getting sinuses to drain after sickness

[gomi_otaku]

I typically get one cold a year- it last for 2-3 days, after which I am stuck with clogged sinuses for what seems like months. Anybody know of a good way to get my sinuses to clear out fully? I'm considering a Netty Pot, but if anybody else has a good suggestion I'll consider it.
gomi_

 

[Bryan]

Gosh, colds are no fun--I hope you're feeling better soon!

My 2c:

For me, the trick is to get and keep those sinuses clear before a bacterial infection sets in.

Claritin-D for a week does it for me... I use the 24-hour one, but take it in the morning so I can sleep ok at night. At night, I like to use Vicks Vapo-Rub.

The D is time-release Sudafed decongestant, and the Claritin is an antihistimine, which helps with both allergies and colds.

As you've no doubt learned in open water class, one shouldn't dive with a cold, and especially when taking medicines that could wear out underwater and cause equilization issues like reverse blocks, etc.

Oh, and I try to drink lots of water.

I've never used a netti pot, but I do use a saline nasal spray that I get at the drugstore. Just basically saltwater in a big squeeze bottle.

 

[FishDiver]

I typically get one cold a year- it last for 2-3 days, after which I am stuck with clogged sinuses for what seems like months. Anybody know of a good way to get my sinuses to clear out fully? I'm considering a Netty Pot, but if anybody else has a good suggestion I'll consider it.
gomi_

I have allergies year-round. After many years I have learned that the one time I DON'T take antihistamines is when I have a cold. If I do, I get sinus infections, which make a cold seem like a day at the park.

While I am sick I drink vast quantities of hot tea and eat spicy food to encourage my sinuses to drain. I won't even state how many boxes of tissues I go through...

If I understand what a "netty pot" is, I use a homemade version during and just after a cold. I mix up saline solution and add a bit of baking soda to reduce the sting, pour it into a cup and snort it deeply into each nostril several times each day. I leave the solution in as long as I can tolerate it and then blow my nose into something STRONG. A tissue will be blown to smithereens.

Any and all non-sinus sufferers within earshot will become nauseous. TS, we suffer and are permitted to make disgusting noises.

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

I typically get one cold a year- it last for 2-3 days, after which I am stuck with clogged sinuses for what seems like months. Anybody know of a good way to get my sinuses to clear out fully? I'm considering a Netty Pot, but if anybody else has a good suggestion I'll consider it.
gomi_

Not an MD but have dated a few...

I have had many a sinus issue over the years and for me, working in hyperbaric medicine and research, bad sinuses can end a day of work. My road ended with Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS).

Along the way, the one thing that made the most difference and the one thing every Allergist and Otolaryngologist told me to do was a daily irrigation. I am attaching a link for those who have no clue what that really means. There is a ton of bad information on this on the internet and this article seems to be pretty good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

That said, before you hear 9000 more stories and 100,000 ideas from people that have no clue what your exact pathology is, go see an ENT. Call DAN, they can even pull a good diving ENT out of their nice database of referral physicians. A good ENT can teach you how to take care of your sinuses, and check your personal pathology to make sure you are taken care of correctly.

Take care,
G

 

[gomi_otaku]

I just saw my ENT a week before getting the cold- and she said that my sinuses and all looked good, just a deviation in my nasal cartilage that could make it harder to keep one side clear over the other.
The Wiki posting was pretty much what I have done in the past, but without the Neti pot (spelled correctly now) If figure with the pot I would be more able to keep my head inverted and allow it to penetrate deeper into the sinus cavities. I've been three weeks without diving so far, I'm getting irritable.
gomi_

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

I've been three weeks without diving so far, I'm getting irritable.
gomi_

Understand that...

With a deviated septum, you may want to try a water pick with the nasal adaptor (filled with saline). Simple irrigation will probably not work because of fluid dynamics. Neti Pot or Blue Bulb syringe may not be enough so don't give up if they don't work either. Don't forget the maxillary sinuses drain when the face is down (nose pointed to the floor).

Water-Pik Saline Irrigation:
http://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/Surgery/otolaryngology/nasal/instructions.htm
http://www.sneezedoctors.com/Nasal%20Wash.htm

Adaptors:
http://www.ethicare.com/
http://www.anthonyproducts.com/site/index.cfm
http://www.entsolwash.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=E&Product_Code=0482-3000-01&Category_Code=EPL

Don't be hesitant to go back to your ENT and get more help. They have a ton of things they can try.

Good luck,
G

 

[gomi_otaku]

I am definitely a convert to the Neti pot. Less than a week, at least once a day, and my congestion is gone. Much easier than trying to snort warm salt water up from a container, it doesn't force the mucus inward before flowing it out (though I found that once they start clearing you can snort in while it is running and then spit out the resulting salt water mix). Normally this type of sinus infection has lasted me at least a month after cold symptoms. I think I'll keep it up just to keep stuff cleared out, my sense of smell is so much better, and since I work in a dirty environment it will really do some good.
gomi_