Sinuses and Humidity

Kyougu

Yes, I'm planning on getting this checked out, but I'm not sure if I should go to a doctor or an allergiest and would hate to waste pto going to the wrong one.

Lately over the past year or so, my sinuses during humid days destroy me. The moment it starts getting humid (usually at night) my sinuses start getting super congested.

Its super annoying because not only am I congested, but I literally lose all energy. I have spend some of those days just in bed, sleeping the entire time. Mucinex and over the counter stuff helps, and if I realize its going to start getting humid and take it before hand it's not as bad.

Anyone else suffer from this? Wondering if its just allergies, or more.

DeShadowC

IANAD, but do suffer from tons of sinus related issues, causing multiple surgeries and medications over the years.

It sounds like allergies are causing congestion. The congestion then leads to a flare up and sinusitis. Your body fighting off the infection leads to the loss of energy. My recommendation would be to see an ENT, likely followed by an allergist.

zepherin

Seeing a doctor about my allergies really improved my quality of life. I've got a nasal spray (script) and Zyrtec. It makes spring way better.

SilverWind

Allergies affect me year round and I take an antihistamine pill daily. However, starting mid March my sinuses were horrendous and the allergy pill didn't work. Nor did whatever nasal spray I had, and I couldn't sleep at night because I couldn't breathe.

On a last ditch try I bought a neti pot (the squeeze bottle kind) and it's actually, mind bogglingly, been amazing. I use it only once a day, an hour before bed (you need to let it drain for about an hour or two before lying down). I'd really recommend giving it a shot.

Key tips: Use distilled water. As NightDragon mentions below, there are potentially fatal consequences if you don't.
Blow your nose gently after you're done. And again wait at least an hour before bed.

Hope it works for you as well!

Enc

Neti pot is pretty much like drinking scotch to cure a sore throat. It'll alleviate the symptoms for a bit, but isn't actually solving anything by itself. It can also potentially cause a range of problems and sometimes make existing ENT problems worse (so check with your doctor first on proper usage and if it is right for you).

NightDragon

SilverWind wrote: »

Key tips: Use distilled water. Blow your nose gently after you're done. And again wait at least an hour before bed.

I feel like I have to post this for anybody who sees this now or in the future:

If you're going to use a neti pot, using distilled water is absolutely necessary. You can also used well-boiled water that has cooled, or bottled water, but if you just use water straight from your tap you can get a brain infection that is potentially fatal. Brain-eating amoebas don't mess around, you shouldn't either! Please be safe if you take this route.

SilverWind

Yeah, I should have bolded that and put in an explanation why. I'll put that in right now, thanks!

And yes consult your doctor always :P

Creagan

I have chronically swollen sinuses. Like, so swollen, I have no sense of smell and can't remember ever smelling anything in childhood.

The only thing that's worked, was an antihistamine spray and nasal steroid spray, done every 12 hours. They were prescribed, and totally cleared out my head. I could get 100% of my air through my nose and still be comfortable. (I need to at the very least split my air intake between my nose and mouth.)

But, they made me gain weight uncontrollably. (Think like 20-30 lbs in a few months, when my diet and exercise habits improved.) That is apparently not a common side affect, and usually if it happens to you the weight gain tapers off and you can get back down to your original weight. I just reacted extra strongly. So it might be worth testing that out and just keeping an eye on things.