I am with Glenntaj....they cultured for some types of bacteria.

Altho sprays and irrigations can help some stuff, if you have an infection it simply forces it upward and inward, to areas that you do not want infected with some hard to kill germ.

I would find out what they cultured for....did they check for opportunistic infections.

Did they check for Aspergillosis?

Also, it does take a while for the junk to come out, however, it should be getting better if you are on your second z-pack. Azithromycin otherwise known as zithromycin stays in your system for up to 30 days...the drug that keeps on killing....It is good stuff for most germ killing, where would we be without it....however,
you might want to check out side effects for floroquinalones. It is not PN friendly.

Keep a close eye on yourself.

My doctor always does a nasal endoscopy to get culture material, and he sends fungal cultures both to Mayo and to Quest. They take weeks to grow out.

I was cultured last Monday, for instance, and the bacterial cultures are back, growing out two rather resistant organisms, but they ARE sensitive to Wilson's solution, so my sinus guy has called the pharmacy to compound Gentamicin for irrigation.

I disagree strongly about pushing the bacteria inside when irrigating, and I really don't want to see anybody with sinus problems urged to stop this miracle step. Irrigating helps wash out pus accumulating in the sinuses, and it's pretty visible. It helps thins the thickened mucus. If you use the grossan irrigator, it even helps stimulate cilia to beat. And antibiotics can be put in it.

Mucinex, btw, is now making a nasal spray. I haven't seen it or read its contents, but I did come across an ad.

And in terms of irritability: I can vouch for sinus infections making one irritable. It's hard to feel good with inflammation that close to the brain. It feels like the brain is involved.

http://www.americarx.com/Products/30008.html

It is similar to moisturizing Afrin.

What if you are irrigating and your germ is resistant to what you are on, and it gets into your sphenoid bone? Three boys died this summer from some odd amoeba they caught swimming in a lake...nose to brain.

Sure it is a long shot, but those kids were not immunocompromised. Sanjay Guptas advice...swim with nose plugs on. I think I will stick to a pool from now on.

I don't think you should stop doing what your doctor tells you to do without discussing it with at least his nurse, however, sometimes it takes persistance to get your point across to them.

Irrigating any infection, whether wound or otherwise without it being treated, for spread can be iffy.

What you say sounds totally reasonable, and after reading what you just wrote on another thread about drug metabolism, I am swollen with respect for you.

I know my doctor wants me to use distilled water, but that's not sterile either. What you're saying sounds totally plausable, so, I'm just going to think about it a bit.

I do know that irrigating when my secretions thicken has kept me from requiring antibiotics for my sinuses for most of two years now. Before that I was on many antibiotics, including intravenous. The drainage opening of the ethmoids is scarred shut, and my non-surgical sinus guy--the one I go to to stay OUT of the hands of surgeons---is thinking it will need to be opened again. My sinuses are on the edge of tolerability, and growing out two weird organisms. But hydrocortisone (just in replacement dose) for 3 days with irrigating religiously seemed to get it under control.

I just don't know what to say here. I've bought the conventional wisdom, and it's worked. I do see what you call the potential danger. I just don't know how to measure the two.

Drowning down here to the tune of 5.75 inches of rain today... Enough already!!!

I don't know what to think about the irrigation either. The Nurse Practioneer first told me to stop irrigating and said not to irrigate when I had an infection. Another nurse in the ENT office called back and said the doctor wants me to irrigate twice daily with saline... That might have been after the culture came back normal-lost track at this point...

So considering that this seemed to be helping, other than the burning, I tried again using saline, but only once yesterday. Maybe I was just doing it too much.

We shall see. I feel a lot better today and am not having the issues with all of the mucus... I don't know whether to attribute that to the Z pack or what. The lung doc informed me I am running out of antibiotic options though. He said the only thing left in this situation is Sulfa, and I am allergic to that...

I guess the test will be when I start going down more on the steroid dose. This is when this stuff always hits... I plan to address the sinus endoscopy with the ENT in my followup visit and also what they cultured for...

Curious: Yes, I did do the search for the toast... I could not remember where I posted...

Cathie

MrsD: What happens to the metabolites when you don't have a gallbladder any more? I have wondered if having a fatty liver might be why I have some wierd drug reactions...

Cathie

You still make bile. The metabolites of Singulair are excreted thru the bile.
Like cholesterol is.

Obstructive biliary disease, impairs the flow of bile, and is very serious.
You'd be sick all the time with it.

HI Cathie, Besides the Z pack, i find biaxin to be very effective for my numerous respiratory infections. Actually i use biaxin , every once in a while the doctor will prescribe z pack instead. Quinolones like levaquin never work as well and Avelox is out totally, got me very sick.

As someone who's lived with chronic, recurrent sinusitis for over a decade, maybe two decades, I just want to emphasize a few points.

It is NOT necessary or good to put so much alkalol or salt in the irrigation water that it hurts. Just as much alkalol as you're comfortable with. Something less than a teaspoon of peroxide. And the salt solution works best if you use kosher salt and baking soda, if you make your own, according to recipes given on the sinus sites, OR, use Breathease, which is pre-made and non-irritating.

I've not found a single ENT who would not encourage irrigation while infected, and it certainly makes one more comfortable.

But keep everything clean, and use distilled water preferably.

Antibiotics should be matched to the organism, and they can vary, so what works for one might not for another.

Good luck with this one...