Sinus pressure, irritated/swollen/puffy eyes, fatigue, irritability, DEPRESSION!

I have a burning sensation when I breathe through the nose, I have vertigo and I feel pressure in my head, near the eyes, neck, forehead, sides of the head.

Can this go away without surgery?

I have been suffering about 4 years from sinus problems. I went to about 5 ents and 2 hospital visits before finding a good doc.. Anyway I can relate to all your feelings, go to your local drug store and pick up Simply Salien also Sino Fresh about 16 dollars but forth every penny. I found out of all the prescription nose sprays that these work the best. If you can find an eye pillow that can go in the microwave heat helps drain the fluid. Good Luck and don't give up find a doctor that will take care of you.

Believe me when I say I've been there and still deal with it. In fact, for the past 10 days I have been pretty miserable. I have had three sinus surgeries since '94 and each has helped me to one degree or another. May be getting a forth one because of this latest problem. The first surgery made a huge difference even though the pre surgery CT scans only indicated "minimal mucosal thickening" as reported in the radiologist report. Take these scans with a grain of salt because they don't tell the whole story. More often than not the scans did not show much in my case. They must be evaluated with a thorough clinical evaluation to get the true picture of what is going on. The biggest problem I have come across over many years of dealing with this awful debilitating problem is that many doctors simply do not listen to the patient. If you experience a doctor that will not spend plenty of time with you (not a 15 minute, hi, hello, goodbye) then you need to keep searching for a caring doctor who is dedicated to helping you and answers ALL of your questions thoroughly until you are satisfied. That is critical !!! Once you find the right doctor you have to develop a candid repoire regarding your entire condition, you have to be like friends. Don't hold back, tell them everything and be insistent if they tend to ignore some complaints. Learn all you can about sinusitis and the different types there are. You have to be your own best advocate and be well informed to be able to speak with the doctor intelligently. Read, read and read some more. You need good, sound information! Once you are well armed with facts regarding sinusitis you will know when you are speaking with a doctor that knows his stuff and if he really cares about you. The choice of doctor you entrust with your care for this disease is one of the most important things you can do. If you and the doctor do not communicate very well nor listen carefully to one another you will get nowhere. You will simply spend money, be miserable and become depressed and feel lost on top of the disease symptoms. Get the right doctor! Once that is done and you are comfortable listen to the doctor and do your homework on the disease aspects. Learn as much as possible about self care. Believe it or not it plays a big role. Rest, rest, rest is critical, quality rest. Good diet habits and proper nutrition are equally as important. Avoidance of irritants if allergic is another important role. Stay far away from many over the counter nasal sprays. Saline is your best nasal friend!! Hot natural teas like echinacea, goldenseal (limited duration), chamomile and hot showers on the front of the face area. Steam units with copious amounts of steam output will help if used on a regular basis. Facial steamer units are worthless, you need lots of steam like from a Vicks vaporizer or that Mabis steamer (no, I have no associations with them). Yes, it can be very hot and uncomfortable but it breaks up the thick nasal mucous which is the goal. A mucous thinner like guifenesin is important, talk to the doctor about it. Antibiotics work and don't work. I have had very mixed results with them regarding chronic sinus problems (my situation) but they do seem to work well for people with acute sinus infections. I would not blow them off but I wouldn't rely on them either. This is a battle that requires attack from multiple directions. It is a battle. It's not easy to deal with. Perseverence plays a big role in getting better. The disease has had major negative impacts on my life but I don't give up. I refuse to not resolve the problem. It can get extremely frustrating and tiring at times and occassionaly seem hopeless. When you feel like that it is time to seek out new help. Never, ever let a doctor tell you nothing more can be done. Total bunk. I was told that so many times it has become a joke. Had I not presevered and found new doctors, had additional surgeries, tried different approaches I would still be as sick as I was in 1994. Yes, I still have problems but they are fewer and further apart. Once in awhile I will take things for granted and it will catch up with me and I will get a infection again. Awarness of your health condition at all times is critical in defending against sinus infections. Slack off on proper rest and you get nailed, don't eat right and you get nailed, constant stress and you get nailed. I think I've made my point. The worst part about sinus infections is that they are insidious, they sneak up on you and then you just suddenly are quite ill. Sometimes the initial symptoms are very subtle but suddenly you are down and out. Sometimes there are no early warning symptoms of an impending bad infection and then wham you get nailed. It's miserable, personally I would rather have the flu ten times over. Most people have no idea how sick a sinus infection can make you feel. For me it is the deep fatigue and weakness it causes. I can deal with the headaches, post nasal drip, low grade fevers, and a host of other stuff.
So to those fellow sufferers who are reading this very long message, please look out for yourselves and learn all you can and keep searching for just the right doctor who really works with you as a partner to resolve your problems. Don't despair, just keep learning and trying all the self help methods you can, seek out the BEST doctors. Don't rule out good medicinal therapy or surgery, both can be very helpful but one size does not fit all. Don't rule out supplements and natural therapy either, they can help. This sinus stuff is very complicated and each of us are different. I wish you all the very best........
Sick in Florida

PS: There is a report from Vanderbuilt University that states how researchers discovered that fatigue is now a strong diagnostic indicator of sinusitis underlying sinusitis conditions. Funny, I could have told them that thirteen years ago!

Thanks to the person who posted the original topic, and for the answers - my other half has recently been very stuffy, spaced out, 'snotty' etc and the doctors just keep giving her antibiotics. I'll definitely recommend she read this thread and see a specialist.

Hmmm. Sounds like me. I am going mental. Can't sleep. Am solving problem some nights by drinking because sometime its better to get a heavy drunken sleep than no sleep at all. I had a CT scan and it came up clear. They must have thought I was insane. But I am I not. I suffer from a headache every morning when I wake up. I get pressure mostly in the right side and it travels to my forehead and ear sometimes. At work I can't concentrate. I have no idea whats wrong with me because noone can tell me and antibiotics and sinus sprays do b****r all.

any luck

That sounds exactly like what I had in San Francisco years ago. It was a bad sinus infection and I was literally the walking dead. I had a sinus drip which caused bumps in the back of my throat and I had bad sinus pressure. I looked physically sick and my pupils were small. I was constantly tired, irritable, and had trouble remembering things. I went to everyone includeing eye, nose and throat specialists.

Many Doctors gave me antibiotics - most of which were not full spectrum and were not prescribed for a long enough time. After months of frustration I finally found a doctor who prescribed a full spectrum antibiotic for a longer than usual duration. That worked!

It's my understanding that the toxins created by the infection affect many things other than energy level including mood and memory. Good luck. Holly

Hi Holly,

Did the swollen eyes go away? My eyes are so bad I can hardly open them. i look so ill that if I had money i would do cosmetic surgery.

I also have very dark circles under me eyes. Does anyone suffer from that with sinus problems?

Thank you.

hi molly name david i am 48 years old male an the same thing you got i have
to. i bein to the dr thay did a ct on my sinus an found a slight mucosal thicking
on the right sid of my sinus with edema over uncimate process an slight narrowing the infundibulum of the ethmoid and maxillary sinus ostimum on the right side an a soft tissue swelling in the upper lip an maxillary area like to know if your feeling better or you still sick ?an have you got ear pain with this because i do an it to drives me nut like i think i am going nut some day i do ok outher day it bad i to am out going up beat but now just bein down i got this on march 2007 an it may now an i have bein out of work trying to get better but not yet with me if there outhers out there with i like to know i oneme was happy to see your post it helped to see some one to with this not just me so thank for your posting hope your doing good take care david

I have the same problem and what triggers my symptoms are perfumes, cologne's, scented candles, air fresheners, (like Glade Plug-ins). The other thing is furniture made of pressed fiber board gives off formaldyhde which is toxic and a major contributor for me. Try to remove all these things from your home as much as possible. You should see a difference. My only problem now is when I shop in stores with scents in them, ugh, I walk right back out. Staying away from people wearing purfume though is very hard. When I do have the symptoms I use a saline solution in a Neti Pot (SinuCleanse) to clean my sinus's. It provides temporary relief and also combats any infection that may be present. I learned about it from Dr. Oz on Oprah. Good luck to you.

For the past 7-8 years i've been experiencing constant fatigue regardless of how much sleep i've got. I'm typically more tired when i wake up then when i went to sleep and my eyes throb and feel thick and heavy all day and all i ever want to do is lay down and rest my eyes... I've had extreme sinus congestion and have attributed the fatigue to not being able to sleep well because of the sinusitis. I've seen numerous ENT specialist and have had three nasal surgeries thus far yet nothing has seemed to help with my fatigue and trouble with my eyes. My eyes are tired all the time and I'm having trouble functioning on a daily basis, it's in a way reassuring to read that other people are facing the same issues I am and that I'm not crazy...please anyone contact me whose had some helpful treats...thanks =)

Hi, I personally think you may have anxiety or depression or both, I think you should go to the doctor as these symptoms can be related to stress. I went through something very similar and had to take anti-depressants and anxiety tablets. Now I am much better but I am still taking a sinusis spray which takes 3 months to work.

Hope I am of some help

Hi, im suffering with chronic fatigue and sinus troubles and have been doing for 4 years. In 2003 I had glandular fever and enlarged tonsils, this developed into chronic fatigue and I have been having unrefreshing sleep every night 365 days a year for 4 years. I had my tonsils out in 2005 and this had no effect. I have tried homeopathic remedies and nasal sprays to try combat the symptoms I have. I havent been able to pop my ears for years.
I wake up every morning feeling as though ive had an hours sleep and have the worst puffy eyes/headaches. I have a job where I manage a team in retail. I have to have a notepad to write absolutely every single detail down on otherwise I forget it. I suffer with severe lack of concentration also and when im giving a briefing and get asked a question half way through, I find it incredibly hard to carry on from where I left off!Today I saw the ENT specialist and had hearing test which came back fine, im booked in for a CT scan next month and just pray that this brings up something thats wrong in my head!
If anybody has any suggestions for anything I can do to relieve my constant puffy eyes/headaches (headaches are on my forehead) I would be really grateful!

John

I stumbled upon this site today during a google search of sinus pressure/headaches. I have been currently dealing with a headache for the past year and a half. I wake up in the morning tired and groggy of sorts and as the day progresses I feel the remaining energy just being sucked out of me. During my wakeup process my stomach is upset and I have noticed certain changes in my stools. the pain is in my forhead and all along the top of my head. So much so that my neck becomes stiff and painful. Its almost as if I feel drunk or hungover when I wake up. When I lay down at night I have to lay on my right side because the pain on my left side of my face is excruciating. I have gone to several doctors had an MRI done they said it was sinusitis. Had other blood tests done and everything came out fine. The antibiotics didn't do a thing for me. Neither does anti-hystamines. I am pretty much at my wits end here. Any ideas???

I had the same problem for years, I still get the sinus infections once and a while but not as bad. The doctors didn't do anything for me. But I have found that using a netti pot to clear the sinuses has help greatly. I've been able to sleep 8-9 hours in a row. Which is a record for me. But my eyes still are puffy when I wake up, so I apply an ice pack on them for a few minutes in the morning, then I use the netti pot and I'm all set for the day.


Mo wrote:

Sinus pressure, irritated/swollen/puffy eyes, fatigue, irritability, DEPRESSION!
I am so frutrated. I feel like I am sick more than I am healthy lately. I constantly go to the doctor and the response is always "sinusitis again." I get antibiotics but then it comes right back. Many people suspect allergies, but allergy meds doesn't seem to have an impact.

When I wake up, I don't want to get up. I feel tired as soon as my eyes open because they are puffy, itch and feel thick and swollen. My teeth/jaws are sore, I am constantly pushing my hands on my cheek bones (just to the left/right of my nose), putting pressure on the ridge of my nose and just above my nose on my forehead. I feel out of it and spacey. I am irritable. All I can think about is when I get to lay down again. When I rest, I still wake up tired. I can't sleep longer than four hours a night unless I have sleep medication which only allows a 7 hour nights rest at most.

All of this is bringing me down and depressing me so badly. I am usually a very upbeat, happy energetic person, but not in the last three months. I can't seem to shake it. My irritability is at an all time high. I really need help with this.

Does ANYONE have advice or some sort of knowledge as to what this is? I keep going to the doctor and hearing the same thing over and over but nothing is improving.

I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much!!

Molly