pamyla Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Hi all. A few months ago I had a cold and it's unfortunately settled into my sinuses. I've been taking decongestants and I've tried all sorts of things to get it to unclog, but no luck. Not to be gross, but I have icky phlegm too. I have a doctor's appt next week and will ask for antibiotics if I have to. But I thought I'd ask if anyone on the board had any suggestions in the meantime for getting rid of this? Right now my face just aches Thanks, Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethansmom Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Have you tried warm steam? If you can tolerate it, boil some water on the stove, and put your face over it with a towel around your head for a few minutes, several times per day. Just be careful with the steam, a lot of POTS sufferers cannot tolerate it for long. This does wonders for me when I am having sinus trouble, because I cannot take decongestants and I have to go to great lengths to avoid a sinus infection!! Saline drops work pretty well for me too, and taking a pain reliever/anti-inflammatory such as Advil as needed is great for the facial pressure/pain. There are also pressure points on your face that you can use to drain the sinuses as well- here is a link that may help show you how to perform them- just scroll down about mid-way:http://la.essortment.com/drainsinuses_rlod.htmI hope you feel better soon without having to go on an antibiotic!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llp479 Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 I have had more sinus infections than I care to count. Finally went for two years without one until last month. I take guifenissen(SP?) twice daily to keep the mucous thin and draining. Also, my ENT told me that when your sinuses are infected or inflamed, decongestants, such as Sudaphed are the worst thing you can take because they make the mucous thicker, and therefore harder to drain and get out of your head.Saline nose sprays can help because they shrink the membranes. Ethansmom's suggestion of steam is a good one and if you add salt to the water that makes it even better.At this point, it's probably a safe bet that your sinuses are infected and you need antibiotics. In my case, it was 14 days of Tequin, and took up until day 11 before I felt better.Good luck and hope you feel better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamyla Posted October 29, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 Thanks guys I'm feeling a little better today. We had a big thunderstorm last night and I think the weather was probably making me feel worse. I do try and steam my face in the shower but I haven't tried the steam other than that. Maybe I will, I have a facial sauna somewhere that might help.That's interesting about the sudafed making mucous thicker too. I didn't realize that. The cold medicine I have has some guafinesin in it, but maybe not enough. I need to get just guaf. I think. Last time I did that by prescription. Do they sell just the pills in the drugstore now? I think last time I looked I didn't see any.And I've been using the saline drops pretty regularly, just not helping enough!I'll have to check out that pressure point link too.Thanks Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llp479 Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 You can get guaf. 12 hour tabs now without prescription - saw them at Walgreens, but they were $$. There is a liquid that last 4 hours that's $4-5 a bottle. That's what I give my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 llp479,Are you sure that your doctor said that the decongestants make you worse because they dry you out? I thought it was the antihistamines that make you worse because they dry you out when you have congestion (and the congestion needs to stay "moist" so it can go out of your body)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamyla Posted October 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 I saw some Guafinesin liquid stuff last night at Publix. It was Robitussin and you're right it was $$$. Plus it wasn't that potent, like 100 mg. The stuff I'm taking now has 200 mg in it. I think I'll ask the doctor about it on Tues when I go. I'll let you all know. Maybe to get the higher dosages you still need a prescription? I know I used to get the pills and I didn't see any of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted October 31, 2003 Report Share Posted October 31, 2003 You can also try rinsing your sinuses with an isotonic solution of salt and baking soda (equal parts of each--about a tps per 8 to 10 oz. My ENT has me mix mine with a Rx ointment called mucoprin aka bactroban. However, he told me I could substitute a squirt of betadine--and I quote him here "there's no magic amount--just enough to change the color of the water to be a bit orange should be fine". The point is, betadine is a topical antibacterial and is preferred to using a systemic antibiotic. In addition to the above, I also use guafenisin, as others here have mentioned.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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