If you have nasal polyps and
Endoscopic sinus surgery is a procedure to remove blockages and treat other problems in the sinuses using an endoscope — a thin, rigid tube with a camera and a light. This type of surgery does not include cutting the skin because it is performed entirely through the nostrils.
Most sinus infections can clear up on their own, or with the help of antibiotics if they're caused by a bacterial infection. Saline sprays, topical nasal steroids, and over-the-counter medicines often bring relief.
Nasal irrigation
Rinsing out the inside of your nose with salt water can help relieve obstruction. It can also boost the effectiveness of the tiny hairs (cilia) that line the inside of your nose and help to clear mucus. Adding salt and bicarbonate of soda will feel more comfortable than plain water.
At first glance, this trial appears to demonstrate that endoscopic sinus surgery improves quality of life related to sinus disease at 12 months, but the magnitude of benefit for endoscopic sinus surgery appears very small relative to the potential risks.
If chronic sinusitis goes untreated for a length of time, it is possible the infection can spread to vital parts of your body, including to the bones, spinal fluid, and the brain. These complications, meningitis and brain abscesses, are life-threatening and require immediate emergency surgery.
If you feel that you are blocked up but are not really producing mucus, then this is more indicative of a physical abnormality, such as nasal polyps or a deviated septum. It is quite common for people to complain of having a blocked nose on one side.
Sinusitis (also called rhinosinusitis) starts when this drainage system becomes blocked, usually from swelling due to inflammation caused by infection or allergy. Soon, your head hurts, you feel facial pressure or pain, and thick mucus clogs your nose.
Chronic sinusitis can be caused by an infection, growths in the sinuses (nasal polyps) or swelling of the lining of your sinuses. Signs and symptoms may include a blocked or stuffy (congested) nose that causes difficulty breathing through your nose, and pain and swelling around your eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead.
Some people with allergies can have “allergic fungal sinus infection.” Acute sinus infection lasts three to eight weeks. A sinus infection lasting longer than eight weeks is considered chronic. The sinuses are air-filled cavities.
Outcome. The results after FESS are good, with most studies reporting an 80 to 90 percent rate of success. Good results also have been obtained in patients who have had previous sinus surgery.
Acupresssure Point LI 20: Located at the base of your nose, this pressure point can help relieve sinus pressure. Acupresssure Point SI18: Located where your cheekbones meet your nose, this pressure point can relieve sinus congestion.
Balloon Sinuplasty is the newest procedure in the sinus surgery world, offering patients the same sinus relief without any cutting or removal of sinus tissues. Instead, this method uses a small catheter and balloon that is inserted into the sinus cavity and inflated.
Symptoms of Sinus Drainage
Some of these symptoms include: fever, headache, pressure in the ear, reduced sense of taste and smell, coughing, bad breath, and fatigue. Symptoms that are closely related to sinus drainage are most commonly thick drainage from the nose or down the throat.
The frontal sinus has the most complex and variable drainage of any paranasal sinus.
Blowing the nose can worsen the feeling of congestion due to pressure build-up within the nostrils, which may shoot up the mucus into the sinuses instead of ejection through the nose.
Try using a medicine that thins mucus and improves sinus drainage (mucolytic). Guaifenesin is a commonly used mucolytic. Mucolytics are often combined with other medicines such as cough suppressants. Acetaminophen can be found in many forms and comes in different doses.