HELP!

Please, I need your help! I have a sinus infection...a really bad one. My head is so stopped up and all the pressure is making me feel like my head in going to explode! One of my ears I can't hear out of at all, it is so, so painful. I don't know what to do! I have taken sinus medicine, but it didn't help much. Any of ya'll have home remedies that might help?!?

Did you get an antibiotic?

Also, try a really strong breathmint. One of those ones that seems to fill your head with their smell. Altoids or possibly Icebreakers.

Hot, steamy shower. Vicks vaporub. These things may also help.

i really like boiling water and pouring it into a bowl and throwing a towel over my head

its awesome but don't burn yourself.

You need to lance the sinus. This is a very difficult proceedure known only to certain kinds of Asians, I forget which, so ask every one you meet.



I'm sorry, I hope you feel better.

[Edited on Apr 27, 2005 by Jeff_Fries]

Once you've followed squidbizkit's remedy (thinking, however, of cows at points 5 & 9 rather than squids), you might try, as insane as it sounds, nasal irrigation as a means to prevent future pressure-filled booger build-ups.

Be sure to invite your friends over for the first couple of irrigation attempts. My wife assures me that seeing the solution go up my nose and then come flying out of my mouth from the back of my throat is better than a Farrelly Brothers movie.

gargle warm salt water and try to get antibiotics asap. It wont go away without them if you for asure have an infection (trust me, i was a pharmacy tech for 6 years)

try eating really strong, raw horseradish or wasabi.

In addition to all this good advice,I find that putting a bit of the Vicks Vapor Rub just below my nostrils before bed helps to keep my nasal passages clearer at night when my head has become overly stuffy. Also, when you go to the doctor, be very honest and clear about your symptoms because as squidbizkit & Clara pointed out, it can make a big difference for proper medication whether it is allergy-oriented or not. (I once had a Doc who didn't ask and prescribed the wrong type of meds and I got worse before I got better :puke

That's good for a stuffy nose, but TERRIBLE for a sinus infection where the passages are inflamed and stopped up.

My recommendation is to see a doctor ASAP and get some antibiotics. Seriously. In the meantime, drink hot cinnamon tea and as much liquid as you can (but not milk -- milk increases mucous production) and take lots of hot steamy showers. Boil water with fresh mint in it (fresh mint is available in most major chain grocery stores now, in the produce section), take the pot off the stove, drape a towel over your head, lean over the pot, and breathe in the minty steam. Sleep as much as humanly possible.

[Edited on Apr 27, 2005 by Shalome]

.GO TO THE E.R.-make sure its not somthing spinning out of control. I know its a pain in the ass, but sinus infections are nothing to fuck around with, @ the very least they can give you a narcotic to help dull the pain. pain like you are discribing is a red flag if you ask me. get seen, let us know how you make out, sorry, that sux

Take Goldenseal. It works wonders for most infections, especially sinus infections. Herbalists call it a "natural antibiotic" but It doesn't really work the same way. Very effective.
It is usually found in a good supermarket or drug store. Also you should get capsules, they have a liquid form, but that is more for topical infections.

Also try cutting down any kind of bacteria intake to the ear/nose/throat region that you may normally be exposed to. Like putting your toothbrush into a cup of mouthwash after you brush your teeth, washing your hands alot -- especially before touching your eyes or face.

Goldenseal works for almost everyone, but it takes a couple of days (1 to 3) for it to build up in your system. Once it does you will start to gain an edge over the infection and the inflammation will decrease.

Good luck!

Thanks guys, all this is really good advice. I probably should have asked earlier, so I could have run out to the store to get some of the things mentioned. Anyway, I have tried the hot steamy thing, the nasal spray, and the tea. It has helped a little, but my ear is still throbbing. I can feel my heart beat in my head. And my snot is yellow & bloody. Thats gross I know, but you guiys seemed like you wanted to know...so there you go! Someone just drill a hole in my temple and let it all drain!!


Edited because all the pain has made me a bad speller.

[Edited on Apr 28, 2005 by Moscow]

Clara beat me too it once again.

[Edited on Apr 27, 2005 by Dizzy]

You guys rock, now who is going to come all the way to VA and tuck me in? Now we'll really see who cares!!

I say this to prove to the people at work my sneezing won't make them all sick and die, though sometimes I wish they would. Yeah I'm sure it's a real pain for you to hear me sneezing, and I'm doing it on purpose too, just to annoy you.

And no I don't show them my mucus.

Yellow and bloody means you might pass it on....no tuckie in tonight.

[Edited on Apr 27, 2005 by DookieJones]

It is good that you added that, because you know we would have asked.

i swear this works, but no one ever listens to me when i tell them to:

1) mix warm water (not hot) in a cup with just enough sea salt or kosher salt so that you can only taste it lightly on your tongue.

2) bring the cup up to your nose and proceede to inhale it through your nostrils. its like you're drinking small gulps with your nose instead of your mouth. (if the water is too salty or too watery it will burn slightly. so make sure you mix it well)

3) repeat maybe two to three times a day.

The water will work to clear your sinuses and will either pour right out your nose again or intoyour mouth.

No, its not pretty. No it doesn't freaking hurt like everyone assumes. Its not like snorting plain water. more like breathing heavy air. It cuts my sinus problems down drastically and you would not believe what you can eventually get out of there. trust me.

Kill the first born male of each and every family.

Oh, wait - that's how to ensure the survival of tyrannical monarchy.

erm - Vicks Sinex?

I use a Neti Pot I recommend it, I have had sinus problems for years... constantly and yuckky infections. Then steam to make sure you soften all the caked up crud off Neti Pot again and then I usually use ear candles. thats my thought anyhoo