| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Pd245 |
Posted - 12/17/2009 : 11:48:00
I've had a sinus infection since September and have tried different antibiotics and it's still here. (I couldn't finish all of the antibiotics, however, because of side effects and it seems like I'm sensitive to every medication I've tried.) I've never had anything like this before in my life and wondering if anyone has treated a long term sinus infection as TMS. Not sure it's the symptom substitution because all of my symptoms have piled on, none have gone away. It's just misery upon misery. Plus back pain which is new, and anxiety and now depression because it's been triggering migraines every day for three months. I have read that Flonase, a nasal steroid - which I've been taking for a few months - can cause back pain and migraines, but I'm not sure anymore. When I go off of it my symptoms get way worse but the migraines do seem to change a bit.
This started when my husband and I were looking at a potential new house which I had huge mixed feelings about, and which seemed to trigger asthma attacks every time I went near it. I also kept sensing that the air in and around the house smelled/felt weird. It kind of left a film in my respiratory tract. ALso, my mother in law was due to visit in a few weeks and she's a tremendous cause of stress. But this was back in September/October and all of those stressors are gone - and there are no obvious stressors on the horizon. But the sinus infection is still here and I'm feeling desperate to get rid of it. I know infections shouldn't be messed with so wondering it anyone has been through this. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| tom |
Posted - 09/17/2010 : 14:47:13
I used to get about 3 severe sinus bouts every winter. All lasting about 2 weeks each. Almost all turned into infections. After reading many books regarding TMS in general as well as mindbody disorders I ran across sinus issues in 3 or 4 different ones. One I became convinced it was a TMS or mindbody issue my sinus problems improved to about 1 bout per year lasting about 4 days to a week. I have even made it through a couple of winters with no sinus or cold problems at all, which is remarkable for me.
tom |
| jaya |
Posted - 09/17/2010 : 10:13:58
i had the same issue with sinus problems-rounds of antibiotcs to no avail.-best thing ive found so far is a netti-pot with saline solution mixed with 2 drops of grapefruit seed extract(an antifungal)
i found out my sinus infections were being caused by yeast and not bacteria. my symptoms also flared after eating a sugary treat like ice cream-kudos
p.s. taking antibiotics only made the sunis problem worsequote:
Originally posted by miche
A hair dryer on low will work as well as your oven to dry up secretions , a moisturising saline spray is soothing , as far as the cause of a long standing infection I can tell you that in my case as long as I stay away from dairy products I do not get the chronic sinus problems I used to get . One dish of ice cream will get the inflammation going
You may also want to google trigger point therapy , the neck, shoulders and sinuses are all connected , if your neck or scapular area are rigid from muscle tension it may affect the muscles in your jaw and face .
Just my two cents in the hope that it may help , I know how delibitating chronic sinusitis can be .
|
| windy |
Posted - 09/16/2010 : 17:33:21
Today I allowed an ENT to do an esophagram (camera goes through your nose into your stomach while you are awake drinking water and sniffing on command) to "look" for "gerd". My esophagus and related sphincters are gorgeous. The doc looked pretty pissed when I watched the scan over his shoulder and said "looks like there's no significant findings" and went on to ask if he thought my breathing/wheezing might be psychogenic. (for the record, my pulmonary function tests are normal). I'm having slow success so far treating this "gerd" all Sarno-like. The sore throat and hacking cough went away. I'm following some of the lifestyle modifications because I'm finding that small dinners and no fried foods make me feel more energetic. Just need to stomp out the wheezing and that's one less doc whose porsche won't be paid for by Dexilant. (ooh - did I say that out loud?!) |
| jaya |
Posted - 08/18/2010 : 06:14:01
ive had the never ending sinusitis on and off, more on than off since i was 14, ill be 35 in october-tms 4 surequote:
Originally posted by Pd245
I've had a sinus infection since September and have tried different antibiotics and it's still here. (I couldn't finish all of the antibiotics, however, because of side effects and it seems like I'm sensitive to every medication I've tried.) I've never had anything like this before in my life and wondering if anyone has treated a long term sinus infection as TMS. Not sure it's the symptom substitution because all of my symptoms have piled on, none have gone away. It's just misery upon misery. Plus back pain which is new, and anxiety and now depression because it's been triggering migraines every day for three months. I have read that Flonase, a nasal steroid - which I've been taking for a few months - can cause back pain and migraines, but I'm not sure anymore. When I go off of it my symptoms get way worse but the migraines do seem to change a bit.
This started when my husband and I were looking at a potential new house which I had huge mixed feelings about, and which seemed to trigger asthma attacks every time I went near it. I also kept sensing that the air in and around the house smelled/felt weird. It kind of left a film in my respiratory tract. ALso, my mother in law was due to visit in a few weeks and she's a tremendous cause of stress. But this was back in September/October and all of those stressors are gone - and there are no obvious stressors on the horizon. But the sinus infection is still here and I'm feeling desperate to get rid of it. I know infections shouldn't be messed with so wondering it anyone has been through this.
|
| tennis tom |
Posted - 08/12/2010 : 13:07:27
quote:
Originally posted by windy
This is fascinating. Now GERD is being blamed for my asthma-like symptoms as the vagus nerve triggered in GERD can also trigger asthma symptoms.
A friend of mine who's also in her early 40's states that "everyone our age is being diagnosed with GERD."
Must be the diagnosis-du-jour!
May have something to do with Prilosec going OTC a few years back. It does work well for the symptoms.
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
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| windy |
Posted - 08/12/2010 : 12:37:03
This is fascinating. Now GERD is being blamed for my asthma-like symptoms as the vagus nerve triggered in GERD can also trigger asthma symptoms.
A friend of mine who's also in her early 40's states that "everyone our age is being diagnosed with GERD."
Must be the diagnosis-du-jour! |
| yogaluz |
Posted - 05/04/2010 : 15:21:05
Thanks for the update. Interesting to hear about the GERD connection. I don't think I have GERD and I don't have recurring sinus infections, just one infection that won't clear up. Hope you feel well for your trip and thanks for posting this here for me and others. |
| Pd245 |
Posted - 05/04/2010 : 14:19:34
Update: After being on antibiotics for 47 days, my sinus infection finally went away. I had started getting off all sugar and carbonated beverages and I think that helped more than anything. Flonase, nasal rinsing, steam, zinc, allergy meds, journaling, betadine rinses hadn't helped.
But alas, a few months later it came back. This is after my husband and I decided to go on a massive overseas trip, and I decided to go off all rebound creating meds for my headaches (and go on a migraine prevention diet). So this throat clearing began and nasty taste in my throat and feeling like lots of gunk was in my throat. The good news is, the migraine diet and getting off meds helped and i hadn't had a migraine in a month (after having them every day for a year or more).
So i just went to the doctor because i have to get well for this trip (we'll be staying in some remote places), and we figured out that its most likely GERD that's causing these recurrent sinus infections. The first thing that happens when I'm stressed is that I start producing more acid. I have an "incompetent lower esophageal sphincter" which makes it more likely that acid will travel up the esophagus. So I've had that going, and
when I changed my diet, I started drinking a lot of peppermint tea and adding curry
spices and things like that to my very bland chicken and rice meals. Both of those
foods contribute to GERD.
So I think that acid was traveling up, causing the throat and nasal passages to increase mucus production to protect the tissue linings. So, now I'm trying to be on a
GERD reduction diet ( and the migraine diet) and we'll see how that goes. This would
explain why nothing has really helped. When the first sinus infection started I was
under a lot of stress and remember having lots of acid. You can have " silent GERD"
so you may have it even if you don't feel it.
Anyway, I can't take heartburn meds because they trigger migraines in me, so I'll have
to do it through diet only. I also plan to treat it as a stress illness and kick in the
relaxation techniques, journaling, and trying to focus on positives rather than my
natural inclination of obsessing about what could go wrong. I'm on antibiotics again
because I have to get well quickly for this trip, but if I get a sinus infection when I get
back I plan on really focusing on the GERD. I think it also has to do with allergies, but I've had plenty of allergies without sinus infections
Hope this helps someone. By the way, I have a deviated septum, and I've found that using a breathe right strip at night and then keeping it on in the morning when I do my sinus rinse, helps the right side drain normally. And I feel less clogged up. |
| windy |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 11:37:10
Pd245 - boy can I currently relate to your original post! I'm dealing with constant asthma-like symptoms myself right now, but asthma has been ruled out by lung function tests, so the doc suspects a vocal cord dysfuction. This particular dx smacks of tms! My symptoms started when I moved into an apt with my boyfriend. Previously, I'd never lived with a partner before. I initially assumed I was allergic to his 2 cats, or to the apartment itself, and did a course of allergy shots for nearly a year for alleged dust/cat/other "allergies". My symptoms abated during that time. I stopped the shots b/c I had a hard time being compliant with the schedule and my asthma like symptoms returned, except in the interim the cats have been re-homed. While it's true I might me allergic to something in the carpeting of our current apt, I'm thinking, based on this weird-azz diagnosis, that really selling a home, buying a home and planning a wedding all at the same time are to blame for all the helpless out of control feelings it brings up for me. |
| Susie |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 15:39:53
Hey pd, I never had a cat scan. I did have alot of mucus in the morning, coughed up tons of it. During the sinus misery, I had the huge back attack. As anyone with back spasms can attest, the back pain way overode the discomfort of the sinus problem. When I began treating my back with Sarno's techniques, the sinus infection left along with the back pain. I just realized one day that it was gone. I have several friends that get the sinus infection during stressful situations instead of pain. I was able to stop my best friend from getting surgery. He is fine. The other friend continues to treat with antibiotics with every outbreak.
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| Pd245 |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 10:24:39
Hey Susie - thanks so much for your response. This is helpful. This thing has gone on too long and I'm a healthy person!
Just wanted to ask a few questions - did you have a cat scan and did it show mucus blocking passages, the ostio whatever complex, etc? Did you have that gross sinus infection smell in your nose? Yellow mucus in the am? These symptoms are keeping me from thinking it's tms - if you had those as well I'd love to hear about it. I can image tms can make your sinuses swell, though, since it can do so many things. |
| Susie |
Posted - 01/31/2010 : 21:43:19
HEY PD, I am an oldie member here and haven't dropped into the forum for a while. I noticed your post and thought I'd give some advice for what it's worth. Stop already with the antibiotics and nasal rinses. I had a sinus infection for a year, felt horrible every day. I took 4 different antibiotics, rinsed twice a day,kept returning to the doctor and getting different drugs. They really don't know what else to do but medicate you. By the way, I also tried the colloidal silver. I swear, it's just tms. Treat it like you do any other pain symptom and it will go away. I have had so many different symptoms that there is no need to list them. I don't even think about them anymore. Once dealing with your brain becomes second nature to you, you will learn to deal with whatever symptom it throws you and not dwell on past symptoms. I know you feel miserable, but I promise you, you have the power to make it go away. Good luck to you. Susie |
| Pd245 |
Posted - 01/28/2010 : 15:51:15
Thanks Logan. I know pretty much where my rage comes from - being unemployed and lonely and bored bc the computer triggers migraines and I can't work on computers and don't know what else in the world to do! I'm so conditioned to hate writing in general but still like the idea of it so am always struggling with that. I think it's mostly catastrophizing and anxiety, though. I've written about every issue under the sun but will continue to keep trying to journal without letting it get me depressed. I did do so anger release stuff but instead of punching bag I throw a pillow around. Kind of fun.
On day 22 of antibiotic and it's still not really gone. Bactroban has helped the inflammation a lot. But there's still stuff in there. So I went to an ENT yesterday, he looked at my CT report and after asking me all the typical questions told me that my sinuses are screwed up. He said it three times during the course of our discussion. And so I asked why? And he said I had a deviated septum and bony spur and narrow passages. I've done LOTS of reading and most people have a deviated septum. I breathe well out of each nose, with a really really minor difference on the right. And couldn't my passages be narrow bc they're inflamed??? I didn't say this to him, though. If anything enrages me it's doctors who make these morbid proclamations without considering the bigger picture ( for example, most people have a little herniation in their backs but that doesn't mean they have problems). But bc he's a doctor ( and a surgeon) I'm fixated on him telling me that and fighting with myself about believing him and then also figuring he's a surgeon and has an interest in making me feel like I have to have surgery. But he seemed so well informed until he said that. I've never had a doctor say that before. But I obsess - what if he's right? I'm doomed!!!!
And I had allergy testing done and am deemed a "severely allergic person." which is why I have the infections, but I'm also sensitive to medications so it's a mess. But allergies are TMS, right? I was reading about allergies the other day and I did start sneezing out of the blue. But you can't ignore the infection so you have to treat the allergies, but if allergies are tms you also ignore the infection?
I hate how I fixate on what "authority figures" have to say and then doubt myself and what others have had to say. Just venting once more. Was doing ok until went to the doctor and now feel depressed again. Seeing a different one tomorrow, will get a total of three opinions and then decide what to do. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with doctors and now - since learning about TMS - never believe what they say while also believing everything they say. |
| Logan |
Posted - 01/13/2010 : 09:33:24
I can certainly empathize with how frustrated you are right now. I cured myself of neck/shoulder/arm pain over 4 years ago using Sarno's methods but still get occasionally waylaid by migraines and upper respiratory symptoms. I've been fighting off this same damned cold or whatever it is since New Year's Eve and when I saw your thread, I knew I should read it to remind myself of how the mindbody can perpetuate these things.
I think there's an actual, physical component to these things, viral or bacterial infections, allergic reactions etc. But I think the real culprit is TMS. TMS is what's keeping you - and me - sick, keeping the body from healing in a normal way.
I'm a teacher and I always get caught up in a whirlwind of anxiety over the summer or winter breaks. It's like the break gives me a chance to look down from the high wire I've been balancing on. I start to worry that I don't really know what I'm doing, that the students or other faculty will see right through my act, that I'm a failure etc. etc. It's textbook TMS thinking, low self-esteem bull****. But it's real enough in my mind that part of me starts to feel rage at the people I imagine are judging me harshly and more so at the part of me that's "making" me go back and resume teaching in this spotlight of judgment.
Feeling judged is my TMS trigger. Feeling trapped between what I want to do and HAVE to do is my TMS trigger. What is yours?
Instead of concentrating on your symptoms or various cures, as this thread has done, I'd suggest doing what you mentioned with the other TMS symptoms you've had, telling yourself that it's really nothing to worry about, that you know it will heal, that you're not afraid etc. Then I would spend some time really sifting through what it is that you are anxious or enraged or saddened by - there's a connection to the house and your husband and your MIL. I would dig deeper there.
Also, I always recommend getting the book Facing the Fire. The anger release exercises sound ridiculous but they were what helped me go from feeling "okay", which is how I felt after reading Sarno's books and doing what he recommended like journaling, to feeling 100% "healed."
I have a punching bag in my den now, which seems less silly than twisting a towel or punching the couch as Facing the Fire recommends if you don't have a punching bag. I hit the bag when I get migraines or colds that won't go away and as I punch it, I just let myself feel angry at the situations or the people's faces that suddenly appear in my mind's eye. It helps!
I used to get sinus infections all the time but since getting the punching bag, I've kept them at bay and now seem to get lingering colds instead. It's slightly better, I guess. : )
I haven't hit the bag during this winter break yet, which is probably why I haven't kicked this cold yet. As usual, I've just given someone else the advice I need to follow myself. : )
Let's punch something and you'll feel better soon and so will I, I'm sure of it.
Sarno's books + journaling + Facing the Fire by John Lee + punching bag = pain free |
| catspine |
Posted - 01/10/2010 : 00:26:47
Miche,
Thanks for the tips and links I'll look it up and try it out .
Sorry to disappoint you about using a hair dryer: I was told not to do that or use any other devices that uses a forced air flow to convey the heat. Instead I could use one of these infra red lamps designed to use when one has a cold.
A study revealed that the electric hands dryers used in public places supposed to prevent germs proliferation are in fact increasing it by about one third with more germs on the skin when you're done than when you start`. The very detailed study went even further and a complete procedure to wash and dry hands was developed from it for health personnel and people working in the food industry. The results of the studies are not always reliable depending on who finances it but as I heard of it I thought I would mention it too. |
| miche |
Posted - 01/09/2010 : 19:34:38
A hair dryer on low will work as well as your oven to dry up secretions , a moisturising saline spray is soothing , as far as the cause of a long standing infection I can tell you that in my case as long as I stay away from dairy products I do not get the chronic sinus problems I used to get . One dish of ice cream will get the inflammation going
You may also want to google trigger point therapy , the neck, shoulders and sinuses are all connected , if your neck or scapular area are rigid from muscle tension it may affect the muscles in your jaw and face .
Just my two cents in the hope that it may help , I know how delibitating chronic sinusitis can be . |
| catspine |
Posted - 01/09/2010 : 15:09:10
Didn't know what turbinates are so I looked it up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_concha#Role_of_turbinates_as_an_immunological_defense
Because of my condition and symptoms I tend to agree with you Stanfr that any blood related anatomy seems to be prime target for TMS but so far have not been successful at stopping constant post nasal drip. It doesn't seem to get worse or better but there seems to be more of it at night in spite of the mouth drying up. Every morning there is a small amount of blood in my saliva the ENT specialist cannot determine the origin of even after running an optic fiber camera up and down there. The air passages are free most of the time but there is just a lot of liquid post nasal drip. After I spit out the blood stained saliva couple of times everything is back to normal -except for the post nasal drip- until the next morning.
There were some episodes of heavy anxiety attacks that made it a little worse at some point but once these went away the scenario went back to what it was before.
It seems to me that the blood comes through the lining of the nasopharinx as it feels raw and dry in the morning sometimes. Following the advice of the doctors and ENT I got tested for everything that could be the cause of a weakened immune system and tests came back negative. As TMS possibly generated some acid reflux occasionally the ENT gave me guide lines to deal with it in order to lower possible side effects such as lining bleeding in the sinuses. No difference!
Aside from the light bleeding most of the other symptoms in the area come and go or change location within the area with varied strength and frequency. Having ruled out other serious common possibilities with professional medical help I'm quite certain now that TMS has a lot to do with it.
I'm tempted to say this because of the known effects of the panic and anxiety attacks in the area of the neck and throat.I wish I knew more about the nervous/vascular system to be more precise with this one b/c I noticed that the blood supply to the neck area increases quite a bit when the condition worsen.
Has anyone had any similar or close experience to the content of this post especially with the bleeding part?
Thanks |
| stanfr |
Posted - 01/08/2010 : 23:37:12
I developed chronic sinusitus over a period of years (after curing myself of back pain/sciatica using Sarno--didn't note the connection til much later). It got so bad that i finally had a septoplasty to correct a deviated septum a couple years ago. It made sense (too much so!) that the closed-off nasal passage had to be contributing to the congestion etc. After the surgery, the problems relocated to the other side! It was obvioulsy TMS, and i have since managed to get the bulk of the symptoms under control. In my case, i think it is TMS acting on the turbinates--any blood related anatomy seems to be prime target for TMS. Good Luck! |
| Effie |
Posted - 01/08/2010 : 05:18:02
Wow, this is a great thread with a lot of great ideas. For some reason this year just seems the worst ever for sinus problems. Last week my sinuses got so bad that I finally called my ENT to make an appointment, but I remembered that I had only gotten a few hours sleep the night before, so I made sure to get a whole eight hours, and I used my neti pot before going to bed, and the next morning I felt so much better I was able to cancel the appointment. I think Winnieboo is right about getting enough sleep.
For the neti rinse I use just about 1/8 tsp of hydrogen peroxide and also a couple of drops of betadine along with the saline solution and that really seems to help a LOT, as long as I keep using it regularly. I'm going to check out that colloidal silver -- I hadn't heard about that before. I tried the grapefruit seed extract in my neti pot and I had trouble getting the dosage right and kept getting a burning sensation when I used it.
Also -- I always keep XLEAR on hand -- that stuff is great! Whenever my sinuses start clogging up I use that and it gives me instant relief. It also has grapefruit seed extract and xylitol, which are supposed to kill viruses and bacteria. The best price I've found for it is at Vitacost.com and I think it's helped me avoid several infections. If you do a search for XLEAR on the Internet you'll see a LOT of great reviews for it.
I did have a doctor tell me once that nighttime GERD (reflux) can cause sinus problems and he recommended taking a Prilosec before bedtime -- and that seems to help, too. I mentioned it to my ENT and my gastroenterologist and neither of them had heard of it, but I've noticed that reflux seems to irritate not only my throat but might creep up into my sinuses as well.
One day at work my sinuses were driving me crazy, so I went to the pharmacy and picked up some saline nasal gel -- I used it and had almost instant relief with absolutely no side effects or burning. And a coworker last week thought she was getting a sinus infection, I told her about the saline spray and she tried it and said it was amazing how much better she felt after using it. We were thinking that maybe the air at work is really dry or something.
However, I would think if you have a deviated septum, everything changes and you would need to work with a physician more closely for your sinus problems. My ENT did a CT scan and it was normal. And not to scare you, but I just learned this week that my boss at work has a chronic MRSA infection lodged way up in his sinuses -- has had it for almost 15 years, he got it when he had his tonsils removed in an area hospital that has since become well known for spreading MRSA to it's patients, it is lodged up there and doesn't bother him. I think I might tell him about these home remedies, since his doctors have apparently given up on him it certainly couldn't hurt! |
| catspine |
Posted - 01/07/2010 : 13:38:00
Quick temporary relief.
This may sound silly but I found a quick way to get some comfort when I was baking something in the oven. It seems like my sinuses like dry air for a little while.
Once the food was cooked I turned the gas off and opened the door to check things out a minute later . It smelled so good I wanted to inhale more of the smell coming out and I got my head a little closer to the oven door opening: i instantly noticed it felt good to be in the stream of hot air coming out of there and breathe in. (Of course no one wants to breathe burned gas fumes so the gas needs to be turned off a few minutes before inhaling the hot air). I stood there in the same spot for couple of minutes and discovered it reduced the post nasal drip quite a bit to the point I had a much better night than usual.
Of course thrilled by what i found I renewed the experiment later and it worked again.
Consequently this also revealed that dampness and cold made the symptoms worse when I was exposed to it again which i had not paid attention to before . Of course feeling better I was also able to enjoy the food more. Even with TMS every little bit helps.
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