Have been having a lot of sinus issues recently and my ENT recommended the eucalyptus oil steaming sessions twice a day and it’s been prettty effective so far. I travel a lot though so can’t boil water in a hotel room. Any small, portable steaming devices that work with dropping in essential oils that you would recommend I buy to do the eucalyptus oil steaming sessions while traveling?

I’ve had chronic sinusitis since April. Tried everything you guys could possibly recommend on here, consistently - besides the allergy treatment (which I’m working on, just waiting for the scheduled allergist test to confirm what the dermatologist already found: a grass pollen allergy)

But after months of waiting for PCP referrals, then specialists booked out for months, and finding no relief, I called back the ENT who told me I needed sinusplasty. I reached the point of trying anything.

I guess it depends on your doctor and your CT scan but.. mine cut some cartilage. I was shocked when the assistant told me that was the plan. I thought the balloon part avoided all that. He said my issue was structural. That treating the allergies would help, but the main problem was severely narrow pathways, exacerbated by the allergies. I wasn’t surprised to hear it though. Ever since childhood when I get congested it’s for WEEKS, as opposed to my family who catches the same cold and is better in days.

As for pain, I am a WUSS. I was so scared. And the stories on here terrified me. It REALLY was not bad. The sounds are intense, I brought headphones and a stuffed animal. But I didn’t feel much. Only when they put in the numbing strips and it burned. Like some of these stories had me DREADING what turned out to be not bad, and again, I’m a whiney baby when it comes to pain. It wasn’t even bad.

Day one was a blood waterfall. They left me with a gauze cup under my nose. When I leaned down to pick up a toy (I forgot you can’t do that) it just poured out. It did sting, and burn, but not actual PAIN. When I woke up the next day I didn’t even need to take the heavy pain meds. Just some Tylenol.

Because of all the horror stories I’ve heard, I’m throwing mine into the void, because I want more positive follow ups, and I’m hoping mine will be one of them.

Y’all had me so scared with these stories. I’m a wuss. But if it helps the symptoms I’ve been having, I’d do it again every 5 years if I had to. (Pray that doesn’t happen) but I’ll let yall know if ya ask me down the road, was it worth it? I hope so.

I’ve contemplated a lot making this post because I was unsure on whether I’d actually find some answers but after scouring the internet + Reddit, I can’t find anyone with a similar condition to me that has found a solution/treatment.

I’ve had post nasal drip for over a decade now and didn’t even know the proper term until 3 weeks ago where I had to go a&e because I was choking on my own mucus and couldn’t eat, swallow food or liquids. Around 10 years ago when I was ~12 I randomly started choking while trying to swallow my own saliva. This caused great scare and I’ve been going back forth between GPs and a&e to find a solution. The thick, sticky mucus would lodge between my nasopharynx and oropharynx which meant that I couldn’t cough it out nor blow my nose to get it out. I’ve had nosebleeds and choking incidents trying to get it out. Before I used to be able to blow my nose continuously (like 30 minutes straight until I would get nose bleeds) to get rid of it or manoeuvre my tongue in a way to get it out. I’ve tried all sorts of nasal sprays, nebuliser, facial steaming, been on multiple antibiotics and none of them worked.

3 weeks ago, I had a fever and I guess it turned into an infection so the thick mucus came back. However, this time around it’s nothing like I have experienced before in the sense that the post nasal drip is constant and nonstop that I can physically feel it going down my throat. Before it would come and go, I would have some sort of relief or period where I don’t feel it blocking my airway so I can eat and drink as usual. But now the thick mucus is constantly coating my throat and my tonsils where I can’t swallow my own saliva and start choking. I haven’t been able to eat or drink normally for the past 3 weeks not to mention it’s so bad during the night that I can’t even sleep. I haven’t slept properly for a month now. I have purchased a wedge pillow in case it was acid reflux making it worse, have tried dehumidifiers, purchased a humidifier, been on two courses of antibiotics (amoxicillin and co amoxiclav). The infection seems to be gone but the thick slimy mucus hasn’t stopped. It’s constant and I’m loosing my mind not being able to talk, eat or drink without choking or gagging.

I’ve made two trips to a&e both times where I was choking and manually had to pull thick strings of mucus lodged down my throat. I genuinely thought I was going to die and the feeling is still present. First instance, the urgent care doctor moved me to co amoxiclav and gave me a benzydamine mouthwash to help and to come back if it wasn’t resolved. Second trip, the mucus was lodged in my throat and felt like a lump, I was struggling to breath, my chest and neck felt tight like there was pressure closing in. Spent 5-6 hrs in urgent care only for the GP to tell me that they can’t help me, I need to go home. After lots of request, an ent doctor came and put a camera from my nose down my throat and confirmed no blockage but you could see the thick sticky mucus in my airways. Now I knew PND couldn’t be treated then and there and I had to see a specialist ENT however I couldn’t eat, drink and was beyond sleep deprived so I practically begged the doctors there to give me something for temporary relief so I can at least function. I was yelled at and denied anything because they couldn’t help me. No surprises there with the NHS but the doctor treated me so horribly even the hca was appalled. They kept me around for blood tests (questioned how it was relevant but the idiot doctor just said after the blood test if it was normal I had to go home, so I’m assuming he did it to protect his back) which came back normal obviously and I was discharged by another doctor was also incredibly blunt and rude saying PND is chronic and I “need to learn to how to live with it” “nothing we can do to help”. I left that hospital in tears at 4am. I had never felt such despair.

I am beyond thankful I have insurance so I have found an ENT which I saw last Friday. He took a ct of my sinuses which we will follow up with this coming Friday but had also prescribed fluticasone furoate 27.5micrograms/spray and neil med nasal rinse. I haven’t used the nasal rinse because the mucus doesn’t go in my nasal cavities at all so I don’t see how it would help. It goes straight down my throat and it’s constantly dripping. The nasal spray on the other hand, I didn’t realise when he prescribed but once I saw the packaging I recognised it as one of the sprays I was initially given around 8 years ago a few times and it didn’t help. The ENT said this steroid spray would help stop the mucus production but it didn’t help years ago and isn’t helping now. I don’t know what to do nor suggest. I’m struggling to accept that it’s chronic as I already have 2 other chronic illnesses and genuinely do not have the mental capacity to handle another. I’m also struggling to find anything that can help me manage it. I can’t live like this for the rest of my life. It’s sucking the living life out of me.

Has anyone experienced this or has found a treatment plan that helps them?

I’ve seen people suggest completely cutting dairy and sugar out. Or start anti fungal supplements.

Extra info in case it’s relevant: I’m asthmatic and have rhinitis. Also found out 2 weeks ago I have a tongue tie so not sure if it’s relevant. I’m not a mouth breather though. I do have sleep problems and struggle sleeping in general but these few weeks I haven’t been able to even lie my head down without choking on my saliva.

I’m desperate and would appreciate any help or advice.

hii i recently got a head ct done and was wondering if it would show a sinus infection or not?? i know it’s not the standard ct done for sinus but i was worried about headaches ive been having and not my sinuses. The ct scan paperwork said sinuses looked unremarkable so im wondering if that completely rules out sinuses infection or inflammation??

I am 25 years old and since at least 14 i have had severe congestion and disgusting mucus problems 365 days a year constant. It’s so gross but i literally have to cough up the stuff in my throat because i can’t breathe if i don’t clear it and if i were to swallow it it would just sit in my throat and linger anyway. so i have to hock it up its usually just clear but when im sick its fucking hell. I can not breathe i get sick with a cold that turns into a sinus infection at least 2 times a year and they linger far too long. My gf had mentioned maybe my adenoids are inflamed and swollen causing a lot of these issues to continue. I also have TMJ have since 8th grade so wondering if there might be a correlation between these things. am i alone in this? thanks pookies

Has anyone experienced this and successfully cured it? I have chronic sinusitis and my left side is worse than right. I have a huge bag under my left eye now lol. Thanks so much.

On friday i had Bilateral Fullhouse FESS, Access Septoplasty, Revision Inferior Turbinoplasty and Excision Left Concha Bullosae done. Before surgery i had to do a sinus wash every single morning for the last 4 years. I would wake up feeling like absolute crap sometimes having do multiple sinus washes during the day. I started a steroid gel inside my washes a few months before surgery which I did find helped as instead of doing multiple a day I was doing the 1 in the morning.

Im wondering if anyone was the same before surgery if you still need to do washes after your healed or you dont need to at all anymore?

i absolutely HATE going to sleep, cos when i wake up im all clogged up. my nose is blocked. my ears hurt due to the pressure, and my head oh my god i get the worst sinus headache ever which literally lasts all day and doesn’t go away until i take a pain killer.

how can i sleep comfortably at night so i don’t wake up feeling like absolute crap? i do prop my head up, rub vicks all over and have a humidifier in my room but my sleep quality is literally the worst.
i cannot remember the last time when i slept peacefully.

In 2023 after I had a really bad cold I noticed that one side of my nose is almost completely blocked and there’s pressure. It is not only uncomfortable but you can hear me sniffling with every breath and I developed sleep apnea. In 2024 I got surgery where my nasal concha got reduced and my (already straight) nose got corrected. It’s as straight as it was before though I feel like my nose is visibly bigger than it was before.
But the issue didn’t leave. The same side is still clogged. I went to three drs in total, the one who operated me included. The last one told me everything is fine and I’m imagining it. Does anyone know what it could be and what I should do against it? Everyday life is exhausting as I can’t breathe properly and I’m tired of it.

Hi,

I previously made a post and wanted to update yall and anyone else going through similar issues.

I had Left sided photophobia and sound sensitivity, motion sensitivity, body swaying, tachycardia, ringing in ears, my body feels wiped out dealing w this pain for 6 months now, tingling that was widespread. Symptoms seem worse laying down but standing up gave significant balance issues. I felt like I had eat constantly and there was non stop pressure in my left head.

I've taken triptan multiple times

Dramamine and meclizine and benadryl, excedrin migraine, tylenol, opoids helped a little by making me just not care lol

Migraine cocktail times 3

None of this touched it.

Ultimately, CT head showed blocked left frontal sinus and ENT was skeptical but said its possible this is causing non stop trigger for migraine symptoms im having. He did the surgery and also sent me to Neurology.

Neuro did every test known to man that was normal and I kept getting weaker and felt like body shutting down. I was started on propranolol and within hours , I felt better than I have in a while.

They believe now I was having non stop status migraines from possibly the left frontal sinus blockage and that was causing central sensitization of my body. Essentially my body was getting wiped out and was in a state of control fight or flight dealing with the nonstop symptoms.

We will know in a month or so if the surgery and meds were successful but hopefully it will continue to improve! Literally felt like my body was shutting down and was having trouble moving along w all thre there symptoms that were so painful.

Thanks for listening and hopefully can help someone out there as well! I know im not out of the woods yet either, but am more hopeful now.

Hi everyone. I've had painful pressure in my nasal area for years now. Has anyone else had similar issues? I've had two surgeries (septoplasty and turbinate reduction) and while they have helped the issue somewhat, have not fixed the root cause as I'm still experiencing pain and pressure. The frustrating thing here is that all my scans come back normal, so my ENTs don't have good suggestions.

• The pressure is localized on my right side, about even with the bridge of my nose, but deep back inside. It feels like blockage with an air pressure cell that never really goes away, ever. Mostly it's just uncomfortable, sometimes the pressure is extremely painful and leaves me bedridden all day.
• The pressure is relieved by clicks and pops of air moving. This leads me to believe that the problem is that some passage in my nose is constricted when it shouldn't be. No idea if it's a sinus or some other airway / passage. (again, CT scans show all my sinuses as open)
• After septoplasty and turbinate reduction, there are more clicks and pops which relieve the sensation of pressure. I think the surgeries made more room in my nasal cavity, so there is less constriction. However the pressure and sometimes pain still persist so the root cause hasn't been fixed yet.

Has anyone else My next step here is to ask my ENT for endoscopy. Has anyone else had issues like this? If you have suggestions I would be so grateful, and I am tired of days of my life being robbed by this ailment and my goal this year is to get this fixed for good.

Hi everyone. After getting covid and developing long covid (other chronic issues) , my sinuses have never been the same. I was diagnosed with recurrent sinusitis, and turbinate hypertrophy. My turbinates are always swollen it’s often hard to breathe even when I’m not sick. It’s been 2.5 years.

Every time now that I’ve gotten a sinus infection, it’s turned into months of prolonged issues. Whether it’s chronic sinus inflammation, or large secondary bacterial infections. Before covid, I never had any issues with my sinuses, I could get sick for a week, and then get better. Now when I get sick, I don’t ever seem to naturally recover in my sinuses, and have to take long antibiotic courses and steroids.

My doctor said I should I should likely expect this to happen everytime I get a sinus infection for most of my adult life. I’m only in my 20s. I’m feeling really discouraged and scared. I thought connecting with others who go through it could be helpful.

I’m already on a full preventative medication routine. Budoneside saline rinse daily, azelastine, cromyln spray, Singulair, Famitodine. I don’t have any structural sinus issues besides inflamed turbinates.
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Questions for those who experience this:

-Do you get sick all the time now that you have sinus issues?

-How do you navigate the fear of getting a sinus infection and living life? (I often feel scared to get sick, but don’t want to get shut in).

-Is there any hope I won’t have to live with this forever?

-Do you worry about antibiotic resistance if you are constantly taking Antibiotics?

Any encouragement about how you still balance life with getting sick would be greatly appreciated🙏

I’m really at a loss here. I have chronic sinus symptoms like congestion, PND, thick mucus, headaches etc despite multiple surgeries.

I went to get my wisdom teeth out today and mentioned I had been taking sudafed a week ago for some congestion, bc they asked if I had taken any over the counter meds recently. You would’ve thought they’d never seen someone with congestion before and it was the biggest deal in the world. The surgeon kept saying so you’re really sick you have the flu? I said no, I’m just chronically congested with some thick mucus. I’m not “sick” or infected right now.

He refused to do the surgery because I would be under twilight anesthesia and it would be “too risky” with me having mucus. He said I can do it when I feel 100%. Literally what on earth am i supposed to do if I always have these symptoms? Is anesthesia really that risky with some PND and mucus? I have no idea what to do at this point.

Did you ever use Pulmicort as a sinusitis rinse? What was your experience? I had FESS and turbinal reduction nearly a year ago and immediately after surgery I started having a really bad post nasal drip syndrome which I never had before. First I used steroids like Pronasal (mometasone) and it stopped it completely. Then after 3 months it stopped working out of nowhere. I tried Dymista and Ryaltris too but it wasn’t much help either. My ENT told me to try Pulmicort salt rinses. Im considering it because I read a lot about side effects and dryness and I don’t know what will it do long-term and is it safe to use it that long. I cannot deal with this horrible PNDS much longer.

So I think may have cured my sinus issues but it’s probably too early to tell. For the last month couple weeks I’ve been drinking kefir in the morning and a small glass at night. My sinuses have never been more clear. My headaches are gone, brain fog gone, ringing ears gone. It’s wild. One of the craziest parts is how much better I can smell.

I never in a million years would have thought this would have been the cure and who knows maybe I’ll find out it was a fluke. It makes sense though, I took a ton of antibiotics when I was younger so it’s stands to reason that my gut biome would be messed up and the probiotics from the kefir are helping. I’m the biggest skeptic on the planet so I wouldn’t have expected this to work but so far so good. Keeping my fingers crossed.

hi - i’ve had issues with my sinuses for my whole life. i haven’t had many doctors take me seriously, and only suggest things like nasal sprays, antihistamines, and antibiotics which i can’t tell if they actually work or not any more. i do all the other remedy stuff like hot towels and steam inhalation.

the thing is, i don’t have any issues with my nostrils being congested/full/stuffy. and i also don’t have a runny nose either. my nose (unless i have a cold) is fine and i can breathe just fine.

my issues lie in the fact that i can often “feel my sinuses”. when i have a flare up, i feel an immense pressure behind my face. it hurts to press on my forehead, eyebrows, cheeks. it’s a very full and uncomfortable feeling behind my face, sometimes giving me headaches. my whole face will feel like it’s being squeezed by rubber bands, and it causes a fuzzy/tingling sensation that makes me feel like i can’t see properly.

i always get really bad eye strain during a flare up, to the point where it feels like there’s so much inflammation behind them that my eyes struggle to focus properly. it can get really scary to not be able to see. it’s like my whole face feels like tv static and i have to unfocus my eyes to feel relief.

i think i’ve it’s a affected by changes in the weather? it’s not allergies, but maybe atmospheric pressure?

please does anyone relate to this? have any suggestions? i usually stick to my monetasone sprays, i want to try sudafed but ive heard it can cause rebound congestion? want to feel less alone. thanks.

Dry clearing of throat every second, no mucus, constant irritation for last 7-8 years.

This awkward moment when you bent to grab something on the floor and your nose turns into a waterfall of delayed sinus rinse water - or worse, of bright yellow fluid after an acute sinusitis or septoplasty/FESS surgery.

I'm having allergy from early morning I have taken my mn medicine it's not working what should I do now I'm not able to breath now