Blocked Sinuses

[sophie_1003]

As soon as I get the faintest whiff of a cold my sinuses block up. Sudafed doesn't work any more (can you develop a tolerance for it?) and haven't got any of the stuff you squirt up your nose. Any ideas on how I can get some relief so i can sleep tonight?

[jno]

some home remedies here

http://voices.yahoo.c...ongestion-145460.html

[craft1948]

Olbas Oil.................

[boxtops]

Menthol and eucalyptus - or just menthol - or Tiger Balm, rub it under your nose and on the skin where the sinus hurts. Keep it away from your eyes, though.

Go see the doc, I've got a really good nasal spray which you can only get on prescription.

[sophie_1003]

May have some Olbas Oil I'd forgotten about although that doesn't always work for me either! I just have an awkward nose!
Don't have any of the necessary ingredients on that page jno although the mint tea sounds lovely so will get some mint tomorrow!

[sophie_1003]

Ta boxtops; again don't have any of those! Am very porrly equipped! DO you think they'd prescribe it in advance? I find it quite difficult to get to my doctors and couldn't guarantee an appointment whilst afflicted?

[sophie_1003]

And spell poorly too!

[nungate]

Have you tried Sterimar nasal hygeine spray? It's a salt water nasal spray that you spray up your nose, I found it a great help when I had a cold and it's also useful if you suffer from hay fever. You can buy it in Boots, costs aournd £6 or so

[craft1948]

A friend of mine had an operation for blocked sinuses...............it was the only time I've seen a body-builder cry with what looked suspiciously like two tampons up his nose.

[sophie_1003]

Urrgh; yep my dad had a nose operation and they had to 'pack' his nose; don't think I could have it all taken out without being sick!

[Hopkirk]

Sudafed has never had any effect on me - it's useless.

[wardlaw]

Do you swim? Competitive swimming cured mine about 45 years ago and it has never returned.

[sophie_1003]

Thanks for the recommendation nungate; will have a full basket at Boots tomorrow now! It always used to work on me Hopkirk but I don't know why I even bother buying it anymore!

[Sqad]

Sudafed.....do you mean the nasal spray OR the tablets?

I am not a big fan of nasal decongestants taken in tablet form, much prefer the drug in a nasal spray.
By the time that you see this post it will be morning, so pretty useless LOL...but nip to the chemist for Otrovine Nasal Spray to be used three times a day....that will do it.

If this IS a long standing problem, then referral to an ENT surgeon may be worth while as you could have a deviated nasal septum(twisted cartilage)which is causing the problem.

[sophie_1003]

Thanks all; the tablets sqad, seriously don't know why I buy them lol; I live in hope! Luckily whilst hunting around for some Olbas Oil I found some decongestant spray, it's a Sinex one and worked brilliantly until half 6 when I sat up gave myself another dose and dropped straight back to sleep!

I used to be very wary of the sprays because I used one for hayfever years ago and it made my vision blurry.

It's not a constant problem; only when I have a cold; which happens regularly as I teach nursery children who have the lovely habit of coughing in your face.

[Sqad]

Sinex Nasal Spray is excellent.

Don't be scared of nasal sprays....no problem when used for short bursts.

[Clanad]

Echoing what Sqad says, for the short term, OTC nasal sprays used for de-congestant, work pretty well... But avoid long term useage (anything more than about a week) since you cna become somewaht addicted to them. Not in the usual sense of addiction, but the relief time becomes shorter and shorter and you'll soon find the need to apply them within 2 or 3 hours each time.

There are prescription obtained cortisone nasal sprays that are only applied once per day. They work well but don't give the immediate relief experienced by the OTC types. One problem I've experienced (almost every pilot I've known has had bouts of sinus infection brought on by irritation of the sinus mucous lining due to constant change in air pressure) is a noticeable loss of sense of smell... not disastrous but just noticeable...

[sophie_1003]

Thanks again, only used the hayfever one once and got blurred vision in one eye, remember it well as I was revising for GCSEs at the time! Have overcome my fear now as it hasn't happened again and it's the only way I can breathe when I have a cold! Hoping it will be over soon clanad, a week long full on cold would be unusual for me.