Posted 6/5/2016 6:00 PM (GMT -5)
Denise & I already chatted about this but wanted to share w/ the forum in case someone else might also benefit...
I went through a horrible 13 month ordeal with chronic sinusitis, and thanks to the MDs never checking for the cause and prescribing abx + steroids over and over, I became dangerously ill - with bronchitis, flu and upper respiratory infection in addition to the sinusitis. All caused by fungus. This was all before lyme & co and before I had a clue about anything.
I went through periods where it felt like I was having every single tooth pulled at the same time... and my jaw and face would hurt so much I couldn't see, breathe - I would just sit there and cry (and I was trying to work and travel full-time). NEVER fly with a sinus infection, BTW - you can easily rupture your eardrum, permanently.
So after MDs failed me repeatedly, and after reading of the dangers of sinus infections spreading to the brain, I decided to Google my issues and of course, realized it was likely a fungal infection - got my hands on antifungals and within a couple of days I was nearly back to normal. 13 months of pain solved in a couple of days.
CAUSE
A change in air pressure (like a storm front moving in, or extra dry air like summertime or being in air conditioning a lot) can make a problem in the sinuses that you don't even know is there - a lot worse. The sinuses can dry up, which causes the pain and sometimes causes an infection to set in or get worse. And sometimes it's an infection that causes the sinuses to get dry and then it spreads to the jaw area. So it's kind of tough to know what is going on. My experience was 3 yrs ago, but in a recent MRI, my neurologist suggested my sinuses were still swollen.
EFFECT
The sinuses and the teeth kind of share the same real estate so it's easy for one problematic area to affect the other.
CULTURE
With this kind of tooth or sinus pain I'd go get everything checked out ASAP - the MD can at least culture to see if it is a bacterial or fungal infection (MOST will just assume bacterial and prescribe abx and send you on your way---this is what happened to me and caused me to get very, VERY ill because it was fungal, dropped into my chest as bronchitis and I couldn't breathe and it got scary really fast.) So make sure they know what it is and also look for yeast/fungal issues. You might also get prescribed steroids so I would skip those.
BLACK BOX
Levoquins are often prescribed for sinus infections but of course, this is a black box drug and I would be wary. While I was deathly ill, one of the MDs gave me Levofloxacin (which I now know I am seriously allergic to) and I not only had an anaphylactic response to it but of course, the tendon and muscle pain as well--some lingering issues I fear might be permanent damage from ONE dose of the stuff. Please be wary...
SOOTHE
While you're waiting to see an MD, please try oil pulling w/ sesame oil preferably or coconut oil is ok. Lots of info/ directions on web. Add anti microbial like oil of oregano, tea tree, etc. Do it a couple of times/day. Do not swallow any of it.
-p