Sinus Infection; Need a remedy that doesn't involve going to the dr!

[KempsMama]

Ok ladies, I'm hoping you all can offer some wisdom.  I have a nasty sinus infection.  I've always been prone to them, and sure enough after the cold I just had I've got a bad one.  Even my teeth hurt.  The kicker is we don't have health insurance right now for myself or DH, just the kids.  So I need a remedy that I can purchase without seeing the Dr. that's safe to take while nursing, and preferably a cheap one.  Hit me with your best shot!

[stik]

By the time my teeth hurt, I usually need antibiotics.  In your shoes, I would be considering one of the "minute clinics" at a drug store.  There are a lot of them in my area, and if you have access, it might be a good idea.  Zithromax is safe to take while nursing.  BUT, you would have to see a doc, and it would probably cost $50-75 for the doc (not sure of prices actually - I'm guessing, you should call and ask), not including the script, and I'm guessing that spending that kind of money isn't something you're comfortable with right now.  I'm just mentioning it because if it gets worse, you should remember that you can probably be cured for about $100 - $125.  Or you could pay out-of-pocket for a visit with your regular doc - uninsured, that would probably run you around $90-100.  Just keep it in mind as you add up the cost of remedies and the impact of your illness on your family.

Without seeing a doc, I would recommend garlic oil in your ears every couple hours, hot steamy showers, hot compresses on your face, staying hydrated, alternating cool beverages with hot tea or hot soup, advil cold and sinus (do not combine with caffeine), and a TON of rest.  I don't do neti pots, but there are lots of mamas here that do, and could probably tell you if they would be helpful in this situation.  When I'm sick, I also eat a lot of garlic and oregano.  Garlic is antibacterial and oregano is antiviral. 

[iamama]

Watch Foodmatters on netflix and see why mega dose of vit C will help.

[Trac]

I would give oil of oregano a try!  I used to get a sinus infection with every single cold, and someone steered me towards O of O...it cleared me up that time.  After that, I started taking it whenever I had a cold, and I never had another sinus infection.  Hope you feel better soon!

[KempsMama]

Originally Posted by iamama 

Watch Foodmatters on netflix and see why mega dose of vit C will help.

Originally Posted by Trac 

I would give oil of oregano a try!  I used to get a sinus infection with every single cold, and someone steered me towards O of O...it cleared me up that time.  After that, I started taking it whenever I had a cold, and I never had another sinus infection.  Hope you feel better soon!

Originally Posted by stik 

By the time my teeth hurt, I usually need antibiotics.  In your shoes, I would be considering one of the "minute clinics" at a drug store.  There are a lot of them in my area, and if you have access, it might be a good idea.  Zithromax is safe to take while nursing.  BUT, you would have to see a doc, and it would probably cost $50-75 for the doc (not sure of prices actually - I'm guessing, you should call and ask), not including the script, and I'm guessing that spending that kind of money isn't something you're comfortable with right now.  I'm just mentioning it because if it gets worse, you should remember that you can probably be cured for about $100 - $125.  Or you could pay out-of-pocket for a visit with your regular doc - uninsured, that would probably run you around $90-100.  Just keep it in mind as you add up the cost of remedies and the impact of your illness on your family.

Without seeing a doc, I would recommend garlic oil in your ears every couple hours, hot steamy showers, hot compresses on your face, staying hydrated, alternating cool beverages with hot tea or hot soup, advil cold and sinus (do not combine with caffeine), and a TON of rest.  I don't do neti pots, but there are lots of mamas here that do, and could probably tell you if they would be helpful in this situation.  When I'm sick, I also eat a lot of garlic and oregano.  Garlic is antibacterial and oregano is antiviral. 

We don't have any of those around here.  I live in a small-ish town, just one clinic/hospital system, no Urgent Care or Minute Clinics.  If I really need to go to the doc I know our clinic will let me bill it and pay over time, but I can't do that with a script and we are seriously cash strapped right now, DH has been out of work for health reasons for two years, and I just had gallbladder surgery in December, before I lost insurance.  I should be getting health care back in a month or so, but that's too long to let this go. 

I will try some of these suggestions, thanks girls. 

[chaoticzenmom]

Do you have a neti pot?  I'd try using a neti pot and taking some mucinex and using hot, steamy towels on your face.  Do you have access to a sauna? 

[sunnysandiegan]

I have a friend who is a medical doctor in the emergency department of a major hospital. She told me that a sinus infection will eventually heal itself, but it will be painful along the way. (I was in the same situation. Bad sinus infection following a cold and no health insurance.) The pain was intense, but I got through it without any prescription meds. I used my neti pot with a neti wash and took a lot of hot, steamy showers. My DH massaged the top of my head a LOT for me, too. (Facilitates drainage. The pain is from the blocked sinuses building up pressure in your head.) I slept slightly propped up and drank hot teas, etc. anything to promote drainage. I also know a little accupressure and used that on my face and massaged my feet (reflexology; concentrate of the base of your toes). Tapping, in general, all over your face and head can really help. There is a U-tube tapping video out there that is excellent. It is actually about the heart-mind connection, but it works wonders for sinus headaches. You can do a google search for the U-tube video, but I lost the link when I changed computers a month ago and I forgot the exact name. Sorry!

I probably also took lots of vitamin C in the form of EmergenC (packet dumped in water to drink) and Reacta-C (capsule with bioflavanoids-sp?). Take it to bowel tolerance and then back down a smidge. I don't think I knew about vitamin D3 at that point, but you may want to try that if you have any (up to 10,000 IUs a day, but I wouldn't do that more than a week without knowing your D levels). Eat and drink as healthy as you can...fresh veggies and fruits as much as possible. My go-to "sick" meal used to be soft-boiled eggs over dry toast, but now I have switched it to an omelet with dark, leafy greens and I skip the cheese.

Best wishes!

[Marnica]

As a life long sinus sufferer who has spent far too many years on the antibiotic merry go round here is what helps me:

neti pot is a must. I do it twice a day when well and more often if Im congested or have an infection

http://www.silversinus.com/

this stuff works - no joke. CS is amazing stuff.

[Ethelpea]

grapefruit seed extract.  A few drops in a neti pot.  It was the only thing that helped me last year after even abx failed miserably.  I started getting better almost immediately.

[Marnica]

I love GSE and use it regularly when ill internally. My last really nasty sinus infection GSE in the neti pot did not help :(  I also tried oil of oregano in the neti pot with no help.

There are so many great things that often work sometimes for some people and other times may not. I think it's always good to have a bunch of things on hand so if 1 doesn't seem to towrk, you can try another.

[kl5]

Dr. Mercola recently wrote about hydrogen peroxide in the ears to treat sinus infections. Easy enough to try, and something I plan to use when necessary. Neti pots are great too for clearing the airways, as mentioned above.

[allnaturalmom]

I have cured myself of some pretty bad sinus infections in the past with garlic. My general rule of thumb is 1 to 2 cloves every 1 to 2 hours, depending on symptoms, during the day. You will stink... but no nasty antibiotics for you. Also remember... lots of steam, clear fluids, vit c, and no dairy. Eat only whole foods while you are healing... carrots and sweet potatoes are good... apples, too. You might find diluted apple cider vinegar a few times a day to be very helpful. If you have lots of congestion and are really stuffed up, sinus rinse or neti pot might be a little difficult.

Hope you are feeling better real soon!

gl

hth

[bellytobelly]

From my chiropractor--  Snort apple cider vinegar up your nose, two or three times.  The easiest way I've found is to use a small cup, and always, always do this in the shower.  It is pretty awful, and it does burn some, but the temporary pain is so worth it!  The reason this works is simple science: the ac vinegar changes the ph of your sinuses so that the bacteria in there can't survive.  You may need to do it again, but wait about 6 hours.  I've never had to do it more than twice, but my chiro says you can do it for a few days, 2-3x a day, if it's a really bad infection.  The key is to really flush out your sinuses with the ac vinegar.  Also, don't ever use plain white vinegar as the high acidity can damage your sinuses (apple cider vinegar is only about 5% acidity).  Also, until the infection is actually gone, you can use a vibrating massager on your face to encourage the mucus to drain.

Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon!

**Lucky wife to Elliott, and Mama to DD-12/03 and DS 12/08 (water-birth, bf, co-sleep, no vac's or circ)--still gotta figure out how to do a signature...