Sinus Problems

I agree with the ladies that said to try a netti pot. Have him use it for a month or so and see if it helps at all. If not, then he should go to a specialist.

Neti pot can help a lot! Or he should see an ENT or an allergist.
7 infections in a year is a lot. Several conditions need to be ruled out.

If he has constant drainage he might need a steroid nasal spray like Flonase, Rhino Cort or some other one. They have different kinds and they work. They will help stop the drainage. But, they are prescribed by a doctor.

S..
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I just skimmed through some of the other responses, and I have to agree with the other moms who said to get a Neti Pot. I got mine at Walgreens for like $5-10. It is a bit awkward at first, but I got IMMEDIATE RELIEF!! I couldn't believe it. Just be sure to only use 1/2 packet per side the first few times. I used a whole one the first time, and it was a bit too strong- it actually made my eyes burn & water really bad. Unfortunately it is not a long-term solution, and you have to keep using it.

Chiropractic & naturopathic treatments have helped me tremendously in long-term riddance of allergies!! I actually was able to quit allergy shots & 3 different allergy prescriptions when I started seeing my chiropractor. Just recently I've started seeing a naturopath too and feel so much better all around!

I had gone to an allergist about 4 years ago because I had horrible allergies and had 2 major sinus infections where I went through 2 or 3 rounds of antibiotics each to clear them within the 6-8 months we had been living back in Houston. I went on the allergy shots, though I HATE needles. My poor hubby had to give me the shots cause I couldn't bear to do it myself. They cost a lot and did not help me a bit!! She had also put me on 2 different nasal sprays and tried 3 different pills- none of which helped.

If it's a TRUE sinus infection: neti pot and salt water. Have someone at the health food store show you how it works, and how to use it. Any body who has ever used one will swear by it - and you don't have all the stupid drug side effects. Good luck!

Had the same problems for YEARS but not anymore.
get in hot bathtub with a large pan of ICE COLD water and wash cloth close by. Run HOT water in the bathtub...alternate extreme heat wash cloth over face and back of neck then extreme cold..I KNOW it's really hard to tolerate this....do this for about 15 minutes every night when the sinuses are REAL bad and once a week other wise..Opens the passages...
Sudaphed..during the day

Drink TONS of water
Take a Centrum Multi Vitamin twice a day am and around 3:00 pm and fish oil twice a day
(the nutritional change seemed to boost my system to prevent infection)
Scrape tongue with tongue scraper bought at drug stores twice a day to get coating off of tongue that holds the bacteria that causes the bad breath
Rinse daily with Listerine.
Flush sinuses with a saline solution ONLY saline solution
no other kind of nose drops,etc.

It took me YEARS to figure this regimine out.

My husband uses a netty (sp) pot, it looks like a gravy boat and you can get it at Walgreen's for about $5. It comes with little packets and you mix them with water and then you lean over the sink and pour it into one side of your nose and it comes out the other side loosening and taking out all the junk! Just repeat on the other side! Much better than meds all the time, and you can use it over and over!
Good luck!

http://www.sattvahealing.com/netti-pot.shtml
The Netti Pot I love. It's terribly gross when you actually use it. But I have had 7 sinus infections in 4 months. I got this and I haven't had one. And I can actually breath. I use it in the morning and at night. Good luck. Sinus problems are horrible.

Try a 'netti pot' available at healthfood stores. Find out more on line search the 'netti pot'. Keeps the sinus passages clear naturally. You need to use daily to ge the maximum advantage. and it has no side effects like the drugs.
L.

Good morning T.,

Go to this website www.sinucleanse.com
You can read about it and decide which one your husband would want to try....you can buy these products over the counter....hopes this helps. Have a great day!

Your hubby has the same problems that mine had.
Mine went to an ENT and found out he has major sinus blockage. He had surgery to unblock and and thankfully it has been successful. He had the surgery about 4 years ago.
Please have your hubby go to an ENT. They will help him.

I had surgery to open my sinuses, but I don't think it did any good. Now I have 3 nasal sprays that stop the reaction in the nose from responding to all the irritations, and help slow the production of mucus courtesy of an ENT. But here is the real secret NEVER use OTC nasal sprays. They may open him up for a bit, but over time just make it worse. It's hard to believe when you're misarable, but it's worth the revised plan. Here's the plan. Use the salt water solutions a lot have mentioned. Here's a recipe for a natural one that you can make, and won't cost hardly anything. Mix 1 quart of water with 2-3 heaping tsps of pickling/canning salt (other salts have additives), 1 rounded tsp of baking soda. This will last about a week, then when you want to make a new rinse. Use the bulb siringe to flush in into the nose. He needs to sniff a little when doing this to help get it in the right places. This stuff is a miricle for me. I have not had an infection for several years because of it. He can also double the dose of sudafed when he's feeling rough. My Dr said it is the same as a prescription drug then. If the salin rinse is too strong, he can back of the salt a bit the first mix, and strengthen it as he gets use to it. Other Drs gave me packaged saline rinse that were not really effective. I could kiss my Drs feet for giving me this recipe. Good Luck! I feel for him.

It sounds like chronic sinusitis. He needs to go to his doctor or to an ENT doctor. A round of antibiotics should clear it up, but he needs to make sure there are no polyps or anything causing irritation or inflammation.

To reiterate some previous responses, what has worked for me and my entire family has been:
1. Neti pot
2. Chiropractic
3. NAET treatments (google it) w/ my Naturopath (N.D.). There are some chiropractors who do NAET, also. Sounds pretty weird at first, but IT WORKS to eliminate allergies like you wouldn't believe!! All 4 in my family have had tremendous results w/ all of the above.

And, contradictory to many responses you are getting, you do NOT need antibiotics to clear a sinus infection! The Neti pot will do the trick. You can do more to boost your immune system through good diet (lots of green veggies!), and by taking immune-boosting supplements like echinacea, vitamin C, Beta-glucan, and zinc.

T., I have had chronic sinus infections for over two years now. I wish it was as easy to get rid of them as some of the advice here makes it sound, but for me and a friend of mine with the same problem, at least, it's been a long road. You definitely need to get him to a doctor. Try the antibiotic route first. If he's been on a lot of antibiotics, it could be a fungal infection which has to be treated differently (I'm actually going to my allergist today to see if that's what my problem is now.) I haven't been to an ENT yet, but that may be next on my agenda.

There are a lot of great websites that deal with chronic sinusitis. And a lot of quackery, too, so you have to be careful about that. I'd beware of any site that's all about "their product." Sometimes that may be the answer, but just be wary. There are a lot of people out there on the internet who want to profit by preying on desperate people.

Definitely I agree about the Neti Pot. He needs to be keeping his sinuses cleared out even when he's not sick (especially then, because that can help keep the infections at bay). He also should probably be on a nasal steroid inhaler like Nasacort (prescription) or similar. I can't take decongestants because of a heart murmur, but if he can, that's a definite help. Allergy tests would be good to see if there's something in the environment triggering his infections.

I really hope he can get his resolved quickly. I don't mean to sound like the voice of doom! I know there are a lot of people who can be treated effectively and have no more problems. But just be forewarned that "chronic" can mean just that ... "CHRONIC". That's why it would probably be a good thing to google "chronic sinusitis" and read up on it. Trust the Mayo Clinic site -- they're really reliable and trustworthy.

And be very patient and compassionate toward your husband when he's in the middle of a flare-up. There's nothing as miserable as a true sinus infection. If you've never had one it's impossible to truly understand how incredibly exhausted and awful they can make you feel.

Good luck and I'll be praying he can get fixed up quickly!

Hi I work with a group of Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, he needs to see a specialist to confirm what it is that's causing his bad breath. We see alot of patients with that problem. Good Luck

i heard this story on abc13.com that some severe sinus infections can go into your brain so seeing a doc would be recommended.

I don't know anything about neti pots but bulb syringes or Sinus Rinse by NeilMed also work. You might consider going to an ENT (ear, nose, throat doctor) if the sinus washes don't work. They will check for any obstructions that could be causing problems - i.e. polyps, deviated septum. I was getting monthly sinus infections. I was finally diagnosed with a deviated septum. That was fixed and my lower sinus cavities were reemed out. No reoccurring problems since.
Good luck. It's miserable to suffer like him.

WELL, I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT REALLY HELPS ME & SEE IF HE CAN GET IT DONE. I GO SEE AN ENT WHO IRRIGATESMY SINUSES WITH A SALINE SOLUTION.HE PUTS SALINE INTO SINUS CAVITY ON 1 SIDE WHILE SUCTIONING FROM OTHER SIDE. I GET THIS DONE ABOUT EVERY OTHER YEAR & HELPS ME GREATLY.
GOOD LUCK, I KNOW THAT CAN BE VERY TRYING,
D.

I had horrible sinus infections for over a year. Have your husband check with a dr. to see if it is an infection. Sometimes you don't get really sick, just have pain and pressure and feel lousy. I was unable to get rid of the infection because my sinus cavity was too small. I ended up having surgery. The best thing I could ever have done. I had the surgery about 8 years ago and have only had one minor infection since.

good luck!
L.

I've heard the shots help. I have horrible allergies and can't afford the shots. But, my sister and MIL swear by them. Bad breath just comes with the territory. I chew a lot of gum during that time. Claritin D (pharmacy counter) works the best for me. It doesn't take them all away, but makes my life much more functional. But, it should be taken daily and build up in your system for it to fully function effectively. He also needs to flush his system out daily with a lot of water, like a whole pitcher of water. Neti pot does help too.

if his breath is stinking he needs to see a dr.

Hi T.
I know sinus problems can really be miserable for those who are suffering. OTC stuff hardly ever really works- or atleast not for us anyway. I do have a solution that may help but you will have to PM me cause I don;t want to get called for adverting. But I can tell you- what we have done for our suffering over the past 5 year has totally fixed our problems. And, much cheaper than anything we can purchase otc.
Good luck and blessings

I have heard other people use the Neti pot & salt water with good results.
How bad are his allergies?
I had been seeing an allergist for shots 2x/week for 2 yrs, daily pills etc. I had migraines, constant sinus infections & nothing was helping. I saw a neurologist & had an MRI and was going out of my gourd because of missed work, 3 kids, frustrated husband, snoring that would rival elephants, just exhausted. That is when I saw Dr Alfred Colwell in Tomball. He is a Kinesiologist/Chiropractor. I saw him every 2 weeks for 3 months starting in Jan 2001. I have had zero migraines & 3 sinus infections & I snore occasionally - normal volume since then. I take OTC meds ocasionally. I have made less than a dozen visits to Dr Colwell since then. He is not for everyone. Some people are not open to alternative medicine but for me it was a miracle.
S.

Does he still have his tonsils? I have heard of people who have tonsillitis to have really bad breath. Might want to have a doctor take a look and see what he/she can do.

Neilmed has a sinus rinse. It is an actual rinse and cleans out the sinuses. I have had sinus problems for a long time, and using that rinse 2x a day helps. My doc has me put tobramycin (antibiotics) and dexamethasone (steriod for inflammation) in it when I do get an acute infection. The neilmed system is best because it actually rinses out your sinuses from allergens that can cause sinus infection. It is and OTC rinse, and you can get it at CVS, Walgreens, and I think Wal Mart. Your husband should probably also see a ENT doctor. Mine's the best and if you want I will give you her number. God bless!!!

Same story over here, coupled with constant infections. My husband takes a decongestant 2-3 times a day and uses the net e pot 2-3 times a day and has had no infections for 6 weeks (which is a first since we've lived in austin). He still has drainage but much better. We had tried numerous meds and seen the allergist and ent and they say they can't help.

Pain and bad smell are indicators of an infection and should be treated with antibiotics. He needs to see the doctor to remedy this.

OCEAN spray (salt water) is great for current sinus infections and preventing them. The longer he can leave it in the nasal cavity the better.
Good Luck.
P.