Tag Archives: sinuses

Flu Shot? Yes or No?

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Have you had your flu shot yet? Are you planning on getting one? Maybe you avoid them? This is a hard decision to make for some people. Others have very definite opinions about getting vaccinations or not.

Flu Shot + Probiotics

This article on Examine.com* about combining the flu shot with probiotics might help you decide one way or the other, if you are inclined to get one but not sure about it.

MRSA Me

I won’t be getting a flu shot again this year. I’m on high powered antibiotics for a sinus infection once again. That means the flu shot would not work on me. This time it’s MRSA. I’m struggling again with the weakness the antibiotics bring on and the sleeplessness from the steroids I’m taking. I’m using the probiotics now to keep from having candida issues with the antibiotic. So far it’s working well. Fingers crossed it continues to forestall that problem.

I’m using my DIY RubyLux light bulb sauna every day, too. The infrared rays should help my mitochondria work as well as possible. Hopefully the infrared lamps will eliminate some of the toxins these medicines produce in my body. And I’m flushing out my system with lots of filtered water.

But for now I’m not exercising very much. I just don’t feel like it.

I will say I’m not anywhere near as sick with this infection as I was last year when I had one sinus infection after another. The skull base surgery I had on my sinuses this July has improved my overall immune system. And I am sure my improved diet and other strategies I’m using from The Energy Blueprint* have a lot to do with the milder time I’m having this year, too.

I hope you’re getting through this season without the crud that so many people around here are dealing with right here at Christmas time. And if you do plan to get a flu shot, please consider the advice from Examine.com*.

Surgery Week One Diary

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Surgery Monday

I was very pleased with the Callahan Eye Hospital in Birmingham, Al., where my two surgeons coordinated their work and did both the tear duct and frontal sinus surgeries during one session. That was a huge help, as I only had one anesthesia session to recuperate from and one time span to heal. The whole hospital staff were extremely accommodating to my Mitochondrial Myopathy needs. They told me to bring a blanket to the cold waiting room for the time prior to being taken back. (Daughter said she was glad to have it during the long wait for me to be through.) And they kept piling warm blankets on me once I was in pre-op.

I also asked the Anesthesiologist to at least consider using a smaller size intubation tube, as my throat pain after surgery is always much greater than it should be. I think he did that, as my throat has not been as sore as after previous surgeries of late. I can’t be sure about that, because I’m mouth breathing right now, and that’s keeping it irritated.

And, they definitely were very careful to protect my neck with lots of padding on each side, as I have two fused vertebrae, and C7 is more degenerated that it was last year.

They were able to release me, but I was extremely weak when we got home. I did not have to spend the night. We planned on having the walker handy, in case I had trouble walking up the steps. And we certainly needed it. It was all I could do to shuffle my right leg at all – it just would not cooperate. So once I was in the house I sat down in the recliner and didn’t move any more that day, except for bathroom visits. Daughter stayed overnight and hovered over me and took care of anything I needed. I slept well that night.

Tuesday

I was able to move around much better on Tuesday, so one daughter went home and the other one came to spend the day. I had to use an ice pack several times during the day for my eyes and for my nose. The mustache bandage was very uncomfortable. They drape a roll of gauze under your nose and tape it across the cheeks. And you have to mouth breathe. Not pleasant at all. I was expecting this, though, as this is my third sinus surgery in the last two years. The other two surgeries were pretty standard. This one was complicated, so it’s no wonder the surgery took longer, and I feel much worse.

I started testing my glucose levels, but I really wasn’t hungry and didn’t have any trouble with my numbers. I spent the day taking meds and dozing in and out. I used the sinus saline rinse for the first time, but there was so much dried blood up my nose it did not do much good.  But it was a start, anyway.

Wednesday

Wednesday was NOT a good day! I used peroxide on q-tips to clear out all the dried blood in the entrance to my nostrils. And now I can tell why I can’t breathe through my nose – just gurgle discharge. I have a huge set of stents up my nose on both sides. The Otolaryngologist had said he might have to revise my septum again to reach what he needed to do – and evidently he did just that. (I just had the deviated septum straightened a couple of months ago.) These splints are much larger than what I’ve had before – it feels like it’s plastic ribs, shaped like the spokes of an umbrella, shoved up my nose so it spreads the nostrils wide. No wonder I hurt! And no wonder I can’t breathe!!

Not being able to breathe is making sleeping extremely difficult – I only got a few hours worth on Wednesday. My glucose numbers were nudging up a bit, compared to the baseline numbers I had last week. But the range was still pretty good. I still wasn’t hungry, but I made myself eat. I can’t chew anything – hurts where the Ophthalmologist operated on the right eye blocked tear duct. Strange that it was the simple surgery that is hurting, not the major bone cutting done around my eyebrows. Of course I’m still full of pain meds. It might be a different story about what hurt if I were not on them.

Thursday

Thursday was worse. My glucose levels were out of control. I was having to test before and after meals to keep an eye on the numbers. And no matter how careful I was with what I ate – it kept going up. It’s been ten years or so since I had to educate myself about Diabetes, so I had to Google what I needed to do to get it to come down quickly. I drank two glasses of water, did a little housekeeping as exercise, and ate some protein. It came down some – but not enough.

As for sleeping, this was the last day for four doses of the corticosteroid that is causing the blood glucose to spike – I made a decision to NOT take that fourth dose last night. And I took two Benadryl before bed. With that in me I was able to sleep until about 2:30 AM before the suffocating feeling just made it impossible to go back to sleep. So I alternated reading for a while and then trying to go back to sleep. So I did get some rest – but no more sleep.

Friday

I was very relieved today that my glucose numbers were almost back where they should be after breakfast. I still have several days of 3x Prednisone before it tapers off to two a day. I was hopeful it would behave from now on. But I had terrible numbers before and after lunch and dinner again. I had planned on just doing a couple of pricks a day – but instead I’m going to have to buy another round of test strips. I re-opened my myfitnesspal.com account and started planning my meals to get the right amount of sugar and calories. That helped me figure out what probably spiked lunch so badly, so I won’t be eating that again for awhile. It’s getting complicated trying to find soft foods that give me fiber, too. Staying on all liquids is not doing my bowels any good. Insulin resistant starch is my friend right now.

I tried to go to sleep, but the suffocating feeling was just overpowering. So I sprayed two Afrin pumps in each nostril and managed to sleep until 3:30 AM. I was so dry when I woke up I couldn’t get comfortable. Mouth breathing is no fun!

I was able to cut back on my pain meds today. I hope I can continue to decrease that dosage. I had more success with today’s attempt to use the NeilMed sinus rinse, now that the entrance is not all blocked with crusting. And for the first time I felt pressure pain under my left eye when I squeezed the solution into the sinuses. It’s the left sinus over my eye that was seriously blocked with an inch or so of abnormal bone growth. That’s the reason I had to go to the scull base surgery specialist to have this surgery.

Saturday

I still have all the nervous jitters from the Prednisone, almost to the point of hyperventilating at times. Using the sinus rinse is not really helping much. It feels like the water is going up there, but not coming back out. There must be a lot of dis-solvable packing up there that is just soaking it all up. Then I drip discharge the rest of the day. There is still bright red bloody discharge at times, and there’s much less clotting clumps than I had with the other surgeries. So I must be really packed up there.

I’m also still fighting to get good glucose numbers, but they’re not spiking quite as badly as they were at first. Once I find a meal that works, I’m just having that meal again. I can’t taste anything, anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. I can’t smell ANYTHING. I’ve kept Vick’s Vaporub on my nose since I got home, and I have yet to smell it at all. I’m sticking to soft foods, but feeling like I probably could eat something with a little chew to it, if I could just figure out what I dare try.

Even though I’m on a lower dose of steroids, the sleep time is getting worse – not better. A lot of that is coming from the over powering feeling that I’m suffocating – it’s almost like I’m drowning. This must be what water boarding feels like. I’ve tried relaxing breathing, and that helps a bit – but doesn’t last. Then the weird sensation takes over again.

Sunday

Routines are getting a little easier, but I still forgot to test my glucose before breakfast today. So much to remember to do! I did not try to go to church – nowhere near ready to talk to people. Hubby went on without me, and I carried the phone around in my pocket all morning. I did take a long steamy shower, which helped my head somewhat. We have a very nice handicap accessible shower with a chair and plenty of bars, so I felt safe.

We decided to go on out to our usual Chinese buffet for lunch. That was my first time out of the house for the week. I used the MyFitnessPal app to figure out what I could eat – I know exactly what they serve and what I’m used to that would work.

I was not at all expecting to be as weak as I was – even walking from the car into the restaurant was tiring. So I got the soup and sat down, letting hubby get food for me. He is so sweet to me – he’ll do anything to help me. I took care of him when he had his heart attack, and he always takes care of me when I need help. I expected to feel better when we went back to the car, but I was regretting that we had not brought at least a cane. I wall walked all the way down the porch to where we parked.

So I was wiped out the rest of the day. It stayed hard to walk around, with my right foot refusing to lift. I just shuffled along in my socks, holding onto the walls. That’s what I call wall walking – sometimes furniture walking. It’s easier than using a walker in the house.

I didn’t seem quite so wound up and stressed over breathing at bedtime, but sleep was still elusive. I have no idea how much I got, as I was up and down all night long.

Post-Op Week One Summary

I knew this recuperation was going to be much worse than the two sinus surgeries I’m already had – one just a couple of months ago. It was a much more serious surgery, after all. But I was not expecting all this problem with my glucose levels. I’m thankful he had warned me it would be an issue. I also was not anticipating so much of a problem with breathing. I KNEW I would have a lot of trouble with the Prednisone jitters, muscle weakness, and no sleep.

I’m looking forward to seeing improvement this week, as the routines are becoming easier. And I will see both doctors this Thursday. Daughter will take me, so hubby does not have to deal with the downtown UAB traffic and the narrow one way streets on Southside.

I prayed hard to have this surgery, and God worked a miracle to get it done quickly. Without His intervention, I would not have even seen the scull base surgeon until this October!

Now I depend on Him for the healing, doing all I can to promote that healing.

 

Week ONE Surgery Update

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One Week Post-Op Surgery Update

I had my one week out from surgery update appointment yesterday. My ENT is pleased with my progress. And he took the septum splint out. I can breathe a lot better now. He was surprised that I was still seeing bright red blood in the mucous, So he told me to stop taking the Vitamin E again. That’s the only blood thinner supplement I take.

We asked him about the frontal sinuses that he had planned to clear out, but did not do anything with. All I could remember in the post-op haze was that he didn’t get into the sinuses over the eyebrows because of bone. I thought he was saying the cavities were filled with bone, but that’s not what he meant. He did not do the Balloon Sinuplasty up there because the opening to those sinuses is completely blocked with bone.

He explained what was involved in operating to open that area up, and it sounds very involved and scary. THAT would NOT be Same Day Surgery, if I end up needing it. We’re praying that he won’t have to do that.

Of course that depends on whether enough has been done to stop all the post nasal discharge that has kept my throat irritated and sore for the last couple of years.

Comparing Surgeries

I had the FESS endoscopic surgery on the Maxillary and Ethmoid sinuses last October. The post-op mess with bloody discharge and dissolvable packing was very yucky. Having that done would not be a good idea for a person who was the least squeamish! And it took a lot longer than my original ENT had expected for the mucous lining of the Maxillary sinuses to grow back properly.

This surgery was also endoscopic, but he did not remove the mucous membrane. He cut off a large bone spur and straightened my septum. And he removed some polyps. I did not have the huge amount of bloody mess coming out of my nose every time I used the saline irrigation. And I was able to stop using constant pain meds in less than a week. The pain was much worse the first time and lasted a lot longer, with all the mucous membrane that had to heal.

So MY plan of my Summer of Surgeries didn’t go quite as I had expected. I’m already scheduled for external surgery in August to make a new opening between the right eye and my nose, so the tears won’t be blocked any longer.

I’ll be praying every day that I will not need the external frontal sinus surgery!

Surgeries Are All Planned Now

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My Summer of Surgeries

I have all my surgeries planned now. It’s taken months of going to this doctor and that one to get everything lined up. But it looks like I will finally get the front side and the back side of my head feeling good at the same time! Yeah, yeah, I know – there’s nothing in between. HaHa!

ENT Surgery

I get the Balloon Sinuplasty done on the sinuses above my eyes next week, that’s in mid June. He’s not sure whether the complete blockage there is trapped fluid or nasal polyps. But he expects to be able to clear that area out.

He’s also going to clean out some polyps in the sinus cavities below my eyes (where I had surgery last year).

AND the biggie – he’s going to remove a very large bone spur on my septum and probably put a temporary splint on either side of the septum to help it heal straight. He may also have to actually straighten the septum. I’m not 100% clear on whether the septum is deviated or not. Maybe it just looks that way to me on the CAT scan, because of the big lump of bone growing where it shouldn’t be.

Oculoplastic Surgery

That gives me two months to recuperate before I have the dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery done on my blocked tear duct in mid August.

C7 Cervical Vertebra Pain

Hopefully by the time I heal from the DCR surgery, my neck pain that’s been radiating down to my shoulder blades will have finally calmed all the way down. If not, I will make an appointment with my Orthopedist for an epidural.

Well, that’s my plan for all the surgeries, anyway. God may have other plans for me, but I can trust Him to work out for good whatever comes.

 

Pain after Allergy Testing

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Pain after Allergy Testing

You wouldn’t expect to be in pain after having allergy testing, but this last week has been terrible for me. I didn’t have one bit of trouble with my skin from the testing. I didn’t even itch afterwards.

The pain is coming from my neck. It’s as bad as it was before I had the cervical fusion surgery. My muscles are all jangled and spasming all the way down to my waist. Anything that requires lifting my head above eye level even the slightest is extremely painful. And I have a constant burning and throbbing at the back of my head. Turning left or right is not fun, either.

So how did this happen from allergy testing? I had to lie very still on my stomach on a hard and narrow procedure table with no good way to get my head comfortable. She lowered the head section as much as she could, and I had my forehead on it. There was no place for me to rest my arms, so I kind of held onto the sides of the table. By the time the testing was over after maybe 20 minutes like that my neck and shoulders were terribly fatigued and painful.

Pain Meds

I’m off Goody Powders or even plain aspirin in preparation for having more sinus and septum surgery, so I’ve had to use my Methacarbamol to try to relax my muscles. I was in so much pain Sunday after sitting in the pew Sunday morning that I took a Lortab I had left over from my last surgery. Obviously I can’t do that on a regular basis. So I’ve been supporting my neck with the gel U shaped pillow I use in the car and also sleeping on a hot pad.

Yucky

I’ve not been very clear thinking at all thanks to my pain level. And the yucky sinus discharge and blocked tear duct aren’t making me feel any better, either. It seems like everything my body needs to do ends up being harder than it should be. I blame it on my age and the MITO that makes my cells not work as efficiently as they should. It’s very depressing. I thank God that I have Him to help me through all this.

CT Scan and Allergy Testing

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CT Scan

I saw my new ENT Thursday. He has read through the reports from my old ENT. And he wants me to have another head CT scan to see what my sinuses look like now. Last one was in October, before I had the FESS sinus surgery. As soon as insurance approves, I will have the CT scan and allergy testing.

Allergy Testing

He thinks I’m still dealing with infection, as well as allergies. So he scheduled me to have allergy testing in two weeks. He took me off of all antibiotics, steroids, and antihistamines until after the allergy testing. It took just one day for my tear duct to puff back up when I stopped the antibiotic eye drops. It’s not painfully hard the way it was, but it’s noticeably swollen. And that means a lot of my tears are coming out of the eye, instead down into my nose.

Praying No More Surgery

He also mentioned the possibility of having Balloon Sinuplasty done. Hopefully the CT scan will not indicate a need for that. I didn’t tell him just how much I’m hoping I don’t have anything else like surgery done. The thought really scares me, considering how gross the recovery was for the FESS surgery. No need to say anything until the CT scan results are back. But of course I’ve been researching the Balloon Sinuplasty surgery.

I’m praying that dealing with my allergies will be sufficient to stop this long term sinus problem. I’ve been plagued with thick post nasal drip for well over a year now. I’ve been hoarse from all the drainage for months. And really, I’ve had sinus infections that were hard to get rid of for many years. That’s part of the reason why I’ve been sleeping in a recliner for many, many years. Between my lower back, my neck, and my sinuses – lying flat is just not an option for me.

Sneezing

I sneezed so hard and so many times a few days ago that I’ve aggravated my neck. The fused vertebrae really are complaining about the whiplash effect of those hard sneezes. So I’ve been taking Goody Powders until lunch time and Methacarbamol muscle relaxer later in the day. I’m also sleeping on a hot pad again. And when I have enough warning, I’m holding the back of my neck when I sneeze.

MITO?

It’s always hard to know what, if any, of my medical issues are MITO related. I do know for sure that it took my mucous membranes longer to heal properly from the FESS surgery. And I know that when I don’t feel well I REALLY don’t feel well. Everything seems to hit me harder than most people. I’m what people used to call “puny”.

So I’ll put up with the worsened allergy symptoms while I flush all the meds out of my system. If I’m not clear of antihistamines, antibiotics, and steroids when I have the allergy testing done – the results won’t be accurate. I’ll do what I can to keep my sinuses clear with the neti pot, and I’ll continue to pray for healing.

God is the true Healer – doctors only work for Him!

 

Tear Duct Is Better?

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Tear Duct

I wouldn’t say it’s completely open, but my tear duct appeared to be better this morning. I went to my eye doctor for the last time with this issue on Friday, I thought. The infection appeared to have finally calmed down. I definitely didn’t have the big painful knot in the corner of my eye then.

But I DO have a small knot there that has puffed up during the day today, so will be calling the eye doctor in the morning to see if I should go back on the antibiotic eye drops.

He used a syringe (no needle of course) of fluorescent liquid in the tear duct openings, top and bottom, and tried to find signs of the bright yellow color in my nostril. No such luck. Then he pushed a whole syringe of saline through. I could feel the pressure, although he had numbed my eye. Still no fluorescent signs in the nostril.

BUT, when I pressed on my eye to wipe off all the liquid around my eye – it squirted out my nostril! He thinks the pressure of pushing the saline opened the duct up at least part way.

Since it’s puffing back up some today, I’m wiping tears more than I was, too, draddit. Hopefully this is swelling from the poking he had to do Friday, and not more infection.

Antibiotics

I’ve now been off oral antibiotics for two weeks and antibiotic eye drops for three days. My digestive system appreciates that, for sure. Of course I’m still taking the probiotics. I am very thankful that all these antibiotics have not caused any tummy issue. I used Zofrin and the probiotics to protect my system. The Zofrin was causing constipation, so I went back on my MiraLax to combat that. So at least my gastric system is happy.

ENT

I’m ready to make an appointment with my new ENT. The eye doc has done all he can for this mess. I’m still having thick mucous discharge down the back of my throat. I’m clearing my throat constantly, just as I was all last year. And that’s keeping my throat irritated and my voice hoarse.

MITO

One thing’s for sure, when you have a mitochondrial disease, you never know how your body is going to react to any situation. I’m just thankful for doctors who understand that I’m not a typical patient!

 

Blocked Tear Duct

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Blocked Tear Duct HURTS

I now know that the painful swollen area in the corner of my right eye is a blocked tear duct.

It was so terribly painful 10 days ago that I went to my GP doctor. He thought it might be cellulitis. So he put me on a strong antibiotic and an anti-nausea med so I can tolerate the antibiotic. And he told me to go to my eye doctor if it didn’t clear up in a couple of days.

I also already had a scheduled appointment with my new ENT last week. And he, too, said it appeared to be a blocked tear duct and wanted me to see my eye doc.

Eye Doctor

So my eye doctor used a tiny tool to probe the tear duct and then a larger tool to try to widen the tube. He numbed me first, of course. After using three different size probes, he used a syringe without a needle on it to inject fluorescent dye fluid in the bottom tear duct opening. It should have come out my nose, but it came out of the top tear duct under my eyelid instead. So it’s blocked big time!

He added double ophthalmic antibiotic eye drops to my medicines four times a day. I saw him again yesterday, and it’s still blocked, but not as inflamed. He told me to continue with the nasal wash and hot compresses I had already been doing several times a day. He did not refill the Doxycycline antibiotic, but wants me to rest my digestive system for a week. I see him again next Thursday.

So the saga of my sinus/eye problems continue. Thank Goodness I’m not in such pain anymore, but I look forward to the day I don’t have the nasal discharge, and I don’t feel and sound like I’m stopped up with a cold.

 

 

Sinuses Healed 85%

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Old ENT

I went back to my ENT this week, and he says one side of my sinuses is completely healed and the other is 85% healed. I’m still adding the antibiotic powder to my twice daily nose wash for another week. And he has dismissed me, since this ENT does not accept my new insurance.

He did debride a little in the side with scabs, but I was prepared this time and took a Lortab ahead of time. That helped bear the discomfort a lot.

New ENT

I have made connections with another ENT who accepts my new insurance and has credentials in my hospital. I’ll see him in a couple of weeks. I’m glad I had the FESS surgery almost four months ago to have my sinus cavities opened up. But I’m still swallowing gunk constantly. And I’m still having on again, off again issues with my right eye hurting and discharging. Hopefully he will be more aggressive with clearing up this sinus drainage I’ve had for over a year.

I have diligently followed the neti pot routine every day. My MITO has turned this routine healing process into a challenge, because my cells do not create energy properly – and that translates into very slow healing.

I’m feeling very thankful to God that I’m gradually healing, as I have certainly prayed for it!

 

Sinuses Almost Healed

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Almost Healed

I’m glad to say that this time my ENT is pleased that my sinuses are almost healed. He dibreded (scraped and used suction to remove) a little on the same side that was still heavily scabbed two weeks ago.

I will soon finish the steroid powder added to the neti pot saline solution that I’ve been doing twice a day for the last 3 weeks. I wasn’t seeing any blood any more when I washed my sinuses out. But I’m seeing a little now, thanks to the dibreding.

Mucous Discharge

I am still dealing with an almost constant discharge down the back of my throat. The mucous no longer looks infected, but it’s thick and unpleasant. And it’s keeping my throat irritated. So he wants me to use Flonase nasal spray until I see him again in six weeks. At that time he will make a decision on whether or not to pursue allergy testing.

This has been a much longer and drawn out process than I had expected, even though I had done considerable research prior to having this surgery. Do I regret having it? No, I can breathe now. But I’ll be glad when this recovery is completed!