I have had health problems since as far as I can remember. I have PCOS (hormonal imbalance) which makes me predispositioned for certain ailments and I also have allergies.
In the summer of '04 I worked a hard job and suffered some stomach pain due to too many Ibuprofen. I also suffered some bowel problems in the spring of 2006 after I was told I had a UTI (urinary tract infection) and put on high levels of CIPRO.
Since then I have just been feeling ill. I was told I had a Sinus Infection this January, and have apparently had one since. I was also treated for 2 bouts of tonsilitis and a severe chest cold before I went to an allergy doctor.
I started seeing him in July and he put me on antibiotics and set me up for surgery (severly deviated septum). The surgery was on August 9 and I still have a sinus infection. I have been on so many antibiotics that I stopped being able to name them (Augmentin was one). I get sick very easily and always feel ill. I'm always "tired." Headaches, cough, sneezing, burning/painful eyes, and bowel problems plague me.
He at first questioned my taking the antibiotics or using the nasal spray, but now he finally does a culture (it's very bloody) and puts me on a new antibiotic (avelox) along with some steriods to reduce swelling. I just want the pain and the illness to stop. It's hard for your job to see you sick a lot or to explain to teachers why you bomb a test. The other day, during a test, my eyes hurt and burned so much that I could barely see and had a difficult time understanding the questions.
I just want to cry. I know I live in a bad area but I just can't afford to move. Does anyone have any advice or past experience? I sometimes get migraines when the eye pain makes my eyes sensitive to light.
Well I have had the food allergy tests, and had no reaction whatsoever. I do have allergies to dogs, grass, mold, trees, and dust. The grass is in our front yard, actually. I started getting ill mostly after Hurricane Rita hit. I think it's the increase in mold in this area, and also there are a lot of plants and refineries here. I have wanted to do the food allergy thing (taking out stuff and putting it back in) because I'm sure I have an allergy to some Cajun spice as it has made my throat swell before.
I don't ingest any form of artificial sweetener or High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), eat natural/organic products when I can, don't drink or smoke, and wear sun screen often. Most doctors look at me and can't figure out why I'm sick. They think I'm a hypochondriac.
I have been tested for blood sugar problems because I tend to run low (63 when fasting) and PCOS sufferers often have an insulin inhibitor, or I believe that's what it's called. I don't know what the test was called, but it showed what my insulin levels had been running at over a period of time. I also had that test where you drink that horrible orange liquid, with no results.
Since I started on the Avelox (400MG) and Prednisone (20MG) Tuesday, I have had sever pain in my eyes, diziness, drowsiness, trouble working/going to school, severe fatigue after any activity, and just sever headaches. The headache worries me the most as I've had the pain in the back of my head (where scull meets neck) for months. My chiropractor used to be helpful, but not anymore. I also suffer from TMJ and have 2 wisdom teeth coming in, but that usually just makes my ears hurt and goes away with aspirin. Gah I just want to feel better :(
I had a 3 year bout with chronic sinusitis that involved surgery (BFESS, NAR, Turbinate Reduction) and 6-7 rounds of antibiotics. After huge amounts of research and several doctors (including one of the best in the world), I finally "figured it out."
Sinusitis is not a bacterial problem--it is an immunological problem. The way to beat the disease is to reduce the swelling, clear the allergens, repair the cilia in the nasal passages, and to "manage" the underlying problem.
I use an irrigation machine with the following formulation
1. 480ml of COOL distilled water. Has to be cool, and has to be distilled. Warm water will cause swelling, tap water can cause an infection.
2. 15ml of Alkalol--a mucus solvent you can buy from the chemist.
3. 3ml of hydrogen peroxide--only if I have discolored discharge from the nose, and an obvious infection. Only use this for 3 days.
4. A heaping tablespoon of Zyletol (Breathe Ease XL). Kosher salt is too irritating. This works much, much better.
Irrigate 3 times a day until symptoms subside. If the nasal passages are so blocked you can't get the solution in there, simply spray some Afrin into the nose to open things up, and then irrigate.
Continue to take any allergy meds you might be on. I recommend Chlor-Tremiton--it is the strongest.
If you don't clear up within a couple of weeks, get a CT scan done of the sinuses to make sure there is not an obstruction such as a bone spur or polyp, etc. Something like that will have to be corrected through surgery.
Antibiotics are of little value since the sinus passages have almost no blood flow. One way around this is to use nebulized antibiotics--but I have not had to resort to that, and on a scale of 1 to 10, my sinus problems were a 9. Another option is IV antibiotics, but that is for very extreme cases.
Do NOT take Avelox, Cipro, or Levaquin with Prednisone (Medrol). They are counter-indicated and not to be taken together. I did this in 2004 and ended up in physical therapy for 6 months with nerve damage in my feet, wrists, and elbows--believe me, you don't want to go through that. Most doctors are unaware of this.
Irrigate, Irrigate, Irrigate--but with a machine. You have to get *deep* into the sinuses for this to work.
After 3 years, I am 100% clear. I feel like I did 10 years ago. But it takes time to heal.
Please be careful about making such definitive statements about how to treat something as complicated as chronic sinusitis. I agree with your contention that "The way to beat the disease is to reduce the swelling, clear the allergens, repair the cilia in the nasal passages, and to "manage" the underlying problem" but as someone who had sinus surgery 4 times before I was able to get things under control, some of the things that have helped me manage my sinus problems (along with great medical care from a brilliant ENT who deserves credit for most of my current maintenance regimen) since the last surgery 6 years ago directly contradict some of your more definitive statements. For example:
[INDENT]1. 480ml of COOL distilled water. Has to be cool, and has to be distilled. Warm water will cause swelling, tap water can cause an infection.[/INDENT]
I wholeheartedly agree with the need to irrigate (using a spray bottle, WaterPik, or Grossan irrigator) but for the last 7 years I have been using warm tap water. It doesn't cause any swelling for me (cool water gives some people headaches) and has never caused me to have an infection.
[INDENT]3. 3ml of hydrogen peroxide--only if I have discolored discharge from the nose, and an obvious infection. Only use this for 3 days.[/INDENT]
I've heard mixed recommendations about using hydrogen peroxide, my ENT recommended against it. He has suggested vinegar and tea tree oil as alternatives (but I've never had much success at completely knocking out an infection with just an additive to the irrigation solution).
[INDENT]4. A heaping tablespoon of Zyletol (Breathe Ease XL). Kosher salt is too irritating. This works much, much better.[/INDENT]
First of all, Breathe Ease XL contains: Sodium chloride (Salt), sodium bicarbonate (Baking Soda), xylitol, potassium chloride, and calcium chloride. Anyone who tried to irrigate with just Xylitol would probably be in for a very rude awakening.
Second, lots of people make up their own solution using sea salt or canning/pickling salt and baking soda. There are lots of slightly different recipes but the consensus seems to be about 60% salt, 40% baking soda as the base ingredients. DON'T USE iodized salt or salt that contains an anti-caking agent called calcium silicate - both can irritate the linings of your sinuses.
[INDENT]Antibiotics are of little value since the sinus passages have almost no blood flow.[/INDENT]
The statement that antibiotics are of little value is questionable - if that were the case they wouldn't work as well as they do in the 90% of the people who get bacterial sinus infections that never progress to chronic sinusitis.
[INDENT]Do NOT take Avelox, Cipro, or Levaquin with Prednisone (Medrol). They are counter-indicated and not to be taken together.[/INDENT]
It sounds like you had a really bad reaction to the combination of antibiotics and prednisone but different people react to drugs differently. I've taken Levaquin and prednisone together many times and have not had the same negative reaction you had. I looked at the prescribing information for Levaquin and there is no specific contraindication for taking it with prednisone - again, different people react to a combination of meds differently.
[INDENT]Irrigate, Irrigate, Irrigate--but with a machine. You have to get *deep* into the sinuses for this to work.[/INDENT]
Yes, Irrigate, Irrigate, Irrigate! I know that many people swear by the Grossan machine. I used a WaterPik with the Grossan attachment for several years but switched to a SinusRinse bottle about 5 years ago and it has worked just as well as the machine and is much more portable.
Again, I'm not trying to question your experience or treatment regimen, but think it's important that the information that gets posted on these boards - which are often used by people just starting to deal with these issues - isn't overly dogmatic in applying one person's experience as the only answer.
