My Sphenoid Saga

This year has not been kind to my sinus. Three times in six months, I was on antibiotics. A recent head cold began to morph into an infection and to avoid a repeat of what I went through in February.

The infection I was diagnosed with in February did not clear up until May, after two rounds of antibiotics. Due to my sensitivities, my ENT initially prescribed three weeks of Bactrim. During my follow up appointment in March, I was pleased to learn that my ENT found no pus. He still saw yellow mucus, but did not think the sinus was still infected. Unfortunately, the infection was not gone. By mid-April I was back on antibiotics. This time I was prescribed Augmentin, which finally solved the problem. I saw my ENT at the end of May and he said my sinus was completely clear. In between and during my courses of antibiotics I took guaifenesin  and sudafed as needed. I take the real sudafed from the pharmacy and not the over the counter version. It’s surprising how much relief can come from one small red pill.

By June I was more positive that my sphenoid saga was coming to a close, but by the middle of the month and in midst of the aforementioned head cold my doubt grew. I had my check in with my allergist a couple of weeks ago and he confirmed my suspicions. If it was so easy for my head cold to start displaying symptoms of a sinus infection, my infection was most likely not gone.

Now I wait. My ENT wanted to see me once I completed the antibiotics, but the first available appointment was on August sixth. Almost a month after I completed the antibiotics. I’m on a cancelation call list, but so far there have been no openings. For now this saga is to be continued…

Reinventing My Wellness

According to The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, in just five months’ time I have faced five life events that potentially contribute to stress related illnesses. With my already fragile immunity this is not a good thing.

From January to May of this year I have dealt with:

• Death of a close family member
• Personal injury or illness
• Change in health of family member
• Change to a different line of work
• Change in residence

Bringing my stress score to 216. Which according to the scale means, “you have a moderate to high chance of becoming ill in the near future.” Not something you want to read, especially after dealing with three out of the five in the month April alone.

Ideally, I would like to take the Mindy Kaling approach to stress, “I do not think stress is a legitimate topic of conversation, in public anyway. No one ever wants to hear how stressed out anyone else is, because most of the time everyone is stressed out. Going on and on in detail about how stressed out I am isn’t conversation. It’ll never lead anywhere. No one is going to say, “Wow, Mindy, you really have it especially bad. I have heard some stories of stress, but this just takes the cake.”

Unfortunately, the impact of this stress is undeniable in the current state of my health. Minus the heart disease, the list found here pretty much sums up the way I’ve been feeling. I can’t undo any of what has happened. However, how I cope is completely within my power. So, here today I am dedicating myself to reinventing my wellness. Won’t you join me on this new chapter of my allergy journey?

Taking a Breather

The past month has been rough. An infection in the sphenoid sinus is the worst. I thought it was bad when I had mono or even when I had my sinus surgery, but those felt minor in comparison. With the infection being so close to the brain, my balance was completely off. I was dizzy off and on for a few weeks. The constant feeling of being on a boat grew old fairly quickly.

Now a week after completing my antibiotics, I can honestly say I am starting to feel better. I am taking it day by day. Breath by breath. I am filled with gratitude in the joy of being able to breathe again.

What’s a Sphenoid?

More about the sphenoid and image from here.

Four years after having sinus surgery, I considered myself pretty well versed in all things nasal. Over the last few days, I learned that wasn’t so. It started almost two weeks ago now, just a cold I was sure I could kick. I even saw my primary doctor and she agreed, just a cold.

As the days went by, I wasn’t able to kick it. It was the one doing all kicking and it was only getting worse. What started out as a sore throat moved up into my sinus and caused headaches like I hadn’t felt in years. I felt extremely dizzy and like I was on a continuous boat ride. A visit with my ENT confirmed I had a sinus infection in my sphenoid. At first when he took a look inside my nose he said it wasn’t too bad, which I didn’t understand because of how I felt. It wasn’t until he looked all the way into the back of my sinus with a scope did he see the infection. The sphenoid sinuses are in the bones behind the nasal cavity.

I am currently on antibiotics and steroids to fight off the infection. Since I am still feeling pretty awful, I am avoiding doing too much research on the sphenoid. From what I have read so far, infections can lead to some scary stuff. For now, I am taking it one day at a time and looking ahead to better health and even more to learn.