Sinus/ear issues... Polaramine and Fess not working

[Ladylove]

Arg so my minor problem is stuffy sinuses especially at night, I end up breathing through my mouth and wake up with a dry sore throat and a husband making jokes about snoring. I also feel 'sniffly' all the time but nothing really comes out when I blow my nose. These are ok to deal with, I had minor sinus issues while pregnant with DD too. My major problem is this inner ear thing- it feels like I have air or water in my ear and this means that internal sounds - my own voice speaking, swallowing, breathing, sniffing - are amplified in my own ears. They sound much louder than external sounds like people talking to me (my hearing itself is fine) and it is really disconcerting. It comes and goes over the course of each day and I've noticed it since the end of the first trimester, in which I had cold after cold and cough after cough so I am not surprised my nasal passages were a bit funked. My GP and OB both checked out my ears and can't see anything amiss and suggested polaramine and fess. Neither have done a thing! Any ideas? Do I need to go to an ear specialist?

[lee_bee]

I had similar issues with my sinus getting blocked, a friend of mine told me that her ob said that sometimes it can be a sign of dehydration (earaches too) so to up my water intake, which worked. I also went to a chiropractor who showed me certain pressure points on my face to apply pressure to which had amazing results, it seriously helped clear my sinus up. Now whenever I start feeling that heavy feeling in my nose I start pressing those points and it clears up.

[leckert]

Will come back to reply when I get on a computer this morning (ds2 isn't letting me type easily in phone whir he feeds)

[leckert]

Back...

I've got something similar, the main annoying thing for me is that my ear pounds/throbs in time with my pulse, particularly at night which can make it hard to go back to sleep after a night feed for DS2. I'm regularly having a light hayfever type sneeze but really only at night as well
I've seen 2 GPs about it, swapped after the first one and settled on the second (I didn't really gel with the first one). The first one put me on a medicated nasal spray which has only done minimal to reduce the blocked/watery feeling in my ear. The second GP has thrown some antibiotics at it a couple of times which seems to clear it mostly but it's back within a week or so of stopping them. I can feel something's in my ear but it can't get out. The GPs think my eustachian tube isn't working properly to drain my inner ear.

I've tried the FESS sinus wash stuff as well as the nasal spray and it hasn't done much to help either and my sinuses don't feel really heavy or tight.

I've been having issues with my ears on and off since last April (cold & cough after one another repeatedly as well), finally got to the GP in Sept for me to try to deal with it. I'm starting to think I might need a referral to an ENT to see what to do next. I'm about to make another appointment for sometime in the next week (GP is on leave for a week I think) to see what we're doing next about my ears.

DS2 had similar experience with his ear infections between July & Aug - and ended up with grommets (infection stopped with antibiotics but started within a couple of days of stopping) after ruptured ear drums.

[black_rose]

This happened to me while pregnant, the combination of all three pregnancies so close meant that even antibiotics didn't clear them and I needed surgery. It's taken two years after the surgery to sort it out too but it's finally getting improving.

You might need strong antibiotics to try and clear it but also use a nasal rinse not just fess spray, take vitamin c, drink lots of water if it's still the same ask for a scan of your sinuses to see what is happening.

[AnyDream]

Chew gum as often as you can - the motion of the jaw helps the ear tubes to drain properly (this is something that helps kids with glue ear, too). ETA - and wiggling your jaw from side to side will help as well.

There is another saline rinse product that I use as well - it's stronger (ie salt's more concentrated) and its in a pressurised container so you get a good rinse and not just a squirt like with the Fess. It's called Sinoclear and works much more effectively on "real" sinus congestion. The other thing that works really well with eartube blockages are decongestants (like dimetapp) or the beconase allergy nasal spray - but I have no idea about their safety in pregnancy so you would need to check that out.

For the mouth breathing/dry sore mouth try to sleep on your side (if you can) and think about using a mouthwash like biotene before bed and in the morning to help sooth your mouth. As for hubby, he put that baby there, he can sleep on the couch if the snoring disturbs him LOL.

[AnyDream]

And oil pulling!! It's my personal belief that oil pulling works best on sinus/ear issues, and when you think of how it's done it makes perfect sense that it helps drain everything out. And if you're not up for that, try holding your mouth & nostrils shut and swallowing 3 times in succession - it's creates negative pressure inside the mouth/throat and encourages the ear tubes to drain. Do it as often as you remember throughout the day. I should add, that I've tried everythign I've recommended (I've had blocked eartubes for over a decade, with me it seems to be seasonal to the point where I can become quite deaf during spring) and all the things I've mentioned do work.

[Ladylove]

Wow thanks everyone. Off to Google oil pulling and I'm seeing my OB again today so will mention it again... On reflection this is not a new problem, I remember having it in the past but for no more than few days at a time but this has been almost 4 months! It is particularly bad if I've been out walking or oddly, shopping in air conditioned spaces, so the air quality/content must bugger things up.

[Ladylove]

Mentioned it to my OB again and she said I'd need to go back to my GP to get her to look at my ear properly. I think I'll try out some of these non-prescription remedies first.

[black_rose]

Forgot to add my ear got really bad in the end it was popping none stop and effected my hearing I thought it was a bug In it, there is a thread on here somewhere but it was caused by my sinuses being so impacted it cleared once my sinuses were fixed. Hope something works for you.

[Frangipani Lou]

Have you considered some acupuncture and Chinese herbs?

[meow]

I would try chiro/osteo, acupuncture, oil pulling and ear candles. Perhaps garlic oil in your ears too.

[Ladylove]

So it has improved! Not 100% but I have gone from everyday frustration to maybe once or twice a week, and only for short periods, not for hours if not all day. I think it is the oil pulling- coconut with oregano oil. Then i also took another course of Polaramine to help dry things up, after having a break from the first course. I still get a blocked and / or watery feeling in my upper nasal passages and green gunk sometimes comes out when I blow my nose (which makes me think infection of some kind) but the last few days the gunk has become less green if at all, and the extra green did coincide with me moving from oil pulling once a day to twice a day so maybe it has been clearing everything out. Have some ear candles so trying that soon too.