How to deal with constant sinus pressure in ears and frontal sinus? (sinuses, food allergy)

[Southern Soul Bro]

I've been dealing with what I assumed to be sinus or allergy issues for awhile. I was taking Claritin daily and aside from the occasional stuffy nose or ear/head pressure, it was pretty manageable. Every 2 or 3 months I would have a day where I'd pop a "sinus/allergy/headache" pill.

About 3 months ago, I had a 2-3 week stretch unlike any I've ever experienced. It was nearly constant pressure that would rotate back and forth from my ears to my frontal sinus. I was concerned, so I went to the ENT.

He did a nasal endoscopy and didnt see any nasal polyps. He said I have a slightly deviated septum. He did see "a little inflammation" and recommended I switch over to Zyrtec, start Flonase, and that I do a Sinus CT and allergy test.

A couple weeks later I did both and found out I'm basically allergic to outside (basically most trees and grass) and again he said he just saw "a little inflammation" in my sinus.

He mentioned that coming in every week for an allergy shot and sinus surgery could be an option that I could look into but didnt really go into detail about how exactly it would fix my issue. I found out it would cost me $50 per week AND my primary care physician said he "doesnt believe in the allergy shots"

As far as constant, daily pressure, the problem subsided for awhile. Maybe every 4 days or so the pressure would be pretty bad for an hour or so.

Well, about 3 days ago, I sneezed for about 8 times in a row and now I have that constant pressure again. It bounces around from my ears, to nostrils, so my frontal sinus.

Has any one else dealt with this? How did you solve this issue? Is there something else I should be doing/taking? What else do I need to tell my ENT to check for because telling Flonase and Zyrtec isn't fixing this. Or am I destined for sinus surgery?

Because it feels like it's almost to the point where it's effecting my quality of life

[Mary2014]

I can relate to being allergic to trees and grass although it took me years to understand why I suffered all year round and particularly during the winter months. I don't know if this will help, but, I will pass along what it took me years to learn in my particular case.

My tree /grass allergies include being around old books, wood burning fireplaces, chipping wood, cut flowers, cut grass - not just the pollen from the trees during the springtime. Also, a sudden change in barometric pressure up or down can trigger severe sinus pressure (flying/scuba diving/sudden change in weather). If the humidity in my home drops in the winter to the mid 30's due to the outside temperature and keeping the house warm my sinuses go crazy.

I use a small portable humidifier in my bedroom for a few hours before I go to sleep during the winter months to increase the humidity in the room. No old books, cut flowers or wood burning fireplaces in my house. If the weather is not awful outside I go for a walk as the cold air seems to help.

While these suggestions will not cure your sinus issues it may give you a little bit of control over them.

[Ghaati]

Get a full dental exam and let them know you're having sinus problems.

You have sinuses behind your gums on your upper jaw. If a tooth root is enflamed, it could be pushing against one of those sinuses. If that's the case, a course of antibiotics and a root canal treatment will solve the problem.

[Rabrrita]

I know many Vets who had nasal/sinus issues and they found nasal irrigation or vapor treatments using certain prescription additives worked and provided relief. Now, the VA provided equipment and medications are free to the vets so not sure how much it cost in the open/insurance market. From my understanding, the equipment (Navage, Nelimed, etc) are cheap compared to the actual prescription medication.

[db4570]

Sorry for the long reply to follow, but I went through a lot of what you are going through, and maybe my situation could be helpful in some way.

I had bad sinus problems into my 20s, and a stuffed-up head until only 10 years ago.

When I was a late-teenager I saw my doctor for a bad sinus situation, and in the course of the exam and questions he asked if I had my wisdom teeth out. I think I replied that I had a couple out, and a couple left. He didn't say anything about it, but I think filed it away in his head. (He was that kind of small-town old time doctor).

A year or two later all my wisdom teeth were out, after giving me trouble, and I don't think I had a bad sinus headache after that. It seems all that stuff up in there is connected.

But my head continued to be stuffed up constantly. To the point where is was rare I could breathe through my nose at all. Maybe a few times a year.

I went to the ear-nose-throat guy, who naturally determined I needed a surgery to get stuff tucked and trimmed inside my nose. Sorry, I forget the medical terms. So he did this rather gruesome operation on my schnoz, and it seemed like maybe it helped a bit for a while, but maybe it was just a placebo. It wasn't noticeable enough for me to justify having had it done.

I then went on a regular regimen of Claritin and Zyrtek, switching back and forth between them when one seemed to be losing effectiveness. This made a big difference.

But the biggest change was when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 10 years ago and put on a CPAP machine. Immediately my stuffed up head cleared up, and I breathe freely 95% of the time, all day. I don't know what it did, but it basically cured me.

In the last couple of years I have been occasionally using this nasal irrigator bottle, which is a bit of an odd sensation, but does a really good job of loosening stuff up way up in there and flushing it out.

Good luck with your quest. Sinus headaches are terrible. Maybe something I shared here could be useful.

[stephenMM]

OTC allergy drugs don't do much, and in many cases make things worse. I would stay away from them. Probably the best thing you can do is common sense stuff.

When you come in from outside, change clothes and take a damp washcloth to your hair and face. Use a home vaporizer thingie to keep some humidity inside since this is winter, and heaters dry the air out. When you come inside and before bed, take some saline solution nose spray and use it, then blow your nose out well to clear your sinuses.

Sleeping w/ your head elevated a little is helpful, so a new pillow may be in order. Which brings up another issue, change your bedding more often than in the summer, especially your pillow case(s). And something like Benadryl before bed MAY help, but I wouldn't recommend it for long term use, especially if you have kidney issues as it causes urine retention which makes your kidneys have to work more.

[Wile E. Coyote]

The number one thing is to get a very good Allergist. Mine is an Allergist-Immunologist. I knew I had hay fever for years and had a different Allergist in my 20's in a different state. He had recommended I do the desensitization injections. However, I just could not commit as it is three days a week at first and then it goes down to twice a week once a week and after a couple of years it is once a month. I could not do that as I was working full time and going to night school. I finally did start the desensitization shots about 25 years later around 2015. I live in a different area, but, it got much warmer and my allergies just kept getting more severe. It was just after that time I was diagnosed with Asthma (my allergist 25 years earlier had told me I was developing it).

So, five years of desensitization injections for my severe allergies (grass followed by trees)... It was worth it. My allergies are less severe and I am able to control them with over-the-counter medications. My Asthma is better if I stay on my inhaler all the time instead of trying to get away with using it only during certain timeframes.

I have chronic sinus infections off and on for long periods of time. I use everything to try to control it and keep it under control. The meds I use are Claritin, Nasacort (mixed with Afrin - do not take Afrin on it's own), Mucinex decongestant (the blue box), garlic pills, Arm & Hammer Simply Saline, Symbicort for Asthma. The list has morphed over the years and things I used to take I no longer take, etc. Garlic pills I do on my own (instead of antibiotics for sinus infections because I am immunocompromised and taking too many antibiotics is not good).

My current Allergist really does a good job of helping me make the right choices and what's nice is when I see him he writes a memo that reminds me what he wants me to do. His nurse has helped me out a great deal (she's the one that took me off Flonase and put me on the Nasacort-Afrin combo (I have a lot less need for my allergist now)). Flonase was giving me headaches. She saved my life once when I was going into anaphylactic shock. She had me pop an Allegra. Fortunately I was also in an emergency room due to my broken arm (but, I called her because I just had an injection).

I cannot prove it but eliminating dairy helps. Actually quit carbs. I do a modified keto diet. None of it is proven. You can have food allergy testing done too by the way. That's all stuff I discovered on my own. The only food I know I am actually allergic to are sunflower seeds (a mild allergy).

I agree with StephenMM above. I used to get so bad I had to wash my clothes and shower when coming back inside. It's a good idea to wash all your bedding in hot water every couple of weeks during allergy season. Also, vacuum and dust, etc.

[kyle19125]

Regarding desensitization shots, they're well worth it. As a child my tests came back with allergies to dust, ragweed, tree pollen, dairy products and chocolate. After a several month program of frequent tapering down to occasional shots my food allergies vanished more/less and the environmental manageable with OTC medications like nasal steroids and a daily antihistamine. Worth notating is the fact your body will most likely respond better to some antihistamines than others (or over time stop working altogether), so don't be afraid to experiment with the varying options. From my experience Claritin had the least side effects but was least effective long term, Allegra was right behind. Zyrtec makes many drowsy (including myself). Benadryl is least tolerated but most effective I find and take it at night to eliminate daytime drowsiness. Xyzal is newer and cannot attest to its potency or side effects. Some allergy meds like Claritin can be overlapped more than once per day during high season for outdoor allergies, but important to ask your MD if it is recommended for you.

[ihatetodust]

I took 3 allergy shots as prescribed for 5 years, never missed one. Didn't help. Or maybe only mildly. None of the OTC meds help me either.

[YorktownGal]

I'm not crazy about vaccines (not an anti-vaxxer - I just get sick with every flu shot).

My allergist ran a pneumonia panel on my immune system. We discovered that I have no protection to 23 types of pneumonia. Well, it turns out that sinus and pneumonia germs overlap. So he said if I get a pneumonia vaccine, it will help stop sinus inflammation. Yea!

Originally Posted by stephenMM

Sleeping w/ your head elevated a little is helpful, so a new pillow may be in order. Which brings up another issue, change your bedding more often than in the summer, especially your pillow case(s). And something like Benadryl before bed MAY help, but I wouldn't recommend it for long term use, especially if you have kidney issues as it causes urine retention which makes your kidneys have to work more.

I wash my sheets and every blanket every week without fail. I wash my pillows (politics aside - My Pillows wash well) every month or sooner. I never use rugs and wash floors frequently. I wash my drapes every other month. It's a lot of work that makes a big difference. Also use air-conditioning and keep bedroom windows closed.

I found that my kidney numbers are affected by sinus infections and medication. Taking care of sinus issues is important to your entire body!