Diagnosed with sinusitis, fluid in ear and infected dental carries!

Hi Kim and all the others on this post. I am new to this website, so not sure all will see this message.  When I read  these entries it made my heart ache and brougth back my own nightmare that started in April 1994 (wow, 20 Years ago!). I am happy to say that I healthy now.. But, at that time I was living in Swaziland, and working in international health,  I was in my early 40s, very happily married, had lots of energy, enjoyed hiking and horse riding, and gardening and loved my job. I got sick rather suddenly while in Malawi.. had many of the symptoms described (headaches, dizziness, disorientation, joint and muscle pain, gastro issues etc and developed ohers later)  in Malawi my symptoms baffled the docs so I was treated for malaria (which I didn't have) medevacced back to Swaziland, tested for everything under the sun  (MS, lupus, coxsakie, all sorts of other viruses, by docs in South Africa, got worse for 6 months and was finally, finally diagnosed with Myalgic Encephlomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome,/CFS/Fibromyalgia-- it has many names. To make a long story shorter, I was eventually referred to a doctor who had made the connection between chronic sinusitis and fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, etc.. in fact this connection was discovered a century ago but lost as medicine became more specialized..so the fact that most of  you are treating sinusitis is very great!. Most people with the syptoms you all have do not always make that connnection...the doctor I saw Dr. Alexander Chester, has studied this syndrome for decades  has published papers in JAMA, LANCET etc,  is well respected by his peers, but not all ENTs buy the theory.. AND not every person with sinusitis presents with this set of symptoms that many of  you  have described.. appartently some people are predisposed to this "syndrome"  (google "nasal fatigue reflex" to read his hypothesis.  So Dr. Chester's approach is to relentlessly focus on the sinuses.. to  improve their function, clear up infection (which is difficult because one job of the sinus is to filter out/trap infections and prevent them from getting into your lungs)  reduce what is causing chronic inflammation, swelling, etc. all of which triggers the fatigue, pain, neurological problems. (I also suffered from chronic dry mouth which he explained was from not breathing through my nose because of the swelling and mouth breathing, which dries the throat) I also had a chronic sore throat (caused by post nasal drip). I have to say that I was not even aware I had a sinus problem- I also  discovered I had a few food sensitivies (wheat, dairy, fermented things like wine and beer) that also caused swelling in my sinuses,  and chemical sensitivities that also kept my sinusitis chronic.. I consulted with a naturapath who helped with allergies and sensitivities.. Appartently, when the sinuses are also connected to the immune system (being the first line of defense for detecting airborn toxins etc, so it gets "up regulated" causing the flu like feeling that many of you describe..  The sinus connection also explained why I felt so bad in the morning.. when you lie down to sleep, the sinuses (no longer helped by gravity) fill and swell when infected or inflammed. so I also used things like nasal spreaders (strips you put on your nose) at night to keep my airways open..have a humidifier by my bed, and breathe steam first thing in the morning..  I also had  endoscopic sinus surgery (septoplasy) to open up my airways, had allergy treatment changed my diet, took very good care of my sinus (saline rinses, water based lubricants, steam, warm compresses, avoiding irritants or allergens) raised the humidity in my house (dry hot air drys the sinuses-  but you have to be careful not to have it so high that you get mold, as that is a  common allergen) avoided chemical exposure (esp petrochemicals, new paint, new rugs, and other fabrics treated with fire retardents, as they triggered sinus swelling..)  anyway, it took some time and discipline, but I am happy to say, that   I regained my health, my strength, my ability to work and enjoy life.  When I start to get a sinus infection, I jump on it right away, if I ignore it and it goes deep and undected, I start to spiral down and have to work harder to resolve the symptoms.. 

SO, don't give up, don't dispair, try different approaches to healing sinusitis (if you have ever seen a CAT scan of your sinuses, you will see that they are very complex!) try to find a doctor to work with you who sees the connection between  sinusitis and your symptoms.  I hope this helps some of you out there. It is a dreadful thing to go through. 

Blessings! 

  

Have an infected ear. Used to get both ears badly affected plus headaches and nose and nose polpys. What helped me a lot was gong on multivitamin pills daily, as well as antioxidants, I also take a magnesium and potassium every day as no multi vitamin contains much of it, plus

fibre. Now if I get an"attack" it is just a fraction of what it used to be, far easier to cope with and easier to clear up. You posted this 5 months ago, how are you now? I would suggest thinking of curcumin or garlic as a preventative measure if you are ok now, hope you are.

While researching my sons symptoms I came across this thread. I continued on with this research after reading about all of you and your similar conditions ( not the same as my sons thank goodness) I am so sorry for the suffering you have endured that when I found this article I just had to come back to share some of this information..followed with the link to the entire article you shoud be able to click on it and it will automaticly take you there, Sometimes this is happening when you are asleep. Enough said so here you go.     When your temporalis closes your mouth enough so that your teeth can touch, and then you move your jaw over to the left a bit and hold it there, you'd be using the right lateral pterygoid to do so. Essentially, you'd be clenching your teeth on the left side. If you were to hold that position long enough, guess what? The right lateral pterygoid becomes dysfunctional. Where, then would it hurt? At one or both ends of the muscle, where it attaches at the jaw joint (the condyle), or at the other end, along the nasal passages. Frequently, when a lateral pterygoid muscle becomes dysfunctional, it will cause pressure and pain in and around the nasal passages and sinuses, and can be called a sinus headache. Not only does the patient feel pain and pressure from the sinuses, but also a dysfunctional lateral pterygoid will cause the sinuses to produce a discharge (a runny or stuffy nose). This patient is in a real fix. A visit to the sinus specialist for a special x-ray reveals nothing particularly wrong with their sinuses. Antibiotic therapy rarely resolves the condition. The patient is convinced, however, that there is definitely a problem with the sinuses. The patient maintains this conviction by observing that they do get some relief from sinus headache medications. What's in sinus headache remedies? High dosages of analgesic (pain medication) for muscle pain and decongestants for a stuffy, runny nose... the two symptoms that result from a dysfunctional lateral pterygoid!

Good luck. Much love.

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Hello, Kim have had tinnitis for two years with no sleep . Ruined my life completely. Took scans. Said I have tinnitis. Tried lonase, zana, Ativan. And I am nauseated constantly. God someone please help me. 213 9957321 Paula