Pseudomonas in sinuses

I’ve known I had pseudomonas in my sinuses for 13 years. I was on IV antibiotics then for 3 months but they were improperly given I later learned from Infectious Disease at our hospital. It remains dormant until triggered. I knew 2 years ago it was active but couldn’t get a culture to show it. It has a neon biofilm around it. If you are getting drainage with an almost clear sticky neon color, that’s biofilm. I was again diagnosed about 3 months ago. I took Cipro for 6 weeks (recommended by the lab) and the Pseudomonas GREW. Then I was but on IVs of Impenum and that is 3 times daily for 5 weeks and my drainage is still green. I go to Infectious Disease tomorrow. I am not playing around with this any longer. It can be fatal. If it’s in your bone you need to go somewhere like Cleveland Clinic. Mine has shown up on two MRIs over the past 3 years. I have lost all my teeth but 4 with the explanation it was dry mouth! Let me know anything you know. My research said only 13% of sinus infections are this bacteria.

The problem is that all the “less effective” antibiotics have contributed to the virulency of the infection over the past year giving it more strength to create a biofilm protective wall. Since writing this, I was able to get in to see an ID doctor through a cancellation that opened up and I was set up with a PICC line along with my first dose of meropenem yesterday. I also met with a new ENT who concurred with the diagnosis and treatment plan. He added a nebulizer with gentamicin and scheduled sinus surgery a week after the meropenem kicked in to ensure we eradicate this infection from every angle. Everyone I have spoken with has said they’d never heard of this infection in the sinuses except for the ID dr who said it is very rare but that the IV antibiotics would be the only effective means of eradicating it successfully and even then there is a chance it can come back. My advice to anyone is to do your research, look for support groups and have an advocate with you.

What ended up working for you? I'm the same and going through the same thing. the Tobr isn't working for me in sinuses..

Yes. I have had pseudomonas off and on over 45 years. No antibiotic helped. Other bacteria were successfully treated, but this one lingered and exhausted my immune system. I finally found an ENT that has persistently treated this for the last 3 years and finally, maybe it is gone. I was sent to Infectious Diseases Specialist and they prescribed infusions of cefepime for 17 days, surgery, gentamicin irrigations for 2 weeks at a time with prednasone added, and now Levofloxine and prednisone irrigations for 2 weeks at a time. I am hopeful this will finish it off. Good luck to you.

@caltex Really sorry to hear of your struggles with this! My history is a bit of a book but here goes.

I had surgery to open up my sinuses about 25 years ago, but for the past 3+ years now I've had chronic sinus infections that won't clear up. The usual symptoms of a sinus infection to begin with (sinus headache, discharge, stuffy head, etc.), but developed into a nasty discharge from my right sinus, complete opacification of my right maxillary sinus, an infection smell that would lighten slightly but always return with a vengeance, and no antibiotic could eradicate it. After 3+ years of antibiotics in sinus rinses, orally and eventually via a picc line when a culture was finally done and Pseu was discovered. Even then, the ENT #2 who sent the specimen in told me not to worry about the Pseu results and to just keep doing the sinus rinse he prescribed. Eventually I saw an ID doctor and she put me on the picc line with cefepime 3x/day for 4 weeks - but that didn't work either. ENT #3 took a look at the lab results and saw that in addition to the Pseu bacteria there was also a bacteria usually associated with dental infections. She told me to go see my dentist to rule out any issues there - I had an infection around the remnants of an old root canal, so had an Endodontist surgery to remove the infection and root remnant (he went into the bone above the tooth/crown and drilled out the infection, then did a bone graft and tissue regeneration). BUT I still have the infection and my ENT now wants to do a mega-antrostomy. She took another "sample" yesterday so I should have the results soon to know if it is still Pseu or something else. One of my concerns is that my right eye has been swollen underneath for several months now and I'm concerned the infection has spread/is affecting that area. The only scan my ENT has ordered for me is a CT of my sinuses, but I want some type of imaging that could help detect infection in the bone/tissues on the entire right side of my head/face. If there is such an animal.

I am hoping to get an appointment at Mayo in Jacksonville - I would like to have someone who can do a complete review and imaging - no more guessing and throwing different things at this to see if something works!

I don't know if my saga is of any help to you. I do wish you luck in finding the care you need to get healthy...I know it is out there - we just have to be persistent and our own advocate...no matter how exhausting! All the best - M

@texgrand6 thank you for sharing and I’m in the same situation right now with another sinus infection that showing through a culture that it’s pseudonymous last year I had four different infections that showed it was pseudonymous.

@kaybast, I learned that Pseudomonas bacteria protects itself from antibiotics by producing a heavy biofilm around itself. I started rinsing with saline and serrapeptase drops. This is an enzyme that reduces the biofilm. Then I would follow that with a saline rinse with Levoquin. That killed it after 3 years! I wish you well. Serrapeptase drops can be found on Amazon. I would add two droppers full to the saline rinse.