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Blockage in Sphenoid Sinus Causes Daily Headaches
I have had chronic sinusitis for several years, accompanied by daily headaches and my ENT, as well as a MRI of my brain have confirmed that my sphenoid sinus (the sinus in the back of your face that is inside your brain) is completed blocked, and their is a build up of mucous like cells surrounding it. This is what I understand of what I've been told. The scary thing is that this sinus is very close to the optic nerve and other important parts of the brain and could cause irreparable damage to my optic nerve that would possibly cause loss of sight. The procedure to open up the sinus is one that is performed under general anesthesia and there is also the risk of the surgeon accidentally disturbing something else in the brain close to the sinus. This surgery is optional, as I can continue as I am and hope that the sinus doesn't become inflamed or swollen and cause damage. However, currently, I am experiencing the daily headaches that are typical with this condition.
Has anyone experienced anything similar and if so, how did you handle the situation?
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@dnelson720 -
How has your recovery been? Did you ever feel sick at all with this going on?
And even with the pain gone do you feel any residual affects.
The first few weeks after surgery was hard. Several follow up appointments to look into sinus cavities to make sure everything was healing properly. After that, things started getting better. I have not had one sinus infection or sinus headache since then and surgery was September 7,2023 (1year ago, approximately). I do a Neil Med saline rinse or I use my Navage machine to do a saline rinse about 2X a week. I use Arm & Hammer Saline mist every morning and night to keep my nasal passage clear. I have had no residual issues.
@dnelson720 -
That’s great to hear. Do you have to use any type of steroid rinse with your Neil med bottle or is it just a saline rinse?
Use distilled water only. I do use Nasacort after the rinses morning and night.
@denelson
Did you have a lot of intense debriedment post surgery follow ups or were your nasal rinsing in recovery helpful to you?
The first few follow-ups were getting the dried blood out of sinus cavities so that was intense for me. He sprayed lidocaine in my nostrils to numbing the areas then used the tiny camera to search for debris. I just closed my eyes and prayed 🙏. 😊. It was a necessary thing to do. After that, the sinus rinses took care of the rest. The Neil Med sinus kits have the spray bottle and some saline packets. One packet along with distilled water to the fill line is easy to do. The sinuses feel so good after I did that.
@dnelson720 -
Thank you for sharing. Did you ever suffer any symptoms of pain/dryness. When you did your own rinses after the debriedments, any pain with the rinses? And does it feel strange or bothersome with the water going into all of the sinuses?
Do you ever experience any dry ness from rinsing?