I've had chronic sinus pressure and headaches for as long as I can remember. Any advice?

Hey guys,

I'm writing this because I would like to see if anyone has any advice or perhaps has been through something similar and can share some information about their experience but here goes. I've had chronic sinus problems (stuffed nose, difficulty breathing through nose, bad sense of smell, etc), chronic sinus pressure in all my sinus areas and chronic headaches located around my temples for as long as I can remember. For most of the day it's simply sinus issues and pressure around my sinuses and temples, but I often get headaches located around my temples (more focused on the right side). I could deal with the headaches and pressure if it weren't for the fact that it kills my mood and destroys my personality. When the headaches are bad I barely have a semblance of the personality I normally have, it's extremely hard to talk to people, I get irritable, I almost feel dazed and I get quite anxious. I've tried almost every popular supplement, most remedies and most OTC medications and sprays for sinus issues I could find. I've also taken multiple rounds of antibiotics, tests for sinus infections, prescribed painkillers and even taken anxietymedication. Nothing I've taken or done in this aspect has helped. The only thing that relieves my headache symptoms (not the sinus issues) are what I call "brain working activities". This is an activity that heavly works my brain and challenges me mentally. This can include programming (I'm a software developer), doing heavy math, learning a language, learning a (mentally) complicated skill, etc. When I do these activities when I have headaches, my headaches subside and I feel much much better and often times my headaches go away completely. But at this point my life has become centered around these times. I have to do mentally challenging tasks so that I can have a buffer, if you will, of time I will feel well before my headaches return. If I go on vacation, I have to center my schedule around these times so that I am not facing the symptoms of my headaches. I'm tired of this being the sole driver of my life, I don't want my life to be dictated by the tasks that help my headaches subside. I don't even know if I enjoy programming (my job) anymore or if it's just because it relieves my headaches. I want to try other things, I want to be able to go somewhere and not be worried about how long it will be before the headaches kick in and I become a shell. All this being said I've had a CT scan and MRI scan and my doctors have told me there is nothing extremely abnormal about my sinuses, save for the fact that I have a deviated septum (not major) and a few slighty small nasal passageways. My doctor is telling me that she can perform a septoplasty to fix my septum and some work to open up airways. She has told me that she does not know to the degree (if any) it will help my sinus and/or headache symptoms. I've been thinking heavly about the surgery and am still unsure whether I want to go through with it given the uncertianty of it helping. I'm currently on the cusp of going through with it, I just want to do something, anything. I just want the opportunity to live normally. Again I ask if anyone has any advice or has had any kind of experience like mine I would love to hear it! And for those of you who have read this far thank you so much for taking the time!

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