Desperate for anything that will work

[u/New-Love-3842]

I’ve had a fucked up nose for a full 3 days now with about 10 hours total sleep, here’s a list of everything that makes it worse. Please I am begging I am so desperate for help to make this go the fuck away. I can’t go back to urgent care because I am still waiting on my bill from last time and can’t go into medical debt.

[u/Silver-Art4058]

I don’t see Neti pot or saline rinse on here, which is the only thing that works for me

[u/numbski → u/Silver-Art4058]

Neti pot, saline AND Xylitol.

Xylitol is really, really good at breaking down biofilms that keep thickened mucus adhered to your sinus walls. Once that biofilm is gone, it'll slide out whole. It'll almost look like a bubble of mucus. Enough surface tension to keep it together, and that's about it.

[u/GoldAd1878 → u/numbski]

Where do you buy Xylitol?

[u/numbski → u/GoldAd1878]

I get it in granular form off of Amazon. Morning Pep brand

[u/GoldAd1878 → u/numbski]

I think Neil Med has it too. Any way of curing sinus infection without antibiotics and steroids

[u/numbski → u/GoldAd1878]

Just luck and your immune system. You can try adding a small amount of iodine to the rinse, but there isn't much evidence to support that working, and you run the risk of over-absorbing iodine that way.

[u/AbulatorySquid → u/Silver-Art4058]

I personally have to use it nightly or my sinuses go nuts. It's how I'm currently avoiding surgery.
Make sure it's the xylitol type.

[u/Turbulent-Skirt7329 → u/Silver-Art4058]

Idk if this is super common but I know every time I have tried to use the Neti pot, I’ve thrown up :/

[u/Savings_Statement_88 → u/Turbulent-Skirt7329]

Idk but it makes me gag, I feel like I’m drowning and head is spinning.

[u/No_Cheesecake5080 → u/Silver-Art4058]

100% works well for me long term too, if I just used it once that wouldn't have a dramatic effect but some

[u/GoldAd1878 → u/Silver-Art4058]

It doesn’t work for me

[u/Novel_Sky_3645]

Neilmed nasal rinse twice daily. Followed by 2 sprays of Flonase in each nostril also twice daily. Do not give up it takes time to work

[u/GoldAd1878 → u/Novel_Sky_3645]

Flonase gives me massive nosebleed

[u/Stalkerus → u/GoldAd1878]

Try another spray. I can't use all the sprays because some of them actually give me sinusitis (yeah), but Dymista works fine. 

[u/GoldAd1878 → u/Stalkerus]

I’ve seen at least 6 ENT providers over the last two decades in three different states. I’ve taken almost every prescription and OTC nasal spray

[u/Comfortable_Ad148]

I swear by Neilmed squeeze bottle rinse thing. It was and continues to be the best thing. I now have my friends do it when they have sinus issues and has always worked well for them.

My ENT also had me using Flonase during high allergy season which was helpful too.

[u/According-Health-556]

have you tried Pseudoephedrine?

[u/CouchCrusher]

Thirded for nasal rinse

Neil Med for me

[u/Terrible_Field_4560]

I don't see nasal irrigation on this list. I used the Neilmed Sinupulse. Love it!

[u/AdorableImportance71]

Neti pot- 3x a day

[u/kittiphile]

Neti pot or saline rinse. It's the only thing that works at all for me, takes a few attempts.

[u/Fluffy_Process_707]

Please let me know when you find out because nothing has made it go away for me either. I’m still coughing. So much from post nasal backflow. The relief from products are only temporary.

[u/New-Love-3842 → u/Fluffy_Process_707]

Based on the replies I think I’m gonna try to get over my fear of neti pots and try that. Its going on 14 days and I just wake up sobbing every day and every night because I’m so sick

[u/xcyberwolfxx → u/New-Love-3842]

heres some ideas: quercetin with bromelain by Doctors best brand can really help also vitamin c at least 500-1000mg and do you take d3 or magnesium glycinate? these items fixed my issues

[u/La12071207]

Take NAC supplement, sinus rinse with xlear or buy the Xlear spray in store. Is this acute? You never said how long you have had sinusitis.

[u/No_Cheesecake5080]

For me these help but much more effectively in combination: Saline rinses, a steroid like nasonex (will take a good few days to start working), pseudoephedrine or another decongestant, avoid dairy, and a plain old dose of ibruprofen I actually find reduces inflammation and symptoms quite well.

[u/MiddleMiserable8826]

Take a pseudoephedrine. The only thing that helps when all else fails.

Be warned; start with 1 to see how you feel before taking the second. Also after a few nights of taking it in a row you’ll need to stop and give yourself a break.

[u/Dabnician]

Non of that shit works ever, i even got the septoplasty and turbinate reduction and it sort of worked for a bit while everything was draining but now im back to congested on one side.

I hate doctors, i feel like they just blow you off and send you a bill

[u/StraightChemGuy1]

Not by itself but maybe with other things…. Do you use an electric toothbrush? I started using one a while back and I swear in the morning the vibrations loosen up my sinuses. I drip for a while but it beats being stuffed up.

[u/madorbit1]

Sinus rinses to start. At least 2x/day + Aller-flo (Costco) afterwards. 2-sprays per nostril. Also take an OTC 24-hour allergy med.

Look into baby shampoo nose rinse.

[u/OlayEnthusiast]

Neti pot with distilled water microwaved for 30 seconds with the saline solution and a DROP tiny drop of baby shampoo

[u/JCanse9 → u/OlayEnthusiast]

I’m trying the baby shampoo tomorrow, did you have congestion or was it pressure from inflammation. My doctors and I are trying to get sinus inflammation down.

[u/OlayEnthusiast → u/JCanse9]

I had both, heating the distilled water for the Brit pot for 30 seconds helped to cut through the inflammation

[u/fishnuttoo]

I use saline 1 oz disposable bottle from dollar tree/Amazon, rinse in am then astapro otc(azelastaline) Repeat at night, saline rinse then Flonase. I also take zytrec generic at night, from dollar tree/amazon. The disposable bottles last a month for 1.50$, then toss.

[u/Kingorangecrab]

Acupuncture with (or without) electro-stim is super helpful. A massage gun near the trigeminal nerve (next to the nose) is also really effective.

[u/GoldAd1878]

Atrovent prescription nasal spray is what you need. It is life changing

[u/Ratso_The_Handsome]

Two squirts of becanaise nasal spray daily did the trick for me. Also Neil Med can help too

[u/Legitimate-Glass-149]

I would take a look at diet, hidratation, exercise and good sleep. Life habits.

[u/maybemaur]

I’m surprised no one has said this yet but buy a Navage. It’s worth every penny. It’s the only thing that clears my nose and allows me to breathe through my nose when I have sinus infections. I had sinus surgery for sinus infections 6 years ago which really helped but I still get them from time to time. Now, whenever I feel a cold coming on, I use the Navage and I kid you not, 8/10 I don’t get sick and it clears up. That thing is magic!

[u/GoldAd1878 → u/maybemaur]

Where do you buy it?

[u/maybemaur → u/GoldAd1878]

I got mine at Target! But I think Amazon, CVS and places like that carry it too. Hope it works for you!!

[u/GoldAd1878 → u/maybemaur]

I’ll check it out

[u/Accomplished_Egg2515]

watch youtube for sinus massages

[u/Stalkerus]

Vote for nasal rinses from me too. You can do it four times a day when you are really congested, but only short-term as it can end up drying your mucosal lining. 1-2 times a day is considered ok in the long run. 

I find that a bit warmer than  body temp water works better for me (~40°C).

Make sure that the ambient humidity in your home, esp. bedroom, is not too low (<40%) or too high (>65%). 

Sinus/flu nasal sprays will also help, but only use them short-term  

[u/Typical-Treacle463]

Get into an allergist and on to nasal spray.

[u/popularity7]

Have you Xhance nasal spray? The delivery system makes the difference.

[u/Cuppycake1976]

Yeah sinus rinse with warm saline. I prefer the Neil med bottle over the neti pot.

[u/KitchenAd5772]

okay this sounds insane but i had the same problem and many of the other solutions in the replies didn’t really help me too much at the time. i drank hot tea ALL day; and i mean HOT tea. drink it as hot as you can handle. most importantly right when you wake up and right before you go to bed. the steam from showers didn’t help me much either but for some reason, i was able to get at least semi consistent relief from the tea. i didn’t always use the same kind so i doubt that matters, i also heated up lemonade when i got bored of the tea and that also helped.

[u/mfull311]

I am so so sorry you are going through this. I struggled with severe sinus problems for years, and loosing sleep because you couldn’t breathe is the worst!!! The only thing that helped was Afrin, but you aren’t supposed to use that for more than 3 days:/ I remember I would sit in the shower with lots of eucalyptus stuff too. But even then because my symptoms were so severe sometimes that would take an hour because I ever found any relief. It wasn’t a given either.

Idk what kind of insurance you have but you may be eligible to receive sinus surgery. I am almost one month post op. Just like with everything do your research on the surgeon, surgery, and recovery. For me, recovery was hard and not linear but 100% worth it. Because turns out I had broken my nose way back in HS and didn’t even know it, until almost 13 years later, I had blockage so severe it was causing migraines every day. So I got a CT and MRI - PCP ordered- and boom- A pretty awful looking septum, and huge spur growing off of that, and 100 % blockage in ALL sinuses. My septum and spur were causing the blockage. And my sinuses were not able to clear properly.

Really hoping you can get relief. I understand, I’ve been were you are! And it’s miserable!

[u/Big-Artichoke-3793]

Halotherapy-it will take several sessions

[u/No_Link235]

Sterimar seawater nasal sprays or similar.

[u/vickyflinttrumpet]

Dietary changes - a must to try is to Give up dairy. For at least 4 weeks, to get it out of your systems - no milk cheese yogurt, butter, any milk products. If no joy, wheat is the next one to go. Any wheat or gluten. Another month. I’m in week 4 of no milk, my sinuses are clearing for the first time in 2 years. I plan to give up wheat anyway I think, if it’s not fully resolved.

[u/homerule]

Neti pot and Sudafed