After 3 sinus operations what next?

[european champion]

I have experienced a few times pain during the descend ,have had sinus problems the last 12 years and did 3 sinus operations .After the 3rd one i feel better but still there is problem,i did some x rays and they show that there is infection in the sinuses,it seems like it came back again.Is it possible to cure this with medecine ?(i m not planning to do any more operation,i dont believe its going to solve the problem)

[cornwallis]

My wife used to assist as a theatre nurse when they did this kind of operation.She describes an implement something akin to a bottle brush being used.This will never cure infected sinuses permanently.Try carvol capsules or olbas oil.

[7gcbc]

I've had a similar problem in 98 as a result of a bad dive (water) and a fistula in my mouth (bad tooth carpenter), It took two operations with as cornwallis describes a tampon-like application brush up the nose.

The key point is whether the sinuses in your upper jaw ( cheek) area or the sinuses in your forehead (above the eyes) are infected, the cheek area is robust and not so complex, the forehead area is fraught with risk, there are lots of nerves, including eye related muscles in that area, and I think most maxofillial surgeons require written consent to clean that area, I declined because of the risk. Draining the lower sinuses(high cheek) area, *should* in most cases drain the upper sinuses, but you'll need the correct narrow spectrum antibiotics and anti inflammatories, which are not fun to take.

Olbas is a favourite of mine - tho i use it rarely now, you can also massage the surface area, and don't whatever you do, smoke!!!

Heavy colds are still a problem but rare, and I can feel the issue, tho I rarely get pain in descent anymore, If you PM me I can give you the contact details of my maxofillial in harley street (london) and the ENT who did the follow up, go to woe , i think it took about 12 weeks from op to signoff with CAA.

btw, chilli and cayenne is a great natural stimulant of the sinuses, which probably explains why I eat spoonfuls of the stuff ?

cheers

[got caught]

If you have a deep rooted bacterial infection, a (protracted) course of a suitable antibiotic may help.

The measures described here may help your symptoms, but its unlikely to affect the long term outcome.

Does anyone know of an instance when this type of surgery has, in fact, worked ?

[Ghostie31]

I have had these pains twice, once about 4 years ago and the last time was in December. Ive flown inbetween these times and since.
Do you think this is enough to get worried about? Or that I could have had a slight cold?
Also does every body get them when they have a cold, or is it just people with a possible infection of some kind?
Thanks guys

[Mac the Knife]

Does anyone know of an instance when this type of surgery has, in fact, worked ?

My ENT colleagues do FESS (Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery) all the time and it seems to work.

"Outstanding short- and long-term results have been reported in the literature. Senior et al reported that symptoms improved in 66 of 72 (91.6%) patients following endoscopic sinus surgery, with a mean follow-up time of 7.8 years. In addition, endoscopic sinus surgery significantly influences quality of life; Damm et al reported an improvement in quality of life for 85% of their patient population, with a mean follow-up time of 31.7 months."

See http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic758.htm

I presume they're not making it up.....

:ok:

[Hufty]

I had FESS and it was brilliant. My sinus pain disappeared.

I do still get some congestion and some discomfort in my ears but I found that drinking lots of water helps. It seems to thin the mucus. Also going to the gym helps too as being out of breath gets the air flowing around the passageways helping to keep them clearer. I also use a nasal spray which keeps things unblocked.

Maybe that would help your infection if you could just get a bit more air circulating??

[7gcbc]

mac,

thats exactly the proc I had , FESS, and it worked perfectly, and aside from the occasional heavy/bad cold which would be uncomfortable anyway, its fine.

[european champion]

I believe it is a very delicate operation,it has to be done properly the first time,otherwise you have to do it again and again like in my case.
Like all pilots do not have the same abilities,i guess all doctors who do surgeries dont have same abilities too.

[Johe02]

I had a similar problem (sinus infection) and found my health insurance covered me for acupuncture so I thought I'd give it a go.
Worked wonders with almost immediate relief. . continued the treatment with a friend of mine who was studying reflexology and found it to be just as good!

All better now :ok:

[european champion]

I have heard that acupuncture might help but i think its too difficult to find an insurance that covers that.Where did u do ur acupuncture and how long did it take?what is reflexology?
I was prescribed by my doctor cortizones for 3 weeks,after he will see me again,if the infection is still not cleared then i will have to go for the operation.

[Johe02]

too difficult to find an insurance that covers that

Ever heard of Legal & General?



http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=reflexology&btnG=Google+Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

. . youre on the internet right?

[got caught]

Thanks for the link Mac.

I'm not sure I'd be convinced to avail myself to my friends in green, based on such a small scale study.

Having said that, my observations are puerly anecdotal.:)

[european champion]

It is true an operation can help but it has to done properly and there is no guarantee for that.

[Mac the Knife]

It is true an operation can help but it has to done properly and there is no guarantee for that.

Well gee EC, there's no guarantee of ANYTHING medical! The only guarantee available is that most of the time, if you don't seek treatment it won't get better!

If my patient's seek guarantees, then I advise them to buy a vaccuum cleaner...

Seriously though: If you make sure your ENT chap is properly registered as a specialist, has had FESS training and does a lot of it then you'll probably be OK. It doesn't guarantee that he/she will be one of the top FESS wizards, but you can always ask around.

[european champion]

I know about saline spray,in my case it doesnt help much unless i use it together with medecines.

[european champion]

Ok the medecines seem to work,i have been doing a 4 week cortizone course,now my doctor starts reducing my doze,i hope it will be ok.Has anyone used cortizones for sinus?Do they just give a temporary relief or do they clear the infection for good?