Sinus/throat infection treatment?

Hi ladies :)

I'm just wondering if anybody out there can help me out. I'm due to have bub in just over a week (arrgh!), and yesterday I came down with ANOTHER sinus/throat infection (this is about the fourth time since I fell pg, I am really prone to them for some reason even when I'm not) - the mucus I'm hacking up is very bloodied and an awful colour, my sinus cavities are really sore as is my throat...
I had a really horrific sinus infection about a month ago and my doctor wouldn't prescribe antibiotics, apparently the government is trying to cut costs with Medicare so have recommended that GPs don't prescribe 'unnecessary' medications (and, according to somebody's 'research', antibiotics 'are more of a placebo anyway'), so she just told me to take some Panadol and suck it up. Never mind that I was in tears for over a week because the pressure of my sinus cavity pushing on my jaw/teeth was excruciating...

So, I'm not going to bother going to the doctor this time around, it will just be a waste of my time to be told to go home, get some sleep (ha! I wish!) and take a couple of Panadol. But I need to wipe this infection out, asap - I had a really, really bad flu when I gave birth to DD and it was HORRIFIC trying to labour while you're sick as a dog - I do NOT want to go there again.

Does anybody know of any herbal or other remedies that can knock this infection on its head? I'm willing to try just about anything, and I don't have a clue where to start with natural/herbal treatment for illnesses so I'm a bit lost right now.

Thanks in advance ladies, I appreciate any and all suggestions and advice :D

You can try ginger tea. Mum just gave this to me to try and get control over this rotten cough - nothing else has been working at all. But my mum swears by garlic and honey for almost everything! She is usually right about these things, LOL.

Ginger Tea

* 1 inch or so fresh ginger root, sliced thin or grated
* 1/2 a fresh lemon, sliced (peel & all)
* 1 clove garlic, mashed
* ~2 c water
* Very generous spoonful honey

Place water, ginger, lemon, & garlic in saucepan; bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer gently for 20 min. Strain into mugs and add lots of honey. The tea *will* get stronger if you let it sit!

You should get some relief by using GENEROUS amounts of FESS nasal spray - it is saline, you might have to use it hourly for the first few hours until the junk starts to clear out.

A hot wet facewasher placed over the top half of your face should provide some comfort (get it as hot as you can stand without burning yourself).

Anything you can do steam wise (ie long hot shower, vaporiser) should help as well.

But finally if I were you, I'd go to the GP and tell them that it hasn't resolved since a month ago. An infection that lasts that long deserves ABs...if they won't give them, see another doctor. I'm worried particularly because of your description of the mucous - that sounds baaaaad.

Thanks so much for the tips, ladies :D I have to pop down to Woolies before they shut to grab some things for dinner so I'll pick up the ingredients for that tea and give it a go... would I sound strange if I admitted it actually sounds pretty yummy?

If it doesn't help, I will definitely be going back to the doctor about it, it's just so frustrating not being able to get any relief, kwim? Panadol doesn't seem to affect me the way it's meant to so I don't bother with taking it, meaning I just have constant pain for weeks until it subsides by itself, whereas if I had a week's worth of ABs it would be cleared up quick-smart and I could go months before seeing it again, you know?
I think the mucous is especially bad because I can't stand having blocked sinuses so I spend all day and half the night sitting there snorting it up and trying to get it out, any wonder I've scraped the membranes raw lol... but the colour is definitely screaming 'infection!!!' at me so if ginger, lemon and garlic don't help then yes, I will begin doctor-shopping until i find someone willing to help me out lol :D

Thanks again ladies, much appreciated :D

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But finally if I were you, I'd go to the GP and tell them that it hasn't resolved since a month ago. An infection that lasts that long deserves ABs...if they won't give them, see another doctor. I'm worried particularly because of your description of the mucous - that sounds baaaaad.

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I totally agree with that. But I know where she is coming from. I encountered this the other day and got told while it was a waste of the governments money, the only reason they are doing the test for pertussis is because it is a notifiable condition. The cutting costs up here is really bad. I can only get so many visits on medicare a year with a doctor and have to pay a gap payment after that.

This whole situation has ****ed me off so bad because it was the platform that Rudd got my vote on!

Thats why I say at least the honey and garlic. My sister has used it for bacterial skin infections and viral infections with a great deal of success. I really hope it helps.

I hear you but if there is a reason you are genuinely concerned then sometimes you just have to assert yourself in the face of "The System".

This means - reminding doctors/nurses of the pertinent facts - they are human too, and sometimes they need to be made a little more aware of things about you that may alter their decision.

Jeepers if they can get it wrong about my breast lump they can certainly get it wrong about your sinus condition!

I also happen to know that the government "guidelines" regarding coughs/colds/infections goes something along the lines of "these should resolve in about 2 weeks"...so if yours has gone longer (and I'd bet my eye teeth this is *not* a new infection - but the dregs of the last one) then that means you qualify for AB treatment.

BTW - Don't get me started on GP fees, I was paying $65 EVERY VISIT just to see a local GP in the ACT! I nearly fell over when I got back to SA and they only charged me $50...I was like, why is this so cheap :lol:

^^ Inertia, I'm still absolutely GOBSMACKED at the amount of ultrasounds pregnant ladies on this board seem to have access to - even when I offer to PAY FULL PRICE for mine (I'm on a health care card and entitled to 2 scans with concession, anything more I have to pay full price for, and that's not something I take lightly) when I have concerns/want something checked out, my doctors either refuse to refer me or the staff at the Mater won't let me have an appt because 'You're just being greedy and abusing the system, other pregnant women need their 2 u/s's, you can be happy with the two you've had' kind of thing!!
I hear from lots of ladies around here who go and get things checked out if they have a bleed or feel like something's wrong and want to check up on their little bubbles, but me... 'nope, too bad, if you're losing it, you're losing it, an u/s isn't going to stop it so why waste our time??' is the attitude I seem to get :/ I get a bit grumpy at times when other women on here talk about how they 'went for another scan yesterday' and I'm like 'what, do they give them out like lollipops to kids where you are? Cause I have to practically threaten to knock people's teeth out before I can even get access to a dating scan and then my 20-week one, let alone any extra ones!'
Doctors are sooo stingy around here lol, what the?

Marydean, I totally agree re docs getting it wrong - when I had it at Easter it got so bad that I was really, really scared it would turn into an abcess or something and I'd end up in really serious trouble... I mean thankfully it didn't, but the doctor just about laughed in my face when I expressed my concerns to her - 'It *can't* turn into an abcess, just take two Panadol and you'll be right in a few days' :o
I dunno, maybe she's right, but it sure felt bad enough to develop into something requiring immediate attention :/

But, I have the ingredients for that lovely tea so I'll give it a go as soon as I hang out this washing and fingers crossed it knocks it on its head :D

Thanks again so much for your replies, ladies :D

Exactly my problem. I am into my 3rd week with this one (1 week flu, 2nd week of the cough) and felt like I was some kind of paranoid freak for taking it to a dr. Not to mention all the calls trying to find out how long the antibodies in my BM would last... Felt like some crazy hippy for just asking. Thats why I ended up researching it myself. Pretty much why DH and I have turned our backs on the conveniences of modern sciences and I have been getting all natural recipies from my mum. I made my own bolognese sauce today and felt quite proud.

Its just feels like its too much to ask them to look at something and I am a complete nutcase for wanting to use the gifts our body and nature is capable of. Need I remind them that the most used item in a hospital is SALT WATER!!!

And I totally get you on the ultrasounds. I could get one every week starting at 28wks because of my anti-e. I don't see the point as baby is moving and my anti-e titre is not. But yes, like candy! I can get 14-16 ultrasounds for free - but only 3 visits to my doctor. WTF?

Ok, rant off. Let me know how it goes please, Donna. I havent the ingredients today myself because DH and I are trying to avoid spreading this around, but I was gonna send DH for a shower and then to the shops in the morning because he is coughing way less than me so less of a risk to others. I seriously need to clear the mucus to suppress the cough because its starting to put too much strain on my lower muscles, including my pelvic floor. I don't want to risk damaging it.

AS MUCH sleep as humanly possible.

My magic sick curing pasta - with half a jar of crushed garlic in it. Bloody strong taste but God it makes you feel better in the morning.

Warm saline up the nose - then blow - get as much phlegm out as possible so the body is more clean and clear to heal itself.

Give all your piercings a quick saline soak too - mine get all gross when I get sick. Just in case :-)

A few drops of lavendar, eucalyptus or tea tree oil in the bottom of the shower before having a rather hot shower (with door closed) works on the steam front - that's what I do becuase we don't have a vaporiser!