House call: Home remedies help most sinus infections
- Moderate to severe sinus pain in the cheekbones and above the eyes in the middle of the forehead that worsens when you strain, cough, or bend over
- Fever
- Swelling around the eyes
- Thick yellow or green mucus from your nose, especially if it is all from one side and tinged with blood
- Generally feeling ill (malaise)
- A cough caused by postnasal drip
- Bad breath
How do you tell if you might have a sinus infection that needs treatment or a cold or the flu that you can just ride out?
Cold and flu symptoms last around three weeks. The first few days are usually the worst: achiness, fever (especially in kids), cough and nasal mucus. The nasal mucus starts off clear while you are most contagious. It progresses to yellow and then that lovely green we all know. Colored mucus does not mean you have a bacterial sinus infection. The color is from your immune cells fighting off the infection. Just remember, “green snot is old snot.”
If your nasal symptoms last more than three weeks, you may have a bacterial sinus infection. Even then, the infection has a good chance (90 percent) of clearing without antibiotics. With diligent home treatment, it can take 10 to 14 days to resolve a sinus infection.
Rinse your sinuses with diluted saltwater twice a day and use decongestants (oral and/or nasal sprays) to keep your nasal passages open and draining. Use a neti pot, a sinus rinse bottle or just cup the liquid in your hand and sniff it in and blow it out. You can buy pre-measured packets to make the rinse solution or make your own: a half teaspoon of salt in a cup of water with a pinch of baking soda to make it sting less. While you have a cold or the flu, these practices can also help prevent you from developing a bacterial infection.
Boil the water you are going to rinse your sinuses with, and allow it to cool to room temperature before rinsing. A friend of mine did not let the water cool enough before rinsing her sinuses and likened the experience to rinsing with fire. Also, lean well forward over the sink with your mouth open as you rinse.
If you cannot rinse your sinuses because you are too congested, spray with a nasal decongestant about 15 minutes before you rinse or take an oral decongestant 30 minutes before. Hot compresses, analgesics (like acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen), nasal steroid sprays and decongestants can help ease your discomfort. Do not use nasal decongestant sprays for more than a few days to avoid rebound congestion.
If after 10 days of home treatment your sinus symptoms are not improving or seem to be getting worse, make an appointment to see your doctor and keep up with your home treatment.
If your doctor determines that you have a bacterial sinus infection, he or she may recommend a course of oral antibiotics, although in 9 out of 10 patients they do not clear the infection any faster.
If you take antibiotics for your sinus infection, take all the medication until it is used up. Do not stop because you feel better. This helps ensure that you do not end up with an antibiotic resistant infection. Continue with home treatments while you are on antibiotics.
Dr. Bob Riggs is a family medicine physician practicing at Group Health’s Riverfront Medical Center.