chronic sinusitis? extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea following flu-like symptoms for 4 months

Ears, nose and throat
1

Hi everyone,

I've been sick for almost 4 months now with a sudden onset back in december 2017 where I went down and taken to the ER with flu-like and hypothermia symptoms and also some diarrhea while in vacation in korea...it was really cold, never been in weather that cold before... then as I was not really recovering, I flew back to california to get checked up with my PCP...told me I am fighting remnants of flu and that it will get better with time.  I got some upper-respiratory symptoms (runny nose, cough, phlegm, congestion, etc.) for a couple days upon my return and started feeling 90% normal... then as I started to resume normal life I was hit by recurrent episodes of severe, debilitating fatigue, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, and general malaise that has been keeping me sick on and off with relapses of 1-2 weeks in between for about 4 months now.  Doctors ran a flurry of viral tests and multiple CBCs and immune function tests which all came back negative including HIV, EBV, HHV6, CMV, STDs, etc.  However my doctor has yet to check my hormones (thyroid/adrenal) or sinuses...

Here's why I suspect sinus infection:

Although my upper respiratory symptoms came and subsided for this recent illness, I've had a history in the past of recurring sinus infections occuring in the winter time.  2 years ago I've had a really bad period of recurring headaches behind my left eye that had be frantically searching for answers with multiple doctors and even dentists as some suspected it was TMJD as it came on with facial pain as well around my jaw and some toothaches.  After visiting many doctors and getting a CT scan and MRI done of my head, doctors were looking for brain abnormalities or aneurysms but didn't find anything but a couple mucous retention cysts in my sinuses which they told me weren't much of an issue.  However, I never followed up with an ENT regarding those because my symptoms just went away on their own around march of 2016 and never came back following some PT exercises for migraines I learned from one of the doctors I visited...

Fast forward to now...my symptoms have gradually gotten a little better since the beginning of my current illness but the following symptoms still remain that seems to originate in my head/sinuses:

-ever since korea I've been feeling this dull pulsating pressure right behind my nose in my sinuses/head as if someone is grabbing me real tightly inside

-the pressure varies in intensity but i would never describe it as painful but more like discomfort?

-I feel like this pressure causes my head to feel heavy or lightheaded(?) not the spinning sensation but just like really makes it hard to concentrate real hard on something or make sudden movements without feeling dizzy.  

-getting up too quickly causes intense dizziness for a couple moments

-the pressure itself is not bothersome but it sometimes occurs with other symptoms when it's more severe like nausea and also it constricts my airways or inflames my sinuses making it harder to breathe causing stuffiness in my chest and more dizziness and lightheadedness along with fatigue

-the fatigue and nausea isn't always present but the head/sinus pressure along with slight dizziness is almost constantly present in varying intensities throughout the day although I almost always seem to be much better at night.

Could this be a sinus issue?  Or I also heard about migraines that present itself as sinus headaches that may also behave like this?  I've also looked into conditions like CFS or some underlying infection that might be just causing all of this?  My doctors still think it's just a severe case of influenza complicated by some anxiety/stress...but I really never have had any cases in the past of severe anxiety...

Please let me know if you guys know what I'm suffering from...I was a young, active, 28 year old male and was in the best shape of my life until I've been sidelined and even had to take disability leave from work from this illness... and this has been the most difficult time of my life and hoping this will all come to an end soon.

Thanks!.

 

2

Hi Xpeet 

It appears that you may be suffering from sinusitis, although there may be many other causes for your problem.

I suffered from chronic hayfever, rhinitis and sinusitis for 65 years, before discovering a miracle cure.

Perhaps you should try it, if only to eliminate it, and move on to other possibilities.

 

3

To continue: 

The cure for my allergy problem was simply Evening Primrose Oil. 

One 1000 mg capsule daily, completely eliminated a chronic problem of 65 years.

See my full story under “Sinus Infection-An Effective Treatment in this forum.

Try this simple cure to eliminate it from the possibilities. Worth a try. Could even be a cure for your problem, as it was for mine.

Kind Regards, Ray.

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Omg.. I'm going thru same symptoms.. How are you feeling??

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 I’ve battled this demon for over 10 years and after 3 surgeries, multiple rounds of antibiotics, doctor after doctor and late night google sessions I’ve found a way to manage my sinuses to the point that I haven’t had a severe infection in over a year!

Here’s what I’ve found out:

-Big thing that prevents sinus infections from clearing up is biofilm. Salt water doesn’t do anything for that when irrigating. Bio Film is a combination of bacteria and fungus but it’s rather easy to get rid of. Just add a couple drops of baby shampoo to your irrigation bottle and irrigated with it daily. Be sure to rinse the baby shampoo out of your sinuses afterwards with clean salt water.

-Another reason sinus infections are hard to get rid of is because the infection hides in the sinuses. In order to rinse them thoroughly you need to gravity drain when irrigating. I do this in the shower since it can get messy. I lean my head back and fill my sinuses with the squeeze bottle and then I pinch my nose and lower my head between my legs for 15 seconds. Then I come up and lean all the way back for 15 seconds and then let it drain out of my nose. I do this for each side. The baby shampoo is important to get rid of that biofilm.

-What’s really important is to go to your ENT and have them do a culture figure out what’s growing. For me it was the same thing every time so I asked them to create a compounded solution of the antibiotic that I need so that I could irrigate with it. Since I established that the same thing was growing every time my doctor just gave me 12 refills of it so every time I get a flare up I just pick up the solution and add it to my irrigation routine. This has worked wonderfully. The way i put it to my doctor is that if it doesn’t work then I know it’s something else so I’ll just come in and get another culture. Since you’re not swallowing a pill this has low impact to your body which is another benefit to this.

-Some other items I use routinely is dymista nasal spray. It has a steroid to keep you sinuses open. Souverign Silver Spray which is an anti fungal and antibiotic. This spray really breaks up the bio film and you should gravity feed it to the upper sinuses after spraying. I also routinely use oregano pills which is a natural antibiotic. Vitamin D is very important! Take this religiously. Usually when your immune system is low your vitamin D levels are low too which adds to the depression/anxiety. You’ll feel a boost once you get your vitamin D levels up.

-One last thing you should do is go to an immunologist and do live cell testing to see where your immune system is at. For me when I did it I found that my immune system wasn’t fighting a certain type of bacteria so I got a booster shot which made a world of difference. You should also routinely do blood testing to ensure your levels are where they should be. 

I really hope this helps. I wish I would have found a post like this 10 years ago. It would’ve saved me a lot of pain. Also if your thinking about surgery make sure it’s a top notch ENT. I’ve heard horror stories but sometimes surgery really is necessary to open up the sinuses to make irrigation easier. It really helped me out. Good luck to all of you!