Sinus Disease! Fun!

At some point I'll get around to a Christmas post, but today I'm going to update my future self on my sinus issues.

About 15 months ago I began feeling as if my sinuses cavities were stuffed with cotton. Then I got a true cold every month from November to March. Between and after the colds, I still had the feeling of tightness in my face. My voice also became more nasal. People frequently asked me if I had a cold, especially if they heard me over the phone, but I had no other symptoms other than my nose and cheeks feeling stuffy. 

I did see my family doctor during one of the particularly bad episodes, as well as the weekend family doctor one time. Both said I had a cold and recommended Flonase and Claritin and told me to call if I didn't clear up in 2 weeks. Of course I cleared up, but (do I sound like a broken record yet?) never got rid of the stuffiness. 

I finally broke down and saw an ENT a couple months ago. I had a bad sinus infection and inflammation. He prescribed an antibiotic and a steroid. I cleared up quickly, but a week after the steroid regimen ended, the stuffiness was back. He suspected I had chronic sinusitis, but the recommended regimen to find out was 4 more weeks of steroids. As he predicted, 4 weeks later I still had the stuffiness.

This week Dr. Jones looked at the results of a CT scan of my sinus cavities. I have "mild to moderate sinus disease." Yippee. Basically, the walls of my sinus cavities are much thicker than they should be.  I can live with it or have surgery. I asked if surgery would alleviate the constant pressure and tightness in my face, and he said not necessarily. Some people have the surgery and, though they can breathe better, still have the tightness. (Dr. Jones himself had the surgery when his sinuses became so bad that they caused asthma, and I saw his scans - which were much worse than mine, so I feel like I can trust him to give me a good assessment.)

I decided that, at least until it gets worse, I'm not going to do the surgery. It's a long recovery with no guarantee of relief. Oh, and did I mention I almost passed out while just talking about it? I had to sit down and they gave me a sucker.