 10 seconds.  It feels real funky at first, but you get used to it.

Slooowwwly bend back up halfway, so that you are looking straight down to the floor of the shower.  Press your right  nostril shut, and slowly and verrry gently blow the saline and snot out of your open left nostril.  Open your right nostril, press your left nostril shut, and verrrry gently blow the saline and snot out of your right nostril.

Wash your hands off with soap, DO NOT rub your eyes except with the clean back of your hand.  DO NOT twist your head to the side, or the infected schmoo might get in your ear canal.

STEP TWO:  Repeat step one, except this time stand all the way up, erect, before blowing the saline schmoo out of your nostrils.  Do not be alarmed if some alien-looking gel comes out of your nose--that is the infection, not part of your brain.

STEP THREE: Same as step two, except let the saline drain out of your nose and down your throat.  Do some coughing, hawking, snorting, and spitting to get rid of the yucky stuff.  

STEP FOUR:  Repeat step two.

Your nose has turbinates, which naturally close off one nostril at a time, so one nostril may seem to remain partly congested. Do this procedure 2 or 3 times a day, for several days after your sinuses have seemed to clear.  Keep a Kleenex in your pocket, because some saline may drip out later in the day if you bend over for any reason.  This is actually a good sign.

If you have success with this method, email me at the_carm***@**** and I will let you know how to keep the sinusitis from coming back, even if you get a cold.  If it doesn't work, good luck with your ENT.

[extropy_lite]

Suz, I am 23, f living in the UK too and I have a problem with post nasal drip and chronic cough, but the cause of this is unknown to me and I have requested an appointment with an ENT and the waiting time for this is up to 6 months! I could not believe it, I pushed my GP to write me an urgent referral, otherwise I will have to go private which is not exactly something I can afford.
I think also you should try the antibiotics and sinus irrigation may help too.
Take care,
C

[SchalaZeal]

suz, please update with your findings, if you can.  I could've written your original post word for word, it's so similiar to my own experience.  I had an X-ray done about 50 days ago, and was informed that I had a blockage in my right frontal sinus....but that it was not cause for major concern.  However, despite sinus medicine I've been taking since, I have noticed no change for the better; in fact, those symptoms persist unchanged.  I'd be interested in finding out what your specialist has to say.

Also...out of curosity, have you noticed that you feel weak/tired under specific circumstances?  Also, (might sound like an odd question, but) when you say your right eye feels "weird"....if you try to press lightly on your eye, does it hurt at at all?

[suz777]

thank you for your response. i should have mentioned that i took antibiotics again in february, i took them for a week like my doctor told me, but they did not help me. in fact, they seemed to make me feel worse! maybe i need something stronger? i cant see my ENT doctor to discuss my CT scan results until 9th may,in the UK and there are long waiting times. im not sure if i should also try and see a neurologist in the meantime as i have symptoms like anxiety and sometimes my thinking feels foggy.. would a CT scan of the sinus show any part of my brain? in the back of my mind im worried incase its a tumor. diamond,i'll post here and let you know what my ENT doctor says. i totally relate to your eye pain and pupils and dizzyness!! the most worrying thing for me is the unequal pupils, im always thinking about them. i wish they were normal :(

[Diamond007]

Hi,

Just found this forum and was very interested to read your post as i have very similar symptoms but haven't really done anything about them.  I have for the last year or so had 'stuffy' sinuses, which causes a mild but annoying ache behind my eyes.  It also seems to have affected my eyes as my long sight has deteriorated over the last 12 months- i also often have one pupil different size to the other.  I also find it affects my balance- often making me feel lightheaded or slightly dizzy.  I would be very interested to hear what advice you get on this or your test results as i am not really sure whether there is anything i can do to resolve.  Thanks.

[National Jewish]

It is very possible that you have another sinus infection.  It could be the cause of all that you have described.  CT scans of the sinuses are usually read the day that they are taken.  You might want to push the doctors for an answer as to whether this is the cause or not.  If you do have an infection, starting antibiotics and taking the entire course would be better if started earlier than later.