Sphenoid sinusitis for one year now.

I feel the same way except my eyes don't hurt so badly rather my teeth ache, this seems quite strange. I took 14 dats of anti biotics and put an ointment antibiotic in my nose. I felt much better while on meds but as soon as they ended symptoms returned. I'm going back to my doctor an then on to an Ear Nose Throat specialist. Don't accept any doctors response if you still feel badly. Your symptoms are not normal.

October 18th 2012 I am going through this now. I have the same symptoms. May of 2012 I was driving and all of the sudden I got dizzy and my vision was going black, it felt like I was going to blackout. I pulled over and my son drove us home. I kind of blew it off because we where moving out of state. In July the same thing happened and my son took me to the ER. They did a CT scan and said everything looked good and diagnosed me with vertigo and gave me antivert (did not work) so I did not drive again until September. I found that I got dizzy spells but they weren’t that bad unless I was driving I have the neck crackling and lower back as well. I am tired can’t focus with my eyes it’s hard to read small print. Went to my optometrist and my eyes are fine I have 20/20 distance and up close was not bad. The ringing in my ears is constant now as well as the pressure in my ears. I have seen an ENT Dr. and just did an MRI. It showed that I have this Sphenoid Sinusitis. The funny thing is it probably showed on my CT scan that I did three months ago, so I asked my ENT Dr. to look into that for me. My doctor prescribed me Cefuroxime Axetil 250mg twice a day for 20 days. And then another CT scan in a month. I hope this works because I want my life back.

I am having the same dizzy, foul smell, pressure at the back of my head/neck. The worst part is that my nasal passages are acting clear. Nothing wants to come out, I can breath through them and I dont have a build up of mucus, except for that foul smelling post nasal drip that burns as it goes down the back of my throat. Sometimes my neck gets so hot it feels like pins and needles burning it. My eyes have so much pressure that it's affecting my vision; at times I cannot even watch tv. Sometimes  I feel weak like I will faint and I have a hard time to breath for a few minutes, other times I seem to get an adrenalin rush. Of course usualy when I lay down to go to bed. Then my head is spinning and my legs dont want to stay still. Im having a hard time laying down because the dizziness just gets worst all the time, it doesnt seem to let up or go away. My doctor is acting like I just have a sinus infection, take the antibiotics and it will all be better. Im 9 days into the antibiotics and the pressure and dizziness are worst than when I started the antibiotics. Sometimes I feel like I will just pass out and die, but so far, I am still here :) 

I thank you for your posts because I have been looking at other message boards about sinus infections and they were always talking about the congestion and frontal pressure. I was beginning to think maybe I was dealing with a brain tumor, not a sinus infection, but after reading your posts I feel much better knowing I am not the only person in the world to experience this awful misery. The fact that you posted here tells me that you are still alive too. If anyone else gets through this please come back here and post your sucess story, you dont know how encouraging it is to hear that someone actualy survived this and got past it. Thanks Jen

Mike I have had all those symptoms periodically for many years includinng the neck problem. Am getting a g.p. appointment next. Week as this year is the worst ever.

I thought I was going nuts! Mine started in 2008 and has only just been diagnosed. Started as chronic fatigue like symptoms, then I thought I was going nuts kept getting pins and needles feelings in my face and running over my head random dizzy spells brain fog etc, i was only 18 so thought it was the lack of sleep drinking etc. Then I was driving home one night after hockey training and smashed my car into a ditch. they did an MRI to check my head and nothing. they did an EEG nothing. I have spent years with on off dizzyness pins and needles. So I started a diary of when it would happen because doctors just thought It was chronic fatugue.

Then about 6 months ago the headache set in again I thought it was from my wisdom teeth, had them out and wait for it the headache the pain in my jaw the stiff neck and the dizzy spells where all still there!

Then 2 weeks ago I started a headach on the wednesday when I flew home from work, it just would not budge I dont take panadol or nurofen due to stomach upsets so I was drinking up to and over 5 litres of water a day and still in pain blurred vison like looking through a dirty windscreen. Finally took panadol on the saturday. it worked for half an hour then came back.

So on sunday when i was swimming at the beach i was diving down about a metre and nearly blacked out from the intense pressure inside my head. after that i went home and went to the ED. I couldnt construct a sentance and my head was pounding. They filled me up with an IV anti inflammitry and painkillers. The ED doctor then tried to say he would do a lumbar puncture and ct to check for meningitis or tumor or leaking spinal fluid blood etc. He then decided because my pain had gone down (as I was high as a kite) he could send me home, and tried to tell me the pain in my head was coming from my neck! when I knew the neck pain came from the head pain. In his opinion it was a result of the MVE in 2008.

So the following day I went to my GP who sent me for an immediet CT scan, I saw him the following day and wow look here - Spenoid SInusitis. result douple course of antibiotics Iblex 500mg 3 x a day. And tramidol for the pain coz im still getting the headaches!

I still have a constant fuzzy pins and needles feeling in the top left rear side of my head and through my face, constant neck pain like it is an effort to hold my head, burning eyes yucky taste running down my throat (awful dead like morning breath) and constant sore ears like they are infected but apparently they are not!

If their is a cure someone help. I live in a constant state of not knowing if I will black out randomly from the pressure, Doctors think I'm nuts but I cannot concentrate at all and it is effecting my lifestyle.

Did you ever get over this? I have all your symptoms and have been to doctor and chiropractor with little results. Anti-inflammatory does not seem to be working. The feeling of pressure in my head is bad, feels like my whole head is infected. This all started after a bout of sinusitis and flu. I did a course of antibiotics, felt a little better as far as sinus, but the neck and head problems are still there. I have to ice my head and neck at times. Do you have any suggestions or are you still suffering with this?

As a physician, I will tell you guys that MOST primary care physicians will dismiss your symptoms as benign and will often prescribe medications such as pain killers and muscle relaxers to address the SYMPTOMS of your pain as the PCP's may ascribe your pain to migraines and/or trapezius trigger points (which can exhibit similar symptoms). However, if you have sinus symptoms AND back of the head neck pain and headaches, the cause of such pain is mostly due to your sinus problems. Allow me to explain: if you google the anatomy of the (paranasal) sinuses and, specifically, the sphenoid sinus, you will see the extremely close proximity of the C1 Atlas vertebra to the mentioned sinuses. Therefore, inflammation of the sphenoid sinus or adenoids will cause irritation of the Cervical  (C1) Vertebra which will, in turn, refer the pain to the back of your neck. 

Therefore, as I suggested, if you do have neck pain and sinus symptoms have your sinuses checked by an ENT and inform them of the possible connection as they can guide/treat you accordingly. 

I always thought this problem is connected to my original attack of sinusitis. A 5 day course of antibiotics followed by a 20 day prescription for an anti-inflammatory has not helped. My chiropractor is helping a little but 3 treatments later I still have a very uncomfortable feeling in the back of my neck and upper shoulders. The feeling of pressure inside my head is still there, worse at certain times, fading a bit and then coming back full force. I can't rule out an inflammation in my neck and shoulders that is adding to the problem. Is it the cause though? I really appreciate the reply from Guest yesterday who is a physician. He makes sense when he speaks of the connection to the C1 Vertebra. I went to an ENT guy in the past to try and get rid of sinus problems, had X-rays, came away with nasal spray and a Sinus rinse kit. I'm reluctant to go again although if I tell him it's like an infection in my sphenoid sinus will the treatment be any different? I have prescription nasal sprays and they do not touch this feeling of pressure in the head. I haven't quite finished a 20 day supply of a prescription anti-inflammatory but I'm not noticing any improvement after over a week on this med. My chiro is away for a week but when she gets back I will tell her what Guest yesterday said about the C1 vertebra. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime? I am normally a very healthy, happy person and I have hardly ever had a headache before, so have no history of migraines or anything like that. This all started after a bad head cold (might have been flu) followed by an attack of sinusitis. Sorry to be so long-winded but I'm anxious for a cure. I don't want to still have this 8 months or a year from now. Thanks to anyone who can offer anything more.

This is the same physician from the post on 1/20/13 I understand the distress your symptoms can put you through. However, I can only offer you my opinion as I am not familiar with the specifics with regards to your complaint and medical records. Nonetheless, the reason why you did not notice significant improvement following antibiotics is : A) because there are MANY organisms which can cause sinusitis including Bacterial, Fungal, and Viral. Antibiotics are usually extremely selective and have a narrow spectrum of organisms which they can effectively kill. For example, augmentin (which is commonly prescribed as a first line of treatment) is ONLY effective against bacteria and, more specifically, against Staph and Strep bacterial infections. Therefore, if your sinusitis is viral (which seems to be the case as you mentioned that you had a flu), bacterial antibiotics are absolutely useless. In light of this, I would suggest going to an ENT and specifically asking for a Culture to be performed so the type of organism can be isolated and identified (i.e Viral, Fungal, or Bacterial). After identifying the correct organism, which I suspect may be viral or fungal, more appropriate therapy can be prescribed. B) The problem with SPHENOID SINUSITIS, as opposed to paranasal, maxillary and frontal sinusitis, is that the sphenoid sinus is i) way back in the nasal cavity and therefore, hard to penetrate with nasal irrigation, and ii) the opening of the sinus is towards the roof of the nasal cavity, therefore, its harder for inflammatory accumulation and mucus to drain out from it. And also, unlike other sinusitis' pressure in the sphenoid sinus causes compression of the sella turcica and pituitary gland (BRAIN) and therefore, can cause visual disturbances and a "pressure in the head" feeling. Another risk factor for Sphenoid sinusitis is Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis (A blood clot in the sinus), this is a serious condition and should be assessed by an ENT. Nonetheless, as I explained in the previous post pressure in the sphenoid sinus presses against the pituitary and the Occipital Bone + C1 Atlas Vertebrae and can refer the pain to the MAIN LIGAMENT of the back of the neck known as the "Tectorial Membrane". So to answer your question, I suspect the pain in the shoulders and back of the neck is from sphenoid sinusitis and/or Adenoid Hypertrophy (which are basically tonsils), both of these should be considered by the ENT when making your diagnosis. If the pain was isolated and you do not have concurrant sinusitis then it may be trigger points in the muscles of your neck. My advice is,for the time being, to purchase nasal irrigation kits or Saline nasal sprays and keep you sinuses clear to help drainage of the sphenoid as much as you can although drainage of the sphenoid, as mentioned, can be difficult. Suggest the possibility of Sphenoid Sinusitis to your ENT and have a CT scan done and also a culture to identify the organism. Best of luck, hope you feel better.

Hello from Thailand. I just have CT scan today. My symptoms is different that most of you guys. I have an allergy and asthma since I was born. I always have stuffy nose, always use my mouth to breath. But it doesn't bother me so I wasn't really think about checking for sinusitis. But a month ago I started to have running nose. 2 days later I started to have sputum and coughing. I went to see doctor right away. Since I've never have headache of facial pain, the doctor didn't suspect that I might have sinusitis. He gave me a week of augmentin. And nasal spray also. I didn't feel better though. And sometimes it was so hard to breathe that I almost had asthma attack. A week later I called my aunt who is a med doctor. She suggested I might have sinusitis so I went to see ENT specialist. He took a radiograph x ray check and it's seems like I have right maxillary sinusitis. He gave me 2 weeks of meiact. And I still use nasal spray since then. My nose does feel better. I can breath through my nose again. I feel like I have less sputum but not all gone. I still cough and sometimes the sputum is so sticky that I cannot swallow normally. He said that I still can try medicine for 2 more weeks but if I still not get better I should have CT scan. But I don't want to wait so I asked for CT scan right away. That's how we found out that the problem isn't at my right maxillary sinus but at my right sphenoid sinus instead. So I have sphenoid sinus infection. My doctor said I should admit and stay for 2-5 nights because I need a very strong and huge dose of IV antibiotics. So I'm gonna admit on this saturday (3 more days from now) and hope that this will help.

My wife had a spheniod fungal infection an d after the operation she has been left with burning headaches and ringing in the ears- her brain function is not the best and she has had long distance vission loss- this has been five years since the operation and 28 specialists later- You start to realize just how little our medical actually knows
Vince Neil

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To Mycotox Very sorry to hear about your wife's condition following the operation. This is why I am so reluctant to go through all the treatments that normal MD's suggest. By reading back on this site it is not hard to see that the doctors are mostly trying the shotgun approach to treating us, with no real expectation that a cure will result. I feel that the uproar over using too many antibiotics has caused the doctors to err on the side of caution. In my own case, I catch a head cold and some times it gets worse no matter how many fluids, cold remedies, etc. The doctor waits to see if I can shake it by myself. Many times (especially last few years) it grows steadily worse until I have full blown Bronchitis or Sinusitis. It's absolutely no use asking for an antibiotic until I reach a really sick stage such as coughing my lungs out or yellow discharge from sinuses. There follows a 5 day course of an antibiotic that usually has not been long enough or strong enough despite the fact that I have never been an abuser of antibiotics. The resulting bronchitis or sinusitis really gets a grip on my body and I spend weeks and weeks trying to get well. This time I didn't get the bronchitis but the infection went deep into my sinuses and set off an inflammation in my neck and shoulders. The "pressure cooker" feeling in my head and sensation of tightness and tingling is different than I've ever had before with a case of sinus and is keeping me from doing most everything. My MD did not renew the antibiotic despite my ongoing symptoms and instead has prescribed the anti-inflammatory and a nasal spray. It has been over a month now and I feel like a malingerer, so unlike me. I want my head to clear up. I really appreciate the physician't two responses above and will certainly take his/her advice. I'm just afraid of being told I need an operation or a spinal tap when others have been that route with little results or actually getting worse. I won't be foolish if my symptoms worsen but I'm hoping that with the return of my chiro in 4 days I can resume treatment and get much better. In closing, I would like to thank guest physician for the detailed reply to try and help. If we stick together on this problem perhaps we can make a discovery that will actually help us sufferers. I sure don't want to spend the next few years waiting to see 28 specialists and have the result that Mycotox's wife did. I sure wish her well and will entreat the powers that be, on her behalf and for all the other sufferers too. Thanks everyone!

I have had a sinus infection for over 10 weeks.  My primary doctor gave me augmentin which helped alleviate the symptoms however once I was off antibiotics for three days, the symptoms came  back big time.  I had the dizziness, sinus pressure, headache behind the eyes, ear and upper tooth pain and low grade fever and nausea.  I went right to an ent who ordered a ct scan.  My left sphenoid sinuse was completely filled and maxilary sinuses mildly infected.  I was cultured and put on augmentin 14 days, short burst prednisone, decongestant and the doctor ordered a nasal irrigation system with two different liquid antibiotics and a liquid steroid to use twice a day.  After ten days on the antibiotics, I started to feel 70% better.  Once I was off the antibiotics for three days, the symptoms came back big time.  I have had a low fever (99 .8)on and off all weekend, chills, headache behind the eyes, congestion, very dizzy and occasional ear pain.  I am supposed to see the ent again on Tuesday.  I plan to call and see if I can get in tomorrow.  I know that if all non invasive treatments failed, I will be looking at surgery to drain the sinuses.

I have taken 5 courses of varying Antibiotics along with several steroid treatments and Affrin. PCP referred me to ENT after 5 months of treatments and appointments for a suspected middle ear or subclinical sinus infection. I would feel a bit of relief when on steroids/antibiotics, but all the symptoms (mentioned here) would return within 4 days or so. Waiting for ENT appointments and a seemingly unresponsive or unconcerned Dr. makes the misery even worse. The pain in my neck and back of head are unbearable. It is exactly as you said, head feels too heavy for neck, cracking, dizziness, ear and jaw pain and the list goes on. I also found toxic mold in my house so I moved out within a week, some relief came with not being around the irritant, but I live in Western NC, and mold is common in the Southeast, even in the air. I spent a week in California with family taking more steroids and antibiotics, I actually started to feel normal again, but alas, when the meds wore off I now find myself back where I began.  CT scan shows fluid in ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses, but ENT says it doesn't look like a fungal infection (which apparently displays more dense or grainy, and bacterial displays as cloudy). I have another appoint in 2 weeks and I cannot get the ENT office to make me an earlier appointment. To top matters - I have missed a boatload of work! If it wasn't painful, I'd scream. I am sure my family would like a normal mother and wife back, but this infection really changes who you are, in addition to the medicine side effects and lack of sleep.