If you do not want to read about respiratory infections and sinuses, do not read this post. Don't say I didn't warn you!
For the last few months I have had the worst run I can remember with respiratory infections. From April through to the end of August, I have been lucky to have a couple of days in a row where my sinuses or chest have not been infected with some variety of virus or bacteria. The constant fevers, difficulty breathing, and severe cough have been very debilitating.
I have been asking my doctor for the last couple of months what is going on. Up until a couple of weeks ago he kept insisting that this is just a really bad cold/flu season (which it does seem to be). A couple of weeks ago he came to the same conclusion that I had, that the number of infections I was getting was too many to be explained by a bad season. So he gave me a referral for a CT scan of my sinuses.
While I was waiting for the results of the CT scan, I had a chat to my sister, where I mentioned my ongoing sinus problems. She had had the same issue a few years ago, and in her case CT scans etc. had showed nothing. She recommended that I try daily Nasal Irrigation, which she had found very helpful.
I had tried Nasal Irrigation a couple of times when I was coming down with a cold, but not as a regular practice. After researching the options a bit more online, it seemed worth a try. My sister had assured me that the expensive sachets that came with the nasal irrigation kit were not necessary, and that common iodised table salt worked just as well. Armed with this information, I started a daily regime of sinus cleansing.
The first few days, the saline solution was quite uncomfortable, and the process took a long time. I soon worked out that I needed to hold my head at just the right angle to get the saline solution flowing through. After a couple of days the discomfort subsided, and I started to notice an improvement in my breathing.
By this time the results of the CT scan were back, and I went to see my doctor again. He told me that there were signs that the opening from the one of the left hand sinus cavities to my nose was partially blocked by inflammation. This would explain the constant infections, as the sinus was unable to drain properly. He gave me a prescription for a steriod spray, to try to settle the inflammation, and confirmed that the nasal irrigation would be helpful, and that I should continue with it once a day. He said that if this was not sufficient to resolve the problem, then the next step would be surgery, to widen the opening from the sinus to the nose. Hopefully the surgery won't be needed, but it is good to know that there is a fallback option.
I have now been on this regime (nasal spray and nasal irrigation) for a week, and so far, so good. I haven't started any more sinus infections, and my cough has started to subside. I am not fully recovered, but I am on the improve. From what my doctor has told me, it could take months to get back to full health, but at least now I am moving in the right direction!
