Well nice to know I'm not the only one!! Okay currently I have a sinus infection and ear infection. I have horrible allergies and when someone gets a cold I get a cold plus sinus infection that leads to ear infection that can lead to pneumonia. It is very possible your immune system sucks, my does from years of using steroid inhalers for asthma issues. Your sinus issue can be caused by many things,but I will share with you what causes mine. Smoke being blow near my face, changes in pressure in the air, and changes from cold to warm or warm to cold. Allergies can bring on lots of extra mucus and when that mucus is in the sinus cavity too long it can turn to infection, and that usually leads to ear infections as well hon.
Best thing, when your face is hurting from the sinus' get a cold cold cloth or ice pack and place on your forehead,cheeks or where ever it hurts. This cooling will take away a sinus headache immediately,but it will come back when you remove the cold,so use the cold to suppress the pain until your sinus meds kick in. Best sinus med I have found for pain and getting rid of the sinus pressure is Tylenol Sinus. Another thing that works for opening up your head... go to the store in the baby bath section and get a bottle of Vapor Bath, run a hot bath add this to the water and make sure your door is shut and any vent in the room is shut so you can harness the steam. Works wonders I promise.
Lastly you can use a Neti Pot. You can find them at Walgreens or other pharmacies. they work great if you can handle the use.
I hope any of this helps hon,and if you got to the dr and he says you have allergies that are causing your issues singulair is a very good rx for preventing this all. Good Luck!

Oh Linda i TOTALLY forgot about Zicam.. i love that stuff.. but we can only get it in the states! i'll be sure to buy some next time I go! Because in the past when i've started to get a cold i've taken Zicam and it went away! thanks for the reminder! i'm going to go to wal mart this week and look for a Netti Pot! is it in the drug store part of it?

Thanks! i also currently have what can only be an ear infection! the pain wakes me up at night! Thanks for all that help! it is so great to know it isn't only me but i hate that so many of you have such horrible sinus pain as well!

Ear Infections really suck.... I use warmed up sweet oil in my ear about four drops will really take away the pressure pain. good luck hon =0(

I also recommend nasal irrigation! I used to get really bad sinus infections - actually at one point I was in a vicious circle of not being able to stop taking Dristan because once you start taking that stuff you become dependent on it and get stuffy every time the Dristan wears off. The way I got out of all that business was this: I started using a nasal irrigator, similar to the Neti pot - but way easier to use. It's called Nasaline and it looks like a great big plastic syringe. Nasaline - Tropical Traditions The advantage here is that while a Neti pot works on gravity, the Nasaline syringe has a plunger so you can control the force of the water without having to put your head upside down. I got it at a local health food store.

Secondly, my doctor prescribed me Nasonex, which is an inhaled corticosteroid, commonly prescribed for people with allergies. I don't have to take it regularly, just when I feel a cold or allergies coming on. At the first sign of a tickle, I irrigate then use the Nasonex and I haven't had an allergy attack OR a cold in over 3 years.

I would think twice about useing Zicam nasal spray!!! I used it one time as directed and, within 1 hour, I have permanently and completely lost my sense of smell and taste. It does not affect everyone the same way, but why take a chance? I would give a million bucks if I could just taste chocolate or smell honeysuckle. I cant taste if my food is spoiled nor smell if there is a gas leak.
Please be careful. I hope you get better soon!!

wow that is crazy! and it's true it affects everyone differently but just knowing that i don't want to take that chance. Thank you so much

I'm not prone to sinus infections (Thank goodness) and I don't have allergies, but I'm hardly EVER sick. Well, at least since I stopped working at the hospital.
I take a multi vitamin (almost any good quality one will do, but I usually get Centrum), and a few extra other things....I don't think they're the key though....the thing that I've taken religiously for the last 15 yrs is Emergen-C. I take it at least once a day (but I think they suggest taking it twice a day)....not only myself, but I know other people who swear by it too. I know that it's sort of expensive up in Canada, but I saw this last month at Serious About Fitness~ this was posted by Doug Schneider, who is the editor-in-chief of the site and a fitness photographer. I'd definitely give it a try for a few months and see if there's any difference. I swear, I haven't had the flu or a cold or anything for YEARS and I never have gotten a flu shot.
And if you haven't bought it before, it comes in a box of I think 30 or 60 individual packets (it's a powder that you mix with water).


"I'm a big fan of the Emergen-C vitamin supplement. Mr. Olympia Frank Zane put me on to it. The problem has always been, though, that up in Canada it's so expensive that it's a joke. Last time I looked, Nutrition House was selling it for over $25 a box! In the US, you can walk into any Walgreens and find it for $12. Therefore, I always buy it south of the border.

But, speaking of Walgreens, I was just in there and they have their own "knockoff" brand of it, and it seems EXACTLY the same (I wouldn't be surprised if the Emergen-C folks were making it for them -- I need to compare it side by side). The key is, the Walgreens version is only $6.99 a box. An outright steal!

DS

I've heard that from other people as well. That's terrible! The gel doesn't do that though.

Sinus
 

I'm no stranger to sinus problems either. My dr. finally sent me to an ear, nose, & throat specialist. He did all the allergy testing & found out I wasn't allergic to anything, turns out I have a deviated septum & the dr wanted to do surgery but I didn't want to go that route just yet. So he gave me Flonase nasal spray and also told me about rinse. I didn't get the Netti Pot but I use something called Sinus Rinse. It's the same thing. I just mix the water & the saline solution in the bottle & then squirt some of it up each nostril. Between that & the Flonase I rarely have problems anymore. My dr also gives me Duratuss, it's a decongestant so when I feel something coming on I just take that & prevent another trip to the dr's office. Hope you feel better soon!

I can't recommend adding a neti pot to your daily routine enough!!!!!!!!! It makes such a huge difference and there is also a product called NetiPot Wash Plus that has essential oils the support the immune system you can add to your salted water. You can find them all on Ebay as well as most drugs stores these days - just not the Wash or the salt in a bag that is much cheaper than the individual packets.

I used the liquid nasal gel spray. I think that because its a spray it can get up farther into your nasal passages and to the olfactory nerves. The gel swabs cant do this. Basically the gel spray severely burned my olfactory nerves and they dont regenerate.

I swear by accupuncture (sp) ... I was having sinus infections and ear infections all the time. Also that thing Linda said - The Neti Pot ... but accupunture has kept me infection free... even helped with my asthma

That was my thought... that you have allergies. Try a daily allergy med like Sudafed or something. That might help keep the gunk from going into your sinuses and preventing infection! Good Luck! Im sorry to hear you're sick again! That stinks!