sinus infection
 

A good friend of mine has a bad sinus infection, any ideas on how to make her more comfortable till she gets better?

Thanks in advance.

Just start taking the antibiotics and it will start to subside in about 2 days...

Make sure she takes a good decongestant also. Sinus problems stem from drainage issues which must be addressed primarily

thanks for the help

I am just getting over one. Started Friday night. I feel pretty good now. I am taking Z-pak and allegra D..antibiotic and decongestant. Drink plenty of water. I'm still not 100% but muc much better.

My buddy got one, but ignored it, it went down his throat, he was in ER for a night, and has been under bed rest for almost a week now.

Take the meds and get better, thats all.

Don't overdo it on the decongestant. Sudafed (or generic pseudoephedrine) is best, but only use it for a few days, using it to long can give you a nasty rebound sort of stuffiness in your nose that's worse than what you had with the infection.

Get a nasal saline wash. It will be one of the most disgusting things you'll do, but it's worth it. I do it regularly as I'm prone to sinus infections due to a deviated septum to prevent getting them.

Basically, you'll have a large squeeze bottle with a huge opening at the tip. They give you salt packets, and you mix it with warm water and shake. Tilt your head so you're nearly parallel with the sink, and open your mouth. Put it in the first nostril and squeeze twice, then do the same for the second. The mucus/rinse will follow the roof of your mouth, and tends to minimize the taste.

Yes, its gross, but it cleans out just about everything up there, and if allergies are a problem it does an excellent job of moistening the membranes. My ENT specialist recommended it to me and I love it.

EDIT: If they're looking for a specific one, mine is of the NeilMeds brand, and the box came with a very lofty supply of saline packets.

A slimpler way of doing a saline wash kind of treatment is to use a simple saline spray that you can get OTC at the pharmacy. There is one called Ayre and others that are just generic.

Also my mother had a serious sinus infection and was on a rigid antibiotic regimin. The Dr prescribed that she prepare an empty nasal spray bottle with a mixure of 50/50 Hydrogen peroxide and water. It fizzles in your nose, smells horrid and all but the day she started using it she got relief.

Yes if you're going OTC nasal spray you should go saline and nothing else. The decongestant sprays are much more prone to causing a rebound worse stuffy nose, which is why people can get "addicted" to nasal spray. Saline sprays will work to losen it up and get it flowing out, then just blow like mad.

I had recurring sinus infections for years. Nasal saline is a good way to go. Afrin spray is a good way to get through several bad days but as someone said above it can lead to rebound. Flonase is a very good over-the-counter medication that helps to prevent some of the issues that cause sinus infections to form in the first place. Allergies are the primary culprit of having drainage and then things get all blocked up and an infection sets in. Flonase works to reduce allergies.

In my case, I had to have surgery to correct it. I had an abnormally small nasal passage and enlarge turbinates. They had to go in and shave down the turbinates and kind of break and reset the nose to get the passages evened out. It worked like a charm. I haven't had a nasal infection in almost 2 years now, and I can finally sleep at night without decongestants, etc.

If the infections are chronic, I suggest seeing an ears, nose & throat specialist.