Sinus Headache Suffers, Explain This to Me, Please?

Weather change. The more severe the weather change, the more severe the sinus headache (both myself and my mom).

You may have a sinus infection. I was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis years ago so I have had my fair share and thought I could recognize one. Well for 2 wks I just had pain in my face and behind my eye. I had a full feeling in my ears and I could see I had pretty bad post nasal drip but no sore throat and no drainage from my nose. I never had a cold but I did feel very tired. The only time my sinus pain and headache would let up was when I was in a hot steamy shower.
Finally I went to my doc and she gave me an antibiotic for a sinus infection. Feel better!

Yep.

I have these about 6 months a year. Comes from living next door to a rainforest, it's all the durn mold. In fact, the majority of people in Western Washington have chronic sinus infections.

Sinuses can be infected by
- fungus (wheeee)
- bacteria
- viruses
- OR some combo of the above.

(At one point a culture had be with not only all 3, but a grand total of over 40 different types and strains. Even some of my infections had infections... bacteria can catch a virus... and it was just the pits. But that's what happens if you let one go... secondary -and tertiary- infections).

The only way to prevent them is to cut your head off (or just stop breathing), UNLESS it's a strep infection. If so, you can pack/rinse your sinuses with salt on a regular basis and have a high salt diet (because strep is halophobic, so salt kills it off). Generally, neither of these things are recommended. But for those with R-strains of strep, sometimes it's the only course of action, as even scraping them (surgically), they just reinfect.

TREATMENT:

Say hello to pseudoephedrine HCl. It's the 'original' sudafed (NOT sudafedPE) that is behind the pharmacy counter. You need picture ID, but no Rx. It's what used to be in tylenol sinus, motrin sinus, nyquil, etc.

If it's not gone all on it's own in a couple days... go get a swab done. If it's bacterial or fungal... they can treat that with antibiotics or antifungals.

Sounds like a Sinus Infection!! I just had one 2 months ago, as soon as I started taking antibiotics I felt so much better. I would definitely make an appointment with your doctor. My jaw hurt too, and my neck. I hope you feel better soon.

Oh my dear, you have a sinus infection. These are so painful around your face, head, jaw etc. A warm washcloth pressed against your face may relieve the pain, but you really need some antibiotics to clear up the infection.

I had this last year, and it was such a relief to get rid of it!

You don't have to feel sick when you have a sinus infection. The symptoms you describe are your body's way of letting you know something is amiss. Also it may not be an actual infection but an allergic reaction.

I've had that sort of headache and didn't have an infection. My allergic reaction to pollen, dust, etc. had caused a build up of fluid in my sinus cavities and ears. A decongestant cleared it up. I really like Mucous, DM for doing that.

Your hurting jaws could be from clenching your teeth when you're asleep. Even if you don't usually clench them you might be now because of the discomfort you're feeling.

I was taking Sudafed, the real stuff but it wasn't helping enough and so the doctor prescribed an antihistamine nasal spray to use daily. I haven't had a headache since.

You have sinus pain when your sinus tissues swell up (which causes pressure) and the pressing can push up against nerves which can radiate pain.
You don't have to have a stuffy nose at all.
I try to rinse out my sinuses often with warm saline (use a neti pot) which seems to help rinse out irritations.
Sometimes in the spring/fall (when ever we get wide swings in temps up or down or in barometric pressure) the best I can do is to lay down with a heating pad on my face for a day or so and the pain passes eventually.

I've been using Sudafed, the real stuff you get from the pharmacist. You should also to go the doctor to make sure you dont have a sinus infection, if you do have one he will give you prescription meds, Hope you feel better soon!

This is THE most allergic spring I have ever seen in the Northeast. Even people who 'don't have allergies' are feeling it.

Aside from a Drs appt, you might try Claritin with Psuedophrine. You have to ask for it behind the pharmacy desk but don't need a px. And maybe a couple Tylenol or Motrin too.

But really, why not call the doc, just to be sure? Feel better!

:)

the jaw hurting is a symptom of not just a sinus headache but a sinus infection.
Advil Congestion helps with mine
Alieve -D is what DH takes.
if it is a sinus infection and not bacterial then it should go away on it's on in 2 weeks, if it is bacterial then it will need an antibiotic.

ETA : Try to stay away from those netipots , they have been warned against. mold can grow in them and then you are washing that into your sinuses.

the full feeling is all of the gunk/pressure built up. You'll see allergy symptoms when it all breaks loose!

Ask your dr or pharmacist which OTC drug will work best for you. I take Zyrtec, but my sons use a decongestant. Good Luck!

Try taking a hot steaming shower (without washing your hair). If you wash your hair too, blow-dry soon after (you don't want more water getting into your head and aggravating the sinus).

If the shower helps in relieving some of the congested feeling in your face, then sinus it is! You do get a lot of OTC medicines to relieve sinus (I haven't tried any of them personally, so sorry am of no help there..), or you can also try steaming - blanket-over-your-head-over-a-pot-of-boiling-water. It provides temporary relief.

I would go to the dr. if it continues...sinus infections don't go away without medication...at least mine don't. I also use a neti-pot when my sinuses act up frequently. It sounds gross, but doesn't hurt at all, as long as you follow the directions, and it does help. Good luck!

Definitely likely it's sinuses. Here's the test - take some real sudafed (pseudoephecrine hcl - you have to show a license to buy it) and if you feel better, you know that it's sinuses. Ibuprofen can also help to relieve sinus inflammation. My magic sinus cocktail is ibuprofen and sudafed together along with a neti pot. After your symptoms clear, if it comes back with no obvious trigger you might want to see an allergist. I didn't have any allergies until I was in college and mine change in trigger and intensity every few years.

ETA for my last raging sinus infection, my doc recommended adding Claritin to stop the histamine reaction and prescribed a nasal spray to stop the sinus inflammation. She did not prescribe an antibiotic because there is research showing that most sinus infections clear in 4-6 weeks on their own, even if they're supposedly bacterial. Thankfully the nasal spray worked. That's the first one I needed a doc's help for in years though - normally I can clear one with OTC medicine. Hope you feel better soon!

Hi CM,

I suffered with sinus headaches and infections for far too long....like decades. I was told back in the early 90s, after a particularly horrible sinus infection that resulted in another trip to the Dr. and x-rays, that I had a deviated septum and would likely need surgery.

I have allergies as well. Both conditions worsened over the years. The sinus infections became so frequent and lasted for so long that I seemed to be on antibiotics more than I was not.

After moving to NV, my new allergist finally sent me for more x-rays and referred me to an ENT. In 2007, I had the surgery, and I am truly sorry I waited so long. While the surgery and recovery were not easy, I have certainly noticed a big change. Still get sinus infections once in a while, like maybe once a year, but that is so minor compared to how many I used to get and how severe the symptoms would be.

I am NOT diagnosing here but can tell you that the things you've mentioned are all typical of sinus conditions, and I had all of those symptoms and more. I hope your situation isn't as severe, but the only way you can know for sure is to see a Dr. and get a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Good luck with this.

J. F.

Sounds like a sinus infection. I usually get a pain in my forehead above my right eye before any other symptoms...it generally feels like someone stabed me in the forehead.
From there the symptoms range from the full ears to scrattchy throat to throat almost swwollen shut to possibly nasal congestion. My last one's symptoms were horrible pain below my ears and along my jaw with such pain I could barely talk or open my mouth. Sounds like you need a call to the dr.

I used to get "sinus headaches" a lot. They started getting more and more frequent. I would be stuffed up most of the time. I tried a lot of different things and saw sinus specialists but nothing really worked. My friend's daughter had food sensitivities and I started reading about that. It turns out I have a food sensitivity to msg and the other 20 msg like ingredients. You can look this up online - there are a lot of papers and info about it. A webpage that is good is the "msg myth" webpage. Google msg myth and find the list of ingredients to totally avoid. Anyway - it has been 6 years now with very little sinus issues and headaches. Sometimes I mess up when eating at a restaurant and a couple hours later I get stuffed up and start getting a headache. Anyway, it is worth a try. I'm super happy I figured this out. I am guessing a lot of people who get regular headaches have this same problem but they don't know it.

If its a Sinus Infection... you might need an antibiotic.

Ditto using the Sudafed with Pseudoephidrine. Behind the pharmacy counter. You have to ask for it.

My Husband gets sinus problems. He's just prone to it.
He also uses a "Neti Pot" to flush his sinuses. It helps.
He also uses the Sudafed and Claritin.
But, if/when his sinus issues develops worse and becomes an INFECTION...then he heads to the Doctor and needs an antibiotic.

I go to a local mom and pop type of pharmacy. I but a bottle of liquid Sudafed. It is not the face stuff, that makes my heart race and I still have the congestion. Sounds like that may be what you need.

There are all kinds of generics out there. A real pharmacy will have the real sudafed. Walmart will argue with you that it is no longer made, Walgreens will tell you that it has been off the market for 10 years. They just know what their warehouse tells them. I buy real sudafed all the time, I have a new bottle of it in my purse.

Hi. acupuncture works for me when I get sinusitis and/or sinus headaches. if you find a good qualified person in your area, i highly recommend a try.
Jilly