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Lisa Coon is a Writing Coordinator for OSF HealthCare, where she has worked since August 2016. A Peoria native, she is a graduate of Bradley University with a degree in journalism. Previously, she worked as a reporter and editor at several newspapers in Iowa and Illinois.She lives in Groveland with her husband and son. In her free time she likes to cook, bake and read. She freely admits that reality TV is a weakness, and she lives by the quote, The beach is good for the soul.
Whats The Best Way To Get Sinus Pressure Relief
Over-the-counter options include nasal decongestants and nasal steroid sprays. Some people try saline spray and nasal irrigation to find relief. Others stick with over-the-counter pain relievers to manage pain and fever symptoms. Drinking plenty of fluids, applying warm compresses to the sinus area, light facial massage and vaporizer use can also keep congestion moving on the way out.
This is a very complex problem and depending on the severity and the level of inflammation there are a host of diagnostic exams and tests to be performed before a true diagnosis can be made so that a treatment plan can be formulated, Winarsky says.
As such, there is no silver bullet or one pill to take that can alleviate all the symptoms.
While a sinus infection can go away on its own, it is a good idea to make an appointment with your doctorespecially if you seem to be getting a lot of sinus infections. Also, nasal discharge, fever, congestion or pain that lasts more than 10 days warrants a trip to see your physician.
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Are Sinus Infections Viral
Sinusitis can occur due to a viral infection. If excess mucus develops and cannot exit the body due to a blockage or nasal inflammation, it can cause a sinus infection. You may start with a viral cold that doesnt clear up and then turns into a bacterial infection. Allergies can also lead to sinus infections, as can a deviated septum. When bacteria grows in the sinuses, it is a bacterial infection.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, sinusitis is typically caused by a virus, and less commonly caused by bacteria.
Could I Have A Sinus Infection And Strep Throat
Did you know that It is possible to have a sinus infection and strep throat at the same time? When your bodys immune system is low, you are more susceptible to illnesses and have a harder time fighting them off. So, what starts as a mild cold can end up a severe sinus infection and strep throat.
A sinus infection occurs when your sinuses become swollen and inflamed. It is common to develop a sinus infection after a cold because a cold can cause sinuses to swell, preventing the discharge of mucus. According to WebMD, When the sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid, bacteria can grow there and cause infection. This infection is sinusitis.
Symptoms
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Stomachache, fatigue, and vomiting
Treatment
A physician can usually determine if you have strep throat in a matter of minutes with a rapid strep test. Once it is confirmed that you have strep throat, he or she will normally prescribe antibiotics. If you have a sinus infection and strep throat, the antibiotics that are prescribed for one illness will usually take care of the other illness as well.
Whether you have strep throat, a sinus infection, a cold, or the flu, FastMed Urgent Care is available to see you every day of the year. With locations throughout North Carolina and Arizona, finding the care you need is simple. Contact your local FastMed today.
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How To Treat A Sinus Infection
In the case of sinus infections, pain medication is rarely prescribed. Patients will be encouraged to try a sinus rinse using a Neti Pot before moving on to more serious interventions.
In cases of acute sinusitis, patients may also experience cold-like symptoms. If these symptoms dont get better or appear to get worse after 5-7 days, your doctor may decide to treat the sinus infection with antibiotics along with nasal decongestant, nasal sprays, and saline solution.
In severe cases of sinus infections, your doctor may decide to prescribe steroids.
Theres only one thing worse than suffering from a sinus infection or an ear infection: suffering from both at the same time. Unfortunately, anything that causes nasal swelling can cause swelling of the middle ear space because the nose is congested. So cases in which you have a sinus infection and ear infection at the same time can be especially painful.
When it comes to different infections in the ear, nose, and throat, its easy to get your wires crossed and find that you arent quite sure whats going on in your body.
What Causes Sinus Infections
Sinus infections are caused by allergies, air pollution, and nose structure. Its important to take note of what triggers your sinuses. Are you more likely to get a sinus infection from mold, for example? Is dust the culprit? Or are your sinus infections brought on by less common causes, such as diabetes, autoimmune disorder, or a fungal infection?
Once you know what causes your sinus infections, reduce your risk of getting sinusitis by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, drying your hair after showering, receiving immunization shots, making your environment more sinus friendly by cleaning your house and replacing your air filter regularly, and avoiding smoking, people who smoke, sudden temperature changes , and caffeine or alcohol.
If your sinus infections are caused by allergies, try taking antihistamines. Sinusitis caused by fungal infections can be avoided with antifungal medicine. Finally, if you have immune deficiencies, immunoglobulin can help fight the irritants that cause sinus infections. Frequent or serious sinus infections and ear infections may indicate that you have acute or chronic sinusitis. Fortunately, there are treatment options for receiving lasting relief, even from acute or chronic sinusitis.
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Sinus Infections Can Cause Loss Of Hearing
Having grown up with that silly childrens song, some of us accepted long ago that somehow the knee bone is connected to the jaw bone, but did you know your nose is connected to your ear? More specifically, your nasal sinus cavity links to your eardrum, which occasionally causes hearing loss when suffering from acute or chronic sinusitis. If you or someone you know finds themselves enduring this condition, the best move is to treat sinusitis before it causes permanent damage, especially in children.
What is Sinusitis?
Simply put, sinusitis is an infection or inflammation of the sinus cavity, the air pocket tucked behind the bones of your nose and between your eyes. The two kinds of sinusitis, acute and chronic, share similar symptoms: runny nose, tension headaches, postnasal drip, coughing, and congestion. The difference lies in the longevity of their course. Chronic, by definition, refers to a lasting condition, whereas acute implies immediate and short-term discomfort fewer than eight weeks.
Though people with acute sinusitis may experience temporary bouts of hearing loss, the ability to hear usually restores itself once the infection clears. Chronic sinusitis, on the other hand, may turn temporary hearing loss into a permanent condition when complicated by an accompanying ear infection.
Why the Hearing Loss?
What Do I Do?
What Are The Six Types Of Sinusitis And Sinus Infections
Sinusitis may be classified in several ways, based on its duration and the type of inflammation . The term rhinosinusitis is used to imply that both the nose and sinuses are involved and is becoming the preferred term over sinusitis.
- Acute sinus infection usually lasts less than 3-5 days.
- Subacute sinus infection lasts one to three months.
- Chronic sinus infection is greater than three months. Chronic sinusitis may be further sub-classified into chronic sinusitis with or without nasal polyps, or allergic fungal sinusitis.
- Recurrent sinusitis has several sinusitis attacks every year.
There is no medical consensus on the above time periods.
- Infected sinusitis usually is caused by an uncomplicated virus infection. Less frequently, bacterial growth causes sinus infection and fungal sinus infection is very infrequent. Subacute and chronic forms of a sinus infection usually are the result of incomplete treatment of an acute sinus infection.
- Noninfectious sinusitis is caused by irritants and allergic conditions and follows the same general timeline for acute, subacute, and chronic as infectious sinusitis.
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Treatment For Persistent Sinus Infections And Ear Infections
Having a sinus infection is never pleasant, especially if it leads to an ear infection. Luckily, Kaplan Sinus Relief is here to help with all of your sinus issues. Dr. Kaplan uses an innovative treatment named Balloon Sinuplasty to clear your sinus passageways by inserting and inflating a small balloon.
A minimally invasive procedure, Balloon Sinuplastys success rate is incredibly high. This treatment is painless, requires minimal recovery time, and requires only local anesthesia. Patients can often resume their daily activities within two days of the procedure. Balloon Sinuplasty is an effective treatment for all who suffer from the difficulty of sinus infections.
Can Sinus Pressure Make Your Teeth Hurt
It is possible to have a toothache caused by a sinus infection . It is fairly common for sinus conditions to cause pain in the upper back teeth. There are two empty spaces in your skull called sinuses, which connect to your nasal cavity. In the case of sinusitis, the tissues in these spaces become inflamed, which can cause pain in the patient.
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Can A Sinus Infection Cause Fever
Having a fever is not an extremely common symptom of chronic or acute sinusitis, but will sometimes occur. You may also be experiencing a common cold, which has similar symptoms and is often associated with a fever. In very rare circumstances, it could be a sign of something more serious, such as a brain infection or a bone infection, particularly for young males with frontal sinusitis. Bone infections may also be fungal, which is determined via a bone biopsy.
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Alternate Warm And Cold Compresses
Rotating warm and cold compresses on your sinuses is another remedy worth exploring, says Dr. Probst.
When you put a hot compress on your sinuses, it helps warm the nasal passage and loosens secretions, he says. Alternating warm and cold compresses relieve sinus pain and sinus pressure.
Start by laying a warm compresssuch as a washcloth soaked in warm water, then wrung outon your face for 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Follow by applying a cold compress for 30 seconds. Repeat three or four times. You can try this process several times a day.
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How Long Will It Take For My Child To Recover From An Ear Infection In
Ear infections heal in stages. Antibiotics are administered to help kill bacteria in the middle ear usually within a few days. Most symptoms of fever and discomfort resolve during this time. However, fluid may linger for several weeks and continue to interfere with hearing. It is important to follow up with your childs doctor within a months time to ensure the fluid is beginning to drain from the ear. If it lingers longer than normal, your doctor may become concerned about the potential for recurrent sinus infections, chronic colds, or allergies.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind:
It is important to see a doctor if your child begins to display the signs of ear infection. An accurate diagnosis is essential for successful treatment especially since some children can exhibit the symptoms of ear infection in association with a different condition, such as teething.
Blood and pus draining from your childs ear may be frightening, but they are nothing to be overly concerned about. This is a normal symptom of ear infection and may occur if your childs eardrum has ruptured. Most children heal and recover from this condition with no complications.
It is important to completely finish an entire course of prescribed antibiotics as instructed. Stopping early could allow the infection to return.
What Types Of Treatments Are Available For Ear Infections
Many children recover from ear infections without medical intervention. However, your doctor may prescribe a course of antibiotics depending on the cause and extent of your childs infection. Usually, treatment includes several days of amoxicillin, azithromycin, or augmentin. You may also need to treat a ruptured eardrum with antibiotic or anti-inflammatory eardrops.
If your child is experience severe ear pain, your doctor may suggest using an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to manage discomfort and aid in sleep. If pain continues, prescription eardrops may be available to anesthetize the eardrum so long as there is no drainage from the ear.
Some parents find that home remedies are effective for alleviating discomfort during an ear infection. Examples include applying a warm compress to your childs ear or putting a few drops of warm olive oil into the ear canal. However, you should never place anything inside your childs ear without first consulting his or her doctor.
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Pain Or Pressure In Your Sinuses
Facial pain is a common symptom of sinusitis. You have several different sinuses above and below your eyes, as well as behind your nose. Any of these air-filled cavities can hurt when you have a sinus infection.
Inflammation and swelling can cause your sinuses to ache with dull pressure. This is because inflammation may alter the typical path of mucus from the nose to the back of the throat.
You may feel pain in:
- your forehead
- on either side of your nose
- in your upper jaws and teeth
- between your eyes
This may lead to a headache. Headaches caused by sinus infections can occur where the sinuses are or in other places.
What Tests Diagnose The Cause Of Sinus Infections And Sinusitis
Sinus infection is most often diagnosed based on the history and examination of a doctor. Because plain X-ray studies of the sinuses may be misleading and procedures such as CT and MRI scans, which are much more sensitive in their ability to diagnose a sinus infection, are so expensive and not available in most doctors offices, most sinus infections are initially diagnosed and treated based on clinical findings on examination. These physical findings may include:
- redness and swelling of the nasal passages,
- purulent drainage from the nasal passages ,
- tenderness to percussion over the cheeks or forehead region of the sinuses, and
- swelling about the eyes and cheeks.
Occasionally, nasal secretions are examined for secreted cells that may help differentiate between infectious and allergic sinusitis. Infectious sinusitis may show specialized cells of infection while allergic sinusitis may show specialized white blood cells of allergy . Physicians prescribe antibiotics if the bacterial infection is suspected. Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections many physicians then treat the symptoms.
In addition, both rigid and flexible endoscopy has been used to obtain diagnostic material from sinuses. These procedures are usually done by an otolaryngologist under topical and local anesthesia. Occasionally, there may be a need to sedate the patient. Some investigators suggest that endoscopy specimens are comparable to those obtained by needle puncture.
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Ear Throat And Sinus Infections
Your ears, nose, and throat are all part of your upper respiratory system. They share anatomy and have similar mucus membrane linings, which means they are able to get similar infections. Understanding the anatomy of your ears, nose, and throat will help you know how to keep them in good health and free of infections.
Below youll find information regarding common ear, throat and sinus infections and how they can be treated at Windermere Medical Center.
Is It A Sinus Infection Or An Ear Infection
Sometimes, people who experience a feeling of fullness in the ear, muffled hearing and fever attribute these symptoms to a sinus infection. That could be a mistake because the symptoms all together line up more with an ear infection. Each type of infection has different treatments, so having the proper diagnosis is important.
Symptoms of a Sinus Infection
The signs of a sinus infection can include:
- Fever
- Sinus pressure behind eyes and cheeks
- Thick yellow or green mucus dripping from your nose or into the back of your throat
- Lesser sense of smell
- Runny, stuffy nose for more than a week
- Cough
- Facial pain
- Pain in the upper teeth
- Upset stomach, nausea, pain behind the eyes and headaches
Sinus infections occur when the nasal passages get congested. These infections can be tricky to treat and are sometimes chronic. Hearing loss is NOT a symptom of a sinus infection, although your ear may feel full. Sinus infections, as opposed to ear infections, are less frequent in children.
Symptoms of an Ear Infection
Children get ear infections more often than adults do, and muffled hearing is one symptom that both groups may share. In adults, the symptoms can also include:
- Earache
- Feeling of fullness in ear
- Ear drainage
- Sharp stabbing pain in ear canal
- Sore throat, stuffy nose or fever
Symptoms among children include muffled hearing, pulling at the ear, ear drainage, restlessness, fever, irritability and crying when lying down. Children can also experience sore throat, stuffy nose or fever.
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