Lingering Sinus Problem

Hello rec.scubans worldwide!

I'm getting a bit desperate because I plan to fly to Miami in early April
and spend a week diving on Blackbeards and I can't seem to relieve the
pressure in the sinuses behind my eyebrows. I've had this for about three
months and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

The current OTC medication I'm using is Extra Strength Tylenol Sinus and
that does the job of relieving the pain symptoms alright but the pain comes
back when I stop taking the Tylenol. In other words, I'm thinking of the
Tylenol as a way to relieve the symptoms but not to cure the problem.

My doctor put me on Flonase, which is a corticosteroid nasal spray. I've
been taking this, more or less regularly for about 3 weeks: two sprays in
each nostril, twice a day.

Because of the duration of the problem, my doctor also put me on
antibiotics. I just finished a two-week course of Amox. and Clav.
250mg/125mg, which I took three times a day for 14 days, ending about 4 days
ago.

I just had my sinuses X-Rayed yesterday and have a follow-up appointment
with my GP on Wednesday to discuss the results of that X-Ray.

I'm hoping she'll send me to ENT specialist to get these sinuses drained
somehow, if there's a procedure for doing that.

I'm keeping the humidity in my house at over 30% and, about once a day, I
make a tent with a towel over a heated vaporizor and inhale the steam for
about 15 minutes.

Is there anything else I could be doing that my GP might not have thought of
or should I start sterilizing my drill bits? (Just kidding.)

Thanks.

"Larry Anta" <lanta@ryerson.ca> wrote in message
news:2r6dnRpet4UsdbTfRVn-pg@rogers.com...
> Hello rec.scubans worldwide!
>
> I'm getting a bit desperate because I plan to fly to Miami in early April
> and spend a week diving on Blackbeards and I can't seem to relieve the
> pressure in the sinuses behind my eyebrows. I've had this for about three
> months and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

I had it bad for over six months this year. The doctors told me that it was
probably a virus and I might have it for a year. It's been 8 1/2 months
now, though not so bad recently. An allergist (I don't have any allergies)
put me on a short course of Prednisone. That worked and then Nasalcort.
That worked better than Flonase (which makes my nose bleed).

Two ENT's and the only guy that could help me was an allergy specialist who
had verified that I don't have any allergies. The other thing that was
prescribed by both ENT's that also helps is a product called "Sinus Rinse"
(tm) by NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (toll free 1-877-477-8633)
(www.nasalrinse.com, www.sinusrinse.com, www.neilmed.com)

> The current OTC medication I'm using is Extra Strength Tylenol Sinus and
> that does the job of relieving the pain symptoms alright but the pain
comes
> back when I stop taking the Tylenol. In other words, I'm thinking of the
> Tylenol as a way to relieve the symptoms but not to cure the problem.

Right.

> My doctor put me on Flonase, which is a corticosteroid nasal spray. I've
> been taking this, more or less regularly for about 3 weeks: two sprays in
> each nostril, twice a day.
>
> Because of the duration of the problem, my doctor also put me on
> antibiotics. I just finished a two-week course of Amox. and Clav.
> 250mg/125mg, which I took three times a day for 14 days, ending about 4
days
> ago.

Biaxin 500mg

>
> I just had my sinuses X-Rayed yesterday and have a follow-up appointment
> with my GP on Wednesday to discuss the results of that X-Ray.
>
> I'm hoping she'll send me to ENT specialist to get these sinuses drained
> somehow, if there's a procedure for doing that.

Check out the Sinus Rinse.

>
> I'm keeping the humidity in my house at over 30% and, about once a day, I
> make a tent with a towel over a heated vaporizor and inhale the steam for
> about 15 minutes.

Maybe you've got too much humidity going on there . . .or maybe mold in your
house. ;^)

>
> Is there anything else I could be doing that my GP might not have thought
of
> or should I start sterilizing my drill bits? (Just kidding.)

LOL. I was still affected when I went to Roatan (though not as severely,
thank heavens). Despite conventional wisdom, I was taking a 12 hour Sudafed
and an extra strength Sudafed at the beginning of my dive days. I still had
some trouble descending from time to time . . .and I was always unbelievably
thirsty. :^)

Get on Prednisone and the rinse ASAP.

>
> Thanks.

Best of luck.

>
>

"Larry Anta" <lanta@ryerson.ca> wrote in message
news:2r6dnRpet4UsdbTfRVn-pg@rogers.com...
(snip)> The current OTC medication I'm using is Extra Strength Tylenol Sinus
and
> that does the job of relieving the pain symptoms alright but the pain
comes
> back when I stop taking the Tylenol. In other words, I'm thinking of the
> Tylenol as a way to relieve the symptoms but not to cure the problem.

Oh, by the way, my situation included a lot of "production" and post nasal
drip (ick)

>
> My doctor put me on Flonase, which is a corticosteroid nasal spray. I've
> been taking this, more or less regularly for about 3 weeks: two sprays in
> each nostril, twice a day.
>
> Because of the duration of the problem, my doctor also put me on
> antibiotics. I just finished a two-week course of Amox. and Clav.
> 250mg/125mg, which I took three times a day for 14 days, ending about 4
days
> ago.

My doctor explained to me that the antibiotics were prescribed because when
a person has that kind of problem for so long, there's a good chance of
infection setting in. In other words, an infection didn't start the
problem, it resulted from the problem.

> I just had my sinuses X-Rayed yesterday and have a follow-up appointment
> with my GP on Wednesday to discuss the results of that X-Ray.
>
> I'm hoping she'll send me to ENT specialist to get these sinuses drained
> somehow, if there's a procedure for doing that.

By the way, good luck with that. It took months for me to get into see an
ENT and then a month later, I insisted on being sent for a second consult
with another ENT. That took almost 3 more months to get in.

(snip)

"Larry Anta" <lanta@ryerson.ca> wrote in message
news:2r6dnRpet4UsdbTfRVn-pg@rogers.com...
> Hello rec.scubans worldwide!
>
> I'm getting a bit desperate because I plan to fly to Miami in early April
> and spend a week diving on Blackbeards and I can't seem to relieve the
> pressure in the sinuses behind my eyebrows. I've had this for about three
> months and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.
>
> The current OTC medication I'm using is Extra Strength Tylenol Sinus and
> that does the job of relieving the pain symptoms alright but the pain
> comes back when I stop taking the Tylenol. In other words, I'm thinking
> of the Tylenol as a way to relieve the symptoms but not to cure the
> problem.
>
> My doctor put me on Flonase, which is a corticosteroid nasal spray. I've
> been taking this, more or less regularly for about 3 weeks: two sprays in
> each nostril, twice a day.
>
> Because of the duration of the problem, my doctor also put me on
> antibiotics. I just finished a two-week course of Amox. and Clav.
> 250mg/125mg, which I took three times a day for 14 days, ending about 4
> days ago.
>
> I just had my sinuses X-Rayed yesterday and have a follow-up appointment
> with my GP on Wednesday to discuss the results of that X-Ray.
>
> I'm hoping she'll send me to ENT specialist to get these sinuses drained
> somehow, if there's a procedure for doing that.
>
> I'm keeping the humidity in my house at over 30% and, about once a day, I
> make a tent with a towel over a heated vaporizor and inhale the steam for
> about 15 minutes.
>
> Is there anything else I could be doing that my GP might not have thought
> of or should I start sterilizing my drill bits? (Just kidding.)
>
> Thanks.
>

Saline spray? Make sure you have lots of Kleenex on hand, ready to grab.
Repeat as required. You can also snork up some salt water, same effect, be
neat about it.

"chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> wrote in message
news:P1mWd.579116$6l.217570@pd7tw2no...
>
>
> Two ENT's and the only guy that could help me was an allergy specialist
> who
> had verified that I don't have any allergies. The other thing that was
> prescribed by both ENT's that also helps is a product called "Sinus Rinse"
> (tm) by NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (toll free 1-877-477-8633)
> (www.nasalrinse.com, www.sinusrinse.com, www.neilmed.com)
>

Those are just fancy formulations of saline solution with a buffer. In other
words, salt water.

Get an atomizer and some saline solution, look in the contact lens
department. Or just snork up some salt water. Make SURE you have Kleenex at
hand. You WILL need them. Repeat as required. Simple, cheap, available, no
prescription, and can be entertaining if done right.

Works for me.

On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 17:31:27 GMT, "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada>
wrote:


>LOL. I was still affected when I went to Roatan (though not as severely,
>thank heavens). Despite conventional wisdom, I was taking a 12 hour Sudafed
>and an extra strength Sudafed at the beginning of my dive days. I still had
>some trouble descending from time to time . . .and I was always unbelievably
>thirsty. :^)
>
I think you are always thirsty.

JF

"JOF" <johnfrancis@sympatic.ca> wrote in message
news:4gdk21dl2jl0v1lv5ivu5cpu6mje6go92j@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 5 Mar 2005 12:37:30 -0500, "Rudy Benner"
> <bennerREMOVE@personainternet.com> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>Saline spray? Make sure you have lots of Kleenex on hand, ready to grab.
>>Repeat as required. You can also snork up some salt water, same effect, be
>>neat about it.
>>
> Are you suggesting he might start blowing uncontrollable snotballs at
> poor innocents within range? Is snork a medical term?
>
> JF
>

SNORK is a perfectly acceptable term, Gorilla Snot is also acceptable.

New divers coming up from the first dive of a holiday will sometimes surface
with a mask full of gorilla snot, or with it hanging off their chin. Its not
cool to come onto the boat like that. The cool thing to do is to discreetly
clean up, preferably turned away from the crowd. Its nothing to be ashamed
of. Its just uncool. Subsequent dives are usually not as colourful. Almost
as uncool as having gear that is not colour coordinated. Eh?

49 days until Coco View.

"Rudy Benner" <bennerREMOVE@personainternet.com> wrote in message
news:112kgc6m4ippfb6@corp.supernews.com...

> 49 days until Coco View.

An eternity...

I have to drive at least 60 miles.

Rudy Benner wrote:
<snip>
>
> SNORK is a perfectly acceptable term, Gorilla Snot is also acceptable.
>
> New divers coming up from the first dive of a holiday will sometimes surface
> with a mask full of gorilla snot, or with it hanging off their chin. Its not
> cool to come onto the boat like that. The cool thing to do is to discreetly
> clean up, preferably turned away from the crowd. Its nothing to be ashamed
> of. Its just uncool. Subsequent dives are usually not as colourful. Almost
> as uncool as having gear that is not colour coordinated. Eh?
>
> 49 days until Coco View.
>
>

And Here we have the Only valid reason for diving with a buddy!!!!
you have someone to tell you - you have a snotball hanging off your face.

On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 16:01:21 -0900, James Connell <jconnell@gci.net>
wrote:

>Rudy Benner wrote:
><snip>
>>
>> SNORK is a perfectly acceptable term, Gorilla Snot is also acceptable.
>>
>> New divers coming up from the first dive of a holiday will sometimes surface
>> with a mask full of gorilla snot, or with it hanging off their chin. Its not
>> cool to come onto the boat like that. The cool thing to do is to discreetly
>> clean up, preferably turned away from the crowd. Its nothing to be ashamed
>> of. Its just uncool. Subsequent dives are usually not as colourful. Almost
>> as uncool as having gear that is not colour coordinated. Eh?
>>
>> 49 days until Coco View.
>>
>>
>
>And Here we have the Only valid reason for diving with a buddy!!!!
>you have someone to tell you - you have a snotball hanging off your face.

Most of my buddies are more likely to stay silent until we're
confronted by a winsome lass, at which point they'll start braying and
pointing at the offending snorkage. Fortunately I'm inured to their
insensitivity.

I have to say the notable exceptions are my Florida buddies. ESG will
be too busy hitting on the lass. Lee will be trying to figger out the
best time to moon us all. Limey Dave's newly hitched so of course
he's on his best behaviour, for now. Al Wells might point it out to
me, but only to avoid scaring off the lasses, especially those with
neon flashing bosom lites.

JF