Last month I got referred to an ENT specialist about my sinuses, and I'm pleased to report that we are finally getting somewhere with my sinus problems. The doctor sprayed some numbing spray in my nose then inserted a microscope up my nose and down my throat. There were no polyps or blockage from what he could see with the microscope, so he ordered the CAT scan to get a better idea of what was going on where he couldn't see.
Let me back up a little, and share something that some people may never even consider when it
comes to sinuses, and maybe it will save someone a lot of grief and pain. 9 years ago, maybe even longer than that, I had a root canal done on the upper left side of my mouth. I had severe pain, swelling and infection, so the dentist went forth with a root canal.
About 3 years after the root canal was done, we were living in Italy and I was having minor problems with my sinuses, but I coughed it up to seasonal allergies. Our house was surrounded by yineyards, corn fields and lots of farmers. So I did saline rinses and just lived with it. Then, while we were on a trip enjoying beautiful Tuscany one day, I slowly developed a toothache in the same tooth that the root canal was performed years prior. Since we were away from home, I had to hunt down another American and get some Motrin (because in Italy, they don't sell over the counter meds in stores like they do in the US. You have to hunt down a pharmacy, and it can be difficult if you don't know the area.) That night as we drove home, my face swelled up so bad that I could barely see out of my left eye. I was popping Motrin 800's at dangerous levels to subdue the pain, and I was in agony. We got a hold of an Italian dentist and went in. He recommended re-duing the root canal because it was obviously infected. I remember feeling baffled as to how it could become infected years after the root canal was performed, but I trusted the dentist and had it re-done. He put me on antibiotics to clear up the infection first, then he re-did the root canal in 3 different stages.
Fast forward 2 more years. We had moved again, and were settled in Augusta. I just had Nylah a few months prior. Suddenly, that same tooth started acting up. I had severe pain and swelling and had to go in to my dentist to see what was going on. At this point, I was so frustrated I was ready to have the darn tooth extracted completely! When I got to the dentist, they took xrays and saw nothing wrong with the tooth (thank goodness I got there early before a serious infection broke out like the previous one). He asked me if I was having sinus problems, and I said yes. So, he put me on antibiotics and told me that sometimes sinus problems can cause toothaches; and that I should deal with the sinus problem. At this point, this was the first time a dentist ever asked me about sinus problems and I started putting 2 and 2 together. But, instead of going in to see an ENT right away, I decided to try a neti-pot (saline rinse) and try a natural approach to clearing up my sinuses first. But, the stuffiness got worse and nothing helped.
Then, a few months ago, the pain in my tooth returned with vengeance, and not only did I have a severe tooth ache, but this time I had the worst migraine I've ever had. Allen had to stay home from work because I was extremely fatigued and I couldn't handle any noise at all. My doctor put me on the same antibiotics, then refereed me to the ENT guys where I had the CAT scan done.
Over the 4th of July weekend, I had another incident related to all this. I was doing yoga and stretching my back in the living room, when suddenly I stood up and got extremely dizzy. The whole room was spinning out of control, and I completely lost my balance and fell to the floor. It was so bad that I was prepared to pass out, so I laid my head down on the floor to keep from hitting my head. It's really quite terrifying losing control like that. After a few minutes the room stopped spinning and I was able to stand up again, but I was extremely nauseous and fatigued, and I ended up going to bed at 6PM. Long story short, it turned out to be a really bad episode of Virtigo, and when I went back to the ENT doctor, he did a series of epley maneuver exercises to loosen up the little crystals that were dislodged in my ear. He said the most maneuvers he's ever had to do with a patient was 3, but it took 5 times with me, and even then I still walked out of his office dizzy and wobbling down the hallway! If it doesn't clear up in 24-36 hours, then I go back.
I've never ever had issues with my ears until my sinuses got bad, and since then I've had at least 2 ear infections, and now Vertigo.
Finally, on my last trip to the ENT specialist to review the results of my CAT scan, he said I definitely have chronic sinusitis going on, and the CAT scan showed some pretty serious inflammation on both sides of my Maxillary glands. He said whenever I get enough inflammation (which doesn't take much), my maxillary glands close up altogether, which is what is causing all the migraines, ear aches, sinus infections, stuffiness and pain in the nerves of my teeth. So, he wants to do Balloon Sinuplasty Surgery on me as early as July 31st, and Ya'll, I am such a scaredy cat. I went home and watched some Youtube videos, and although it's a fairly simple surgery, it's a scary thing having a needle inserted into both nostrils, then having to sit patiently as they maneuver a metal pole inside both nostrils and puff out a balloon thingy. And all while under local anesthesia. Ugh! If anyone else has ever had this done, I could definitely use some coaxing. The recovery time is roughly 3 days, and its not as evasive as some sinus surgeries, so now I just need to work up the courage and schedule it.
And the moral of this story is, if you have a history of sinus pain, no matter how minimal, don't let a dentist talk you into a root canal unless you are 100% for sure it's not sinus related!!
The recipe is simple:
