Never had a major sinus problem, but I think I have one now.
I’ve been blowing my nose for over a week. When the mucus turned yellow instead of clear, I thought I was getting over it. Then the side of my nose started aching, and the corner of one of my eyebrows turned sensitive to pressure. It’s enough to drain energy and appetite. Skin over the bridge of my nose seems a little pinker than the rest, but that may be just imagination, I’ve had mucus (usually yellow, with very occasional bits of blood) drip out of my nose overnight while I’ve been asleep three times or more since this started, when that never happened before. I can breathe well, though, and no fever, as far as I can tell, so there’s that, but still.
My internet educated hypochondriac brain says mucormycosis, but I’ve been taking ibuprofen and will contact my doctor tomorrow for more reasoned action. I just feel bad, and the heat isn’t helping. Ugh again.
Mug of boiling water with a quarter teaspoon Tiger Balm or Vicks in it. While it remains steamy, (only a few minutes!) half cover the mug surface with one hand and breath in the steam deeply through your nose then your mouth. Alternating until the water stops steaming.
Repeat as needed! Definitely right before bed!
It’s old school but it’s the bomb! Good Luck, and feel better soon?
If it goes on too long or the pressure starts to feel like you’ve been punched in the face or you’re teeth are falling out, it’s an infection (sinusitis) and you’ll need antibiotics to kick it.
However, I’ve found that decongestants do wonders to help in the mean time. Get some Sudafed in you and see if that helps. Actually, do they even still sell anything with pseudoephedrine in it? Glad I’m stocked up. I think Ephadrine is back for sale in gas stations, that might actually work just as well. Stimulants work as decongestants. I still have Adderall left over from a long time ago and it works amazingly to clear a really stuffy nose.
Some people can knock them out by breathing steam and using a mixture of a decongestant (such as Sudafed) and a mucolytic (guaifenesin ). Adding in a saline nasal spray can help.
If these OTC treatments don’t make you feel better in a few days, go see a doctor. A doc-in-the-box or “minute clinic” is fine. Sometime people need antibiotics to kill the underlying bacteria.
Joey P, yes, they still sell real sudafed. Some states require a prescription, most just require ID and a signature that you’re not going to make the stuff into meth.
Yes. I can get a “stuffed up head” and still breathe OK. Just because the part of your nasal passage that air flows through is clear, doesn’t mean your sinuses are clear. You’re blowing stuff out your nose when you try, stuff is dripping out when you’re not trying - hello you’re congested.
And yes, if it keeps getting worse you may need antibiotics. If the initial congestion harbors bacteria that your immune system had trouble fighting, that’s called a secondary bacterial infection (secondary to the initial cause of the congestion whether a cold or allergies), and may need an antibiotic to clear it up.
Thanks for the info; this is the first time this has ever happened to me.
… Aaaand I just remembered I got water up my nose doing an underwater flip in the family swimming pool. No idea if that was the cause (especially since my younger nephew came down with what was diagnosed as croup around the same time), but it very well could be. Ah, well, at least that means it isn’t mucormycosis, if so.
Saline nasal spray will prove far more effective than decongestants in my experience (and the advice of the surgeon who performed my sinus surgery!)
To clear your sinus, you need moisture to get everything moving. A decongestant will dry everything up. This will give you temporary relief, but deter drainage. Drainage is your friend!
Upon rereading your OP, I believe you have a sinus infection. Per what I said, you can take decongestants to see if it helps you relieve some of the pain in the mean time, but antibiotics may be the only thing that actually helps you get over it.
You may get lucky and be able to call or email your doctor with the symptoms and they’ll call something in, but they’ll probably want you to come in.
It might end up costing the same thing and being faster to just go to a walk-in clinic or Urgent Care.
As someone with decades of experience w/ sinus/allergy issues here are my recommendations:
[ul]
[li]hot hot showers[/li] let the water run on your face and the back of your neck for an extended period of time. It helps. I suspect that it warms and moistens the gunk.
[li]sniffing water/neti pot[/li]I sniff water while I am in the hot shower. Inhale just hard enough that water gets to the bottom of your nostril and you’re drawing air in through that water. Does wonders for me and is the single best thing I have ever found for preventing and ameliorating sinus issues. But, by doing so you run a risk of contracting some crazy amoeba disease which will eat your brain.
The neti pot has the advantage of allowing you to use water that has been purified. It may have other advantages as well–I’ve never used one. I have heard good things from folks who use them though.
[li]cry-baby soup[/li] That’s what I call it. I take a simple, brothy soup and add a ton of crushed red pepper flakes to it as I heat it up. I let it simmer for a bit. Then I drink it. It “burns” my sore throat in a good way. Plus my nose waters like crazy and I can breathe out of both nostrils while I am eating and for a little while afterwards.
[li]guaifenesin[/li] during the day I take the max load of guaifenesin to help the mucus flow. I figure that getting out the allergens is my body’s preferred process.
[/ul]
My doctor advised against using decongestants as they tend to dry things up rather than move them out of my body. Based on my experience, I concur.
I also think that you may have a sinus infection.
Of course, I am not a Dr. You should always do your own research and be distrustful of free advice from the int4rwebz.
Other caveats may apply
As a veteran of decades of sinus infections, I will go out on a limb and say you have a whopper. Go to the doctor (even a NP at CVS) and get antibiotics. Don’t bother with steam or a neti pot at this stage. Blowing green gunk with blood is not good.
And I actually feel fine at the moment, oddly enough. Less mucus and much less, if any, aching. But I don’t trust it to stay that way, with how bad I felt just yesterday, so I’ll keep the appointment for late today and get checked out anyway, just in case.
BTW, you don’t need to wait to see a physician if you ever can’t get in to see yours. I’ve been to a doc-in-the-box/urgent care/minute clinic, and treatment was fine. FWIW, I’ve had recurring sinus infections since I was, um…6 or 7. So almost 40 years. And I’m asthmatic.
Anyway, you basically just need a medical person to look up your nose, press on your face, and prescribe antibiotics. And to tell you if a decongestant, mucolytic, saline spray, or steroid nasal spray (or some combo thereof) is best for your flavor of sinus infection.
BTW, buy lotion tissues. When the goop in your sinuses starts to come out…
IME, decongestants can help a clogged sinus drain in the short term, but after a day or two the decongestants “dry up” your sinuses and are counterproductive. Sudafed works pretty quickly too, so you can try taking some before you use a neti pot and/or take a hot shower. Neti pots are also way less gross if you use them in the shower – less nose water dribbling down your face onto your shirt and the bathroom floor.
As mentioned above, I was feeling okay when I went in for the appointment. That led the doctor to hold off on the antibiotics, for obvious reasons. He prescribed Flonase and told me to contact him should I get worse.
Since then, the mucus seems to have been reduced, but the aches have returned occasionally, although nowhere near as bad as Sunday or Monday. Had a bit of fatigue issues as well.
We’ll see how this develops. Thanks for the advice!
