What would happen if I had my sinuses surgically removed?
They’d grow back. At least that’s what I’ve been told by people who’ve had it done. Your siniuses cannot be actually removed, since it’s just a space in your head, but they do scrape out all the tissue in it, and that’s what grows back.
I’ve gotten sinus infections on a yearly basis since my early teens, but not within the last two years since I started taking Golden Seal- Echinacea and Garlic. Could be conicidental, but I think the claims that they have some natural antibiotic properties aren’t wholly unfounded.
Hmm… and just how do you “remove” an empty space? Fill it in with rubber cement?
I breathed in a little Chlorine gas once. Seemed to clear up the sinuses quite well, once I got past the burning.
So get a job loading NH[sub}2[/sub].
Your nose will run for all the time you’re working but will dry everything up afterwards.
Warning
Although it does what I’m saying It Will Kill you if you aren’t careful.
You can also recieve severe burns from contact.
FWIW, an in-law was suffering from severe sinus headaches as a symptom of her cancer. She had only a few weeks to live, so the doctors gave her a blast of radiation therapy to the face. It cleared her sinuses, but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone.
On a more serious note, I think it’s possible to have partially blocked sinuses. IANAD*, but surgery may be an option.
*[sub]Yep, I am not a doctor. Did anyone here think I was???[/sub]
Sucking up a lungful of salt water through your nose is a painful but temporarily effective way of relieving the swelling in your sinuses. Your sinuses are an important part of your body: be joyful you have them!
Okay, maybe not joyful. Fun experiment: go into the bathroom with your flashlight, turn out the lights, and press the flashlight against various parts of your face. Close your mouth around the light, too, and shine it at the roof of your mouth. The sinuses behind your face will glow red. Any sinus that’s clogged won’t glow.
It’s fun! Try it! This is also a good method for inducing nightmares in your children, especially if you combine it with the “Bloody Mary” tradition.
Oops
Make that NH[sub]3[/sub]
Try using a neti pot.
Some people claim they clear the sinuses, improve general health & cast out evil spirits. Let us know.
My ex used to get terrible sinus infections that would lay her up on almost a monthly basis. She had a sinus clearing operation that took out some polyps and cleared out a bunch of other growth (a common cause of recurrent sinus infections).
It was pretty nasty for a week afterwards, but it is the best thing she has ever done! Her sinus infections have almost completely disappeared and any that she does get are mild enough to not be a major issue. If your doctor says you are a candidate for it, the surgery is a pretty good thing.
I used to have a terrible time with nasal polyps, and had them cut out twice,
They grew back.
The third time, my nose doctor said he could cut them out again, and take more tissue this time, or I could squirt this stuff (Beconase AQ) up my nose every day for the rest of my life, to shrink the polyps and keep them shrunk. I chose the Beconase (now Vanconase, ‘cause my insurance co. gets a kickback from the manufacturer). It’s expensive but it works.
My advice to you is, get thee to a nose and throat doctor and get a professional opinion.
Yes. And, as a scary afterthought, I once took care of a patient in ICU who died from a sinus infection. An abscess formed in his sinuses, and then infected his brain. His roommates found him after he’d been unconscious for several hours.
In addition to the neti pot described above, you can also try the Grossan Nasal Irrigator Tip for a Water Pik. My godmother suffered from chronic sinus infections after a particularly nasty round of 'flu a few years ago. The Grossan (named for the ear-nose-throat specialist who designed it) works on the same principles as the neti pot, but it requires a little less coordination and sometimes can reach a little further back into the sinuses.