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AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/7/2016 7:23 AM (GMT -6)
Since my wreak, where I crushed my nose, I've had problems breathing. In the last couple of months I've developed sinus infections. My PA figured out that even though I don't have the green stuff coming out of my nose I still have a sinus infection. My problem is that when I have the infection, it starts attaching my other parts where I had the wreak. My back and my foot. Then it starts attaching my joints. The pain is unbearable. I take my pain meds and all it does is dull it down. I can't sleep cause my whole body is hurting. I went to see an ENT yesterday and he said that a sinus infection should stay in the sinuses not attack other parts of my body. He said that I may have an autoimmune disease. He has ordered a CT of my sinuses. He said we would know more then. I know this is not the right forum but I don't know which way to go. I've researched the autoimmune diseases and I don't think I have any of those. Has anybody ever heard of anything like this? I am scared.
pitmom
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2015
Posts : 2830
Posted 12/7/2016 8:26 AM (GMT -6)
I'm not a doctor but here's what I think may be happening...
I too suffer from chronic sinusitis. I have torus...abnormal bony growths on the upper palate and jaws. Think of stalagmites and stalactites in a cave. Some grow down from my upper palate into the sinus space which restricts normal flow of air and secretions. This causes chronic infections.
When my body is trying to fight off the infection on it's own, antibodies are produced and try to 'fix it'. While they're at it, they try to 'fix' anything else that is 'wrong'. Too much of anything is not good, so imagine the inflammation that may be taking place in the other injured parts of your body.
I cannot use the standard dosing schedule once I have an infection in my sinuses. The convolutions cause bacteria to get into areas and 'hide'. My doctor usually gives me extended treatment. This usually works.
Meanwhile, I have started eating yogurt with active bacteria cultures every day and am considering pro biotic supplements to boost my immune system.
Keep posting and let us know what turns up (or doesn't) in the C.T. scan.
pitmom
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2015
Posts : 2830
Posted 12/7/2016 8:29 AM (GMT -6)
Just went back and re read my post...my torus grow UP into the sinus space. True, they also grow down, which causes it's own set of problems, but we're talking sinuses here! Sorry for the error.
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/7/2016 2:34 PM (GMT -6)
Pitmom
Thanks so much for your advice. I was hoping that I wasn't the only one that this has happened to. I will definitely let you know what the CT scan says.
Jodi
Alcie
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2009
Posts : 5167
Posted 12/8/2016 4:53 PM (GMT -6)
I get chronic sinus infections since having my nose broken in a wreck. Sinus surgery made things worse. Antibiotics don't work very well there, as sinuses don't have much blood vessels.
Sometimes we can get a "plaque" of bacteria growing in our sinuses. It's hard to get oral antibiotics into them (the blood vessel problem): about
all we can do is wash them.
I had a bad sinus drip going on for months recently. A couple of days ago I re-started doing regular saline sinus washes with my squeeze bottle. Just using a Netti Pot doesn't wash as well because it's only gravity, no pressure. I like the larger bottles. They're in most drug stores as well as larger grocery stores. Just get the salt packets that are made for the ounces/milliliters of your bottle.
Hey! At least it's a cheap fix and doesn't hurt anything.
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/9/2016 6:32 AM (GMT -6)
Thank you Alcie for the advice. The thing is that the antibiotics do help because of all the places it travels to. The infections just started happening about
six months ago. I haven't been able to breathe well since the accident. I don't know why this is happening. But since the ENT said that a sinus infection should stay in the sinuses and I may have an autoimmune disease, I have been very worried. Why all of a sudden has this started happening?
Jodi
Alcie
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2009
Posts : 5167
Posted 12/9/2016 8:22 AM (GMT -6)
The thing is that antibiotics, unless they're very strong, IV, and given for a long time, don't kill off the bacterial plaque in the sinuses. The sinuses have very poor circulation, and there's nothing very efficient (in my experience as a patient) that can be used to wash the inside of the sinuses. That's why infections keep coming back.
Since you had damage to your nose there could easily be some place that's not quite closed in a sterile manner. I need to have a top tooth pulled and a post put in, but the root is sticking into the sinus and surgery would be very dangerous and possibly cause a brain infection, so I'm stuck with replacing temporary crowns every year or so. Tooth roots sticking into sinuses is very common without having a broken nose.
(Seashell)
Veteran Member
Joined : Missing Key Value : en-US, 587 2012
Posts : 1080
Posted 12/9/2016 9:12 AM (GMT -6)
Alice raises a valid point.
It is not uncommon for an infection in sinuses to respond to antibiotics in lowering the bacteria to a sub-clinical level (where symptoms of an overt infection are noticeable) but where rogue bacteria remain in the many moist and warm crevices. These remaining bacteria may be latent for a period of time and then reactive and multiple, resulting in an acute recurrence. The "trigger" can be a simple lowering of one's immune system that keeps the linking bacteria at bay or relatively mild trauma to the sinuses that interrupts their quiescence state.
I know this first hand from a staph-resistant sinus infection that I acquired while working as a physical therapist in a long-term care nursing home with less than acceptable cleaning standards.
Recurrent sinus infections combined with recurrent
open skin sores plagued me for over a two year period. It was pure misery - both emotionally and physically - as the facial wounds wound erupt without an obvious break in the skin. The wounds were very slow to heal.
I was on repeated oral dosings of multiple antibiotics. The facial wounds were cultured for antibiotic sensitivity - to little avail.
The final remedy to my malaise came in the form of long-term IV antibiotics, including Vancomycin. I received IV antibiotics over an extended 8 month period, continuing even when there was no overt infectious process. Bacteria that make their home in the warm and moist porous boney passage ways of the sinuses will be highly recalcitrant. The bacteria will not relinquish fully nor completely without a long-term and aggressive approach to treatment.
I am more inclined to think that you have bacteria at a sub-clinical level that have made a permanent home in the moist and warm porous bone of the sinuses than a specific auto-immune process, per say.
I have auto-immune dysfunction (mixed connective tissue disorder and Addison's disease). Your symptoms are less suggestive of an auto-immune than they are of lingering bacteria that have not been eradicated by oral antibiotics.
Bottom Line: Bacterial infections in the sinuses can be a difficult holding ground to get complete eradication.
My strongest of advice is to consult with a competent infectious disease physician for an evaluation and opinion.
- Karen -
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/9/2016 3:16 PM (GMT -6)
Thank you Karen. I had not thought of that before. I was wondering what kind of Dr figures out if you have an autoimmune disease? Is it also the infectious disease dr? I am beginning to think that y'all are right. Thinking back before I had the wreak, I had an ear infection that would not clear up. My PCP gave me three zpaks over three or four months, I guess and it would come back every time. Well me and my husband had to go to SC for a funeral and all heck broke loose. It had gotten down in my throat and it felt like razor blades and it felt like my throat was closing up so I went to ER and the Dr gave me stronger antibiotics and it FINALLY cleared up. Yall don't know how much I appreciate your replies. Now I'm not so scared.
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/9/2016 3:19 PM (GMT -6)
Alcie,
Bless your heart!
Jodi
Tirzah
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2008
Posts : 2323
Posted 12/9/2016 7:14 PM (GMT -6)
Perhaps they can actually test for what kind of bacteria it is growing in your sinuses & use targeted antibiotics? My mom gets sinus infections a lot & they did that for her once and it really helped for a while. Some strains of bacteria can be resistant to certain broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Perhaps your PCP or ENT would consider giving you a referral to an infectious disease specialist. I know that really helped finally get me the proper care for my infection (not a sinus infection -- but they do work with people with auto immune disorders & all types of infections).
rocckyd
Veteran Member
Joined : May 2012
Posts : 1115
Posted 12/9/2016 10:23 PM (GMT -6)
I have a many autoimmune diseases, and I have sinus issues. My body attacks the tissues in my body, which includes the sinuses. Since the area is inflamed, it's more susceptible to infections. Any infection in my body knocks my whole system off kilter.
That being said, I wouldn't jump to conclusions. If you look at my signature, I have a cornucopia of fun. Wait and see what the Dr has to say, and then take it from there.
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/10/2016 4:07 AM (GMT -6)
Thank you Tirzah and Rocckyd for your responses. I am just waiting now to be scheduled for the ct scan. I'm feeling better since I have talked to everyone. You will never know how much it has meant to me.
Jodi
Tirzah
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2008
Posts : 2323
Posted 12/11/2016 11:28 PM (GMT -6)
Hang in there, Jodi. I can definitely relate to how frustrating it can be to deal with chronic infections. I had an infected implant for 8 years. For the last 4 of those years, I had an
open wound that kept re-
opening even when it was sewn or stapled shut because the bacteria just kept eating through my tissue, trying to escape. It's, sadly, a very long road usually to get to the right specialists ... so I just wanted to encourage you not to give up. Keep asking for more tests until you get answers. A CT is a great tool for diagnosing & figuring out how to treat infections. Sending positive thoughts your way between now & when you get the results.
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/12/2016 6:26 AM (GMT -6)
Tirzah,
I cannot Imagine what you went through. How did you finally get healed? I only had an
open wound for seven months on my foot after my wreak. It is scary business. You have been through ALOT!
Jodi
Tirzah
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2008
Posts : 2323
Posted 12/12/2016 5:44 PM (GMT -6)
Targeted antibiotics, got my SCS explanted & had a world-class reconstructive plastic surgeon who was able to surgically excise, irrigate & whatnot the infected tissue to get the bacteria count down far enough that more targeted antibiotics could finish clearing up the infection via drains & whatnot that were left in for a few weeks post-op.
I didn't fight hard enough for what I KNEW was going on with my own body. I accepted that the tests the doctors ran initially were the "right" ones & that this whole "infection obsession" was all in my head (and my boyfriend's head, apparently, as he could feel through my shirt that the area on my back was much hotter than the rest of my body). I left it alone for 3 years & ended up with a
open wound. Then, they just kept trying to wash out the wound & sew it closed ... when what they needed to do was get the infected implant out of my body & then leave the wound
open so the massive amount of bacteria-riddled pus could drain out of me. So now I know that no matter how many fancy degrees or medical licenses someone has, that doesn't automatically mean that they are right & I am wrong. I had never heard of pseudomonas stutzeri until the labs came back with that. All I knew was that I had an infection. I could feel it. It hurt like crazy; it was radiating heat & it was red/inflamed almost all the time. So now I try to stand up for myself & believe that the knowledge I have about
my own body matters when making a diagnosis, and I encourage other people to do the same!
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/12/2016 10:23 PM (GMT -6)
Very well said. And by the way, what is an scs implant?
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/20/2016 6:55 AM (GMT -6)
Good morning. I hope everyone is as well as can be. I am finally supposed to be scheduled for the ct of my sinuses today. It's been two weeks now. I will let y'all know as soon as I know something. Thanks for being here.
Jodi
straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18879
Posted 12/20/2016 7:16 AM (GMT -6)
Jodi, thanks for the update & keep us posted.
Take care.
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/31/2016 3:10 PM (GMT -6)
Well I finally got the results of my ct scan. It went to my pcd first. It didn't show anything, which is good, but when I see the ENT he's gonna say that the sinuses are not causing all of the sinus infections. I went to urgent care yesterday because I've been hurting really bad in my upper right back and under my boob. It only hurts when I lay down. It didn't show up anything either which is good but I wonder what is causing it. The Dr. didn't seem to know. I haven't did anything different to make it hurt. But they found out that I had a kidney infection. Didn't even know I had one. So now I've had I think 3 sinus infections and a kidney infection in 4 months. I am at a loss. BUT every time I get a sinus infection it makes all my joints hurt, maybe the kidney infection is making my ribs to hurt? Any thoughts?
straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18879
Posted 12/31/2016 6:58 PM (GMT -6)
Hi Jodi, thats good news on your Ct. I have had lots of sinus infections over the years. One of the best things I have found that helps me avoid so many infections is using saline solution. Any of the nasal saline is fine. Mine are all allergy based. Spring is really bad & again usually towards the end of October. Keeping your nose really flushed out will help if you have some allergy issues going on.
I know with a kidney infection people get back pain, usually belt line & below. Try alternating cold/hot packs on the right upper side. If you have an analgesic rub, get someone to put some on you. I have switched recently to Theragesic, lol, really cheap. I don't have any real answers for you, maybe you slept wrong.
Take care.
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 12/31/2016 11:28 PM (GMT -6)
Hi Susie,
I have the saline sprays too but mine are not for allergies. I take a claritin in the am and a zrytec at night. Along with flonase as needed and the saline spray. The pain in the upper back and under my boob has been getting progressively worse in the last three weeks. I don't know.
Jodi
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 1/2/2017 6:24 AM (GMT -6)
Good morning everyone,
I've been taking the antibiotics for a couple days now and I can already tell the difference in the pain in my upper back and front upper ribs. So it looks like the kidney infection was causing this pain. I don't understand any of this. I didn't KNOW I had a kidney infection. Before I had the wreak I KNEW when I had a kidney infection. Now everything is presenting different. The first time I had the sinus infection I didn't know. The PA figured it out. So the times after that I knew that when my joints started hurting I figured out that I had a sinus infection. Any thoughts on this? I thought it was only my sinuses. Now the kidney infection is thrown in too.
Jodi
(Seashell)
Veteran Member
Joined : Missing Key Value : en-US, 587 2012
Posts : 1080
Posted 1/3/2017 5:24 AM (GMT -6)
One reason that physicians are often perplexed in diagnosing "abdominal pain" and "flank pain" (among other) is that the neurological connections of the nerves that innervate the abdomen and pelvis are primitive and unrefined.
Gallbladder pain is often referred to the scapula and shoulder area, as an example. The sensory nerves (that relay incoming stimuli to the brain) that innervate the abdominal wall and abdominal organs take circuitous routes in their travel back toward the spinal cord and upward migration to the brain for processing and awareness.
Signs of a heart attack include pain that radiates down the arm and upward to the jaw; nausea.
The point being: The part of the body in distress does not always correlate to the brain's interpretation of
location. The brain can incorrectly interpret a source of pain because the sensory nerves travel a zig-zagged course before reaching the spinal cord and then traveling upward to the brain for final interpretation that tells you "may pain hurts here at point x."
Doctors can be baffled by presenting abdominal pain because the
location of the pain frequently does not correlate directly to the area of the body in distress. The primitive and unrefined nature of the neurology of the gut is one reason that CT scans have become so routine. The CT scan provides for a broad view of the body to rule in or rule out any concerning physical or structural finding (ex. a blocked gallbladder or a blocked bile duct).
AngelsMamaDorseysDaughter
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2009
Posts : 225
Posted 1/3/2017 6:24 AM (GMT -6)
Seashell,
Thanks for the reply. So something is causing all these infections. Any idea on what kind of Dr that I need to see? I have no idea. And I don't know if it's autoimmune as the ENT said. I will say it again. I am so glad that y'all are so giving with your time to help people out. This site is a wealth of information.
Jodi
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