When sinus congestion ruins your life

This week, I suffered the worst sinus congestion in my entire life and today is the first day I actually felt relief.

My nasal passages were so blocked that I couldn’t even take a drink long enough without gagging. Even with a full strength of pain relievers and decongestants, the facial pain and headaches were just so damn bad that touching my face hurt and my teeth felt like pulling out. I could barely function. What’s worse was for four days my mucus and nasal drips had blood mixed in them! The thing is, it actually started two weeks ago on the day I flew to the West Coast to be with family for a funeral. So I took Afrin (an OTC decongestant spray) but the warning label said to take it only for three days. I took it for four, and once when we flew back home because pressure on my ears were unbearable on the plane.

The next day, the bleeding began. I have never had this kind of sinus attack before but I thought it would just pass. I do have chronic sinusitis so a little congestion once in a while is nothing new to me. But this scared me because it was so strong and sudden and nothing seemed to relieve it.

If you think you suffer from acute/chronic sinus congestion, here are a few of what I can share:

First, the Symptoms of Sinusitis:

• nasal blockage/nasal congestion
  nasal drainage (thick and discolored)
  postnasal drip
  low-grade fever
  facial pain/headache
  cough
  ear fullness/ear clogging
  bad taste/bad breath

What causes it? Several factors:

• An upper respiratory infection, i.e., a cold. Mine probably was caused by a prolonged cold that caused bacteria to seep into my nasal cavity and cause the infection.
• Preexisting conditions on the nasal area such as a deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps or allergies.
• Dental problems
• Asthma
• Pregnancy
• Flying and diving
• Immunosuppressed patients

How to prevent a sinus infection (my “health goal” from now on):

1. If it starts as a common cold, treat that immediately.

2. If it persists and pain develops in the sinuses, seek medical attention right away. The next day after I was prescribed antibiotics, bleeding in my sinuses stopped.

3. A balanced diet and daily vitamin intake.

4. Get a full night’s sleep. A person with chronic sinus infections can become chronically fatigued and sleep deprivation only adds to the symptoms of congestion and pain.

5. Find a good physician who can specifically diagnose and treat your condition. For years I was going to the asthma/allergist doctor and the only thing he did was prescribe nasal sprays and told me to “grit my teeth because you’ll have it your whole life”. This time I found a specialist whose first question was “did you ever have a CAT scan of your sinuses?”

6. Know more. If you want to understand more about your condition, the web (or library) is a good place to start. I learned a lot when I read this WebMD article.

7. DON’T grit your teeth. There is relief in sight. Besides, gritting your teeth only makes the facial pain worse.

Tags: sinus congestion, chronic sinusitis, common cold, symptoms, prevention