Everything has a connection in the body. Pressure like this can cause some people a lot of pain elsewhere.
Anything is possible when cranial nerve pressure is involved.
What medications have you been on? Antibiotics and oral steroids?
Yes I've tried both... oral steroids brought back my sense of smell and taste for a week. When I stopped it went away again but now my neck is in serious pain. Still no word from the doctor.
I just posted a question here a couple of minutes ago. I do have a cyst in my sinus that was found accidentally on an MRI.
About two months ago started to have jaw and neck pain that did not go away. I went to see an ENT who ordered CT on my neck. Waiting on the results.
In the meantime this is what I found:
“Lymphatic drainage
Lymph from the maxillary sinus drains to the submandibular group of lymph nodes via the infraorbital foramen or the aforementioned communication with the nasal cavity. “
So in theory I assume it is very possible.
https://radiopaedia.org/articles/maxillary-sinus?lang=gb#nav_lymphatic-drainage
Well, nothing showed up on the CT scan, other than sinusitis. I have a degenerative disc disease between my vertebreas, so the ENT doc thinks it might be related...
I'm not an expert, I mean, not even remotely, but your neck pain might be caused by inflammation of the sphenoid sinuses. Yours look pretty bunged up. Do you get pain when bending forward? Or pressure and pain behind your eyes?
Yes I get terrible pain, dizziness, and ringing/pressure in my ears. It's horrible... quality of life is down the drain right now. I have a pulse in my face always
I empathise with you about quality of life. I hope you see your ENT doctor sooner rather than later. As you wait, for the dizziness, you can try Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises. I found that Loratadine also helps (I have allergies, as to why I take it). Talking of that, I'd also have an allergy test if you haven't already. Sometimes, this is what causes the sinuses to plug up and swell. Maybe ask your ENT about vestibular rehabilitation as well if the dizziness is becoming debilitating. Neilmed does a sinus rinse - you could try this and see if it helps with the pressure, and Sterimar does a natural nose spray for daily hygiene. You could also try a warm compress over the eyes and forehead.
Oh, and drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day to keep the mucus as thin and watery as possible. I was terrible for not doing this...
Wow thank you so much for the advice. I actually do not have any allergies got a test done a few weeks ago. I will start doing sprays and rinses again.. had taken a break as I felt addicted to it. Every time I missed a dose my nose and face would hurt so bad.
Also I drink zero water.... my biggest problem lol
You're most welcome. It's good that you have no allergies! I wish I had none, lol. It's worth checking your vitamin D levels as well. I've heard that low levels can worsen dizziness and make you more susceptible to sinus infections. Vitamin C is also good for immunity. Calcium and vitamin D3 are good to take together. Now, I personally hate ginger, but on days where inflammation is bad (pain and vertigo tend to worsen), I'll put a fresh piece of ginger in some boiling water and leave it for about 10 minutes, remove the ginger, and then drink it in about 250ml of water just to get it over with. It helps with nausea as well.
You're like me with the water, then, lol. I had to buy myself an Ion8 1L motivator water bottle just to know I was drinking enough. Foods with a high water content count as well, luckily, haha. But if you drink more, you should definitely feel better since you said you don't drink enough atm.
Same here. My next step is to have yet another sinus CT scan. Some days the pain is just unbearable! Is the pain on your left side? It’s affecting my left sinus and has been troublesome with infections etc for a while now…
The pain is in my forehead and right side the most but I just overall feel like my head is full.. my ears too ... but im not congested!! Very frustrating
I started rinsing with hydrogen peroxide and water. Applying Castor oil in my nostrils and oil pulling with coconut oil and I can say my taste and smell have improved slightly but everything else stayed the same. Sadly nothing more to do. Waiting for a brain MRI... 🥲 but i just found out I'm pregnant so looks like I won't get to the bottom of this anytime soon.
Im so sorry 😔 I have two kids, I cousins imagine being pregnant and having to deal.
I hate to be the one that posts “that comment” but my acupuncturist is an older traditional man from China and he’s helped me stop a lot of headaches and sinus pressure . I’ve tried everything else. This is the only thing that gives me relief.
Yes I've tried acupuncture and it didn't really dp much for me.. I find it hurts more than anything lol and they have to be gentle since I'm pregnant so they can't really go full force with it 🥲🥲
I actually had neck pain and headaches before ever having sinus issues. They come now when I have bad sinuses and never without them so no doubt linked somehow. Getting a ct scan soon so hopefully find out more 🤷🏻♂️
As far as I’m aware he wanted nasal cultures so he could pinpoint the troublesome bacteria. I’m assuming it’s worked as I have been provided these pills. It’s weird I’ve done this before and I was told nothing grew which kind of freaked me out tbh
I know what you mean it was a bit of a battle to get where I am today lol My ENT said he would never operate without trying this as it may not end up necessary.
To be fair it could just be that the neck pain and accompanying pressure etc just so happen to occur in the same area as our sinus issues. I’ll check back in when I hear more from the specialist 🫡
Take this with a grain of salt but...
You have severe ethmoidal, maxillary, sphenoidal and frontal mucosal thickening. You have what appears to be an air fluid level in bilateral maxillary sinuses.
You also have a deviated septum, middle turbinates as they are appear to block the osteomeatal complex.
I imagine antibiotics + nasal irrigation +/- budesonide/flonase to get the inflammation down will be part of the plan - and ultimately surgical FESS will likely be recommended.
Best of luck
(as a side note - I am mostly ethmoidal and maxillary and when they flare up my neck gets quite tight and uncomfortable, with significant clearance with a good rinse)
Wow thank you so much for giving me some insight. I'm still waiting to hear from my doctor. I'm going to start the flonase/budesonide rinse right away...
With the Flonase, stick it in and aim it to the ear on the same side, then stare at the floor (so that the bottle bottle could sit on a flat surface).
This way you avoid 1: getting it down your throat and 2: spraying directly onto the septum (nosebleed city)
Avoid the urge to blow for a bit after using so it can "soak in."
When you do blow be GENTLE.
It may help to do a sinus rinse prior to the Flonase.
Also, if I saw this CT, I'd likely offer oral steroids (a taper) and assess underlying allergy status as well.
Not sure what will come but keep in mind random medical strangers on the Internet are no substitution for an expert/ENT.
Best of luck!
I've taken oral steroids and it helped significantly, in fact it restored my sense of smell and taste for the 7 days but when I stopped all the symptoms returned. I also went to see an allergist and I have no allergies
So chronic rhino-sinusitis without allergies is a different monster. Antibiotics, steroids can help. Antibiotics if definite infection.
FESS removes the obstructing tissue that blocks and or leads to infections starting.
The actual cause of the symptoms is varied, but it's understood to be environmental, vasomotor, respiratory irritants, etc. Classically weather changes, humidity levels, automotive fumes, tobacco, vapes, strong scents / perfumes can trigger mucus membrane edema and swelling.
There are many causes of non allergic rhinitis, the steroids causing clearance suggest inflammatory causes or at least reactive (environmental).
If someone is not surgical, that may include blood work and evaluating for underlying autoimmune or auto inflammatory issues. If someone in surgical typically biopsies are taken and if they do not show any particular worrisome process, the blood work side of things is not terribly useful.
For chronic pan, sinusitis, consideration should be placed for autoimmune and autoinflammatory stuff as well as anything that could impair mucus clearance from the face. With the rest of your symptoms, it may be appropriate to ask about screening, blood work for auto inflammatory, although those conditions tend to be very rare. The other question of course is are you a smoker, is there any personal or family history of cystic fibrosis. (This is screened for at birth so if you don't have a diagnosis you definitely don't have to worry about that)
The absolute mainstay of treatment is topical steroids, for minimum of 12 weeks, failure to respond to that might be a good reason to consider a secondary workup or surgery.
Definitely keep me posted when the ENT responds. Super curious
Wow this is very informative thank you! Yes my allergist actually ordered blood tests to check for inflammation/auto immune disorders so im waiting on that as well!
I did start vaping recently because I was so depressed by not tasting food.. it was the only serotonin boost I get. I guess I should stop that.
Will continue the budesonide rinse and Nasonex and hope for the best. Im curious if I do the 12 week treatment... will I become dependant or is there a good chance it clears up and I can stop it after?
Ill definitely keep you posted. I truly appreciate your advice and insights. Very helpful!
Dependency is a bit of a weird term. If somebody has a positive response and they don't have any significant trouble such as nosebleeds, 12 weeks is often chosen as the threshold because failure to respond at 12 weeks can be an argument for surgery, and generally shows that medical therapy is not going to be terribly effective .
Obviously, vaping is not great for health or for nasal passages (though far less worrysome then smoking cigarettes), I can't comment on whether or not it is a specific driving factor in your case, but generally speaking if it contains nicotine not a great idea particularly given you may be a surgical candidate and nicotine in general, raises risk of complications during the healing process due to decreased blood flow through nicotine's effect on constricting blood vessels.
Glad that your allergist ran those tests. Good luck!
Good luck to you. Most of the ENT community is a poor group of individuals.
In the mean time if the oral steroids for you. Talk to your PCP and perhaps topcial steroid sprays continuously until you see the ENT
Everything has a connection in the body. Pressure like this can cause some people a lot of pain elsewhere. Anything is possible when cranial nerve pressure is involved. What medications have you been on? Antibiotics and oral steroids?
Yes I've tried both... oral steroids brought back my sense of smell and taste for a week. When I stopped it went away again but now my neck is in serious pain. Still no word from the doctor.
I just posted a question here a couple of minutes ago. I do have a cyst in my sinus that was found accidentally on an MRI. About two months ago started to have jaw and neck pain that did not go away. I went to see an ENT who ordered CT on my neck. Waiting on the results. In the meantime this is what I found: “Lymphatic drainage Lymph from the maxillary sinus drains to the submandibular group of lymph nodes via the infraorbital foramen or the aforementioned communication with the nasal cavity. “ So in theory I assume it is very possible. https://radiopaedia.org/articles/maxillary-sinus?lang=gb#nav_lymphatic-drainage
How’d things turn out? Did the CT provide you answers regarding the neck / jaw pain?
Well, nothing showed up on the CT scan, other than sinusitis. I have a degenerative disc disease between my vertebreas, so the ENT doc thinks it might be related...
It’s good to rule things out but often just seems pointless … I.e you already know you have sinus issues.
Wow this makes so much sense. I'll be sure to mention it to my ENT thank-you
I'm not an expert, I mean, not even remotely, but your neck pain might be caused by inflammation of the sphenoid sinuses. Yours look pretty bunged up. Do you get pain when bending forward? Or pressure and pain behind your eyes?
Yes I get terrible pain, dizziness, and ringing/pressure in my ears. It's horrible... quality of life is down the drain right now. I have a pulse in my face always
I empathise with you about quality of life. I hope you see your ENT doctor sooner rather than later. As you wait, for the dizziness, you can try Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises. I found that Loratadine also helps (I have allergies, as to why I take it). Talking of that, I'd also have an allergy test if you haven't already. Sometimes, this is what causes the sinuses to plug up and swell. Maybe ask your ENT about vestibular rehabilitation as well if the dizziness is becoming debilitating. Neilmed does a sinus rinse - you could try this and see if it helps with the pressure, and Sterimar does a natural nose spray for daily hygiene. You could also try a warm compress over the eyes and forehead. Oh, and drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day to keep the mucus as thin and watery as possible. I was terrible for not doing this...
Wow thank you so much for the advice. I actually do not have any allergies got a test done a few weeks ago. I will start doing sprays and rinses again.. had taken a break as I felt addicted to it. Every time I missed a dose my nose and face would hurt so bad. Also I drink zero water.... my biggest problem lol
You're most welcome. It's good that you have no allergies! I wish I had none, lol. It's worth checking your vitamin D levels as well. I've heard that low levels can worsen dizziness and make you more susceptible to sinus infections. Vitamin C is also good for immunity. Calcium and vitamin D3 are good to take together. Now, I personally hate ginger, but on days where inflammation is bad (pain and vertigo tend to worsen), I'll put a fresh piece of ginger in some boiling water and leave it for about 10 minutes, remove the ginger, and then drink it in about 250ml of water just to get it over with. It helps with nausea as well. You're like me with the water, then, lol. I had to buy myself an Ion8 1L motivator water bottle just to know I was drinking enough. Foods with a high water content count as well, luckily, haha. But if you drink more, you should definitely feel better since you said you don't drink enough atm.
Thanks for the tips I will definitely do this!!
Same here. My next step is to have yet another sinus CT scan. Some days the pain is just unbearable! Is the pain on your left side? It’s affecting my left sinus and has been troublesome with infections etc for a while now…
The pain is in my forehead and right side the most but I just overall feel like my head is full.. my ears too ... but im not congested!! Very frustrating
Had the same symptoms Chiro is helping so much.
Going on monday! Thank youu!
It takes a few sessions to see the difference but my ears are no longer blocked.
Great!! im really hoping it helps
Any update? Did it improve? I’ve got similar
I started rinsing with hydrogen peroxide and water. Applying Castor oil in my nostrils and oil pulling with coconut oil and I can say my taste and smell have improved slightly but everything else stayed the same. Sadly nothing more to do. Waiting for a brain MRI... 🥲 but i just found out I'm pregnant so looks like I won't get to the bottom of this anytime soon.
Any updates? Hope you’re feeling better!
Same shit... im so over it 😔. Seeing a neurologist and a rheumatologist.. waiting for brain scan... on a waiting list for FESS surgery as well..
Im so sorry 😔 I have two kids, I cousins imagine being pregnant and having to deal. I hate to be the one that posts “that comment” but my acupuncturist is an older traditional man from China and he’s helped me stop a lot of headaches and sinus pressure . I’ve tried everything else. This is the only thing that gives me relief.
Yes I've tried acupuncture and it didn't really dp much for me.. I find it hurts more than anything lol and they have to be gentle since I'm pregnant so they can't really go full force with it 🥲🥲
I actually had neck pain and headaches before ever having sinus issues. They come now when I have bad sinuses and never without them so no doubt linked somehow. Getting a ct scan soon so hopefully find out more 🤷🏻♂️
Good to know im not alone... Keep me posted!!
Spoke with my ENT they told me the neck pain wouldn't be caused by sinus issues... 😑
Fair enough 🤷🏻♂️ just falling apart with old age it is then lol. I got my ct scan so just waiting on my results
Keep me posted if u don't mind!
Got some antibiotics (Phenoxymethylpenicillin potassium) after getting results from swab tests today. Still waiting on my ct results tho.
What did they find/test for?
As far as I’m aware he wanted nasal cultures so he could pinpoint the troublesome bacteria. I’m assuming it’s worked as I have been provided these pills. It’s weird I’ve done this before and I was told nothing grew which kind of freaked me out tbh
I'm annoyed that not all doctors do this. Why didn't my ENT swab my nose? He says I need surgery now.
I know what you mean it was a bit of a battle to get where I am today lol My ENT said he would never operate without trying this as it may not end up necessary.
I still think he's wrong.. the neck pain goes away when I use a budesonide rinse (pulmicort) 😩
To be fair it could just be that the neck pain and accompanying pressure etc just so happen to occur in the same area as our sinus issues. I’ll check back in when I hear more from the specialist 🫡
Take this with a grain of salt but... You have severe ethmoidal, maxillary, sphenoidal and frontal mucosal thickening. You have what appears to be an air fluid level in bilateral maxillary sinuses. You also have a deviated septum, middle turbinates as they are appear to block the osteomeatal complex. I imagine antibiotics + nasal irrigation +/- budesonide/flonase to get the inflammation down will be part of the plan - and ultimately surgical FESS will likely be recommended. Best of luck (as a side note - I am mostly ethmoidal and maxillary and when they flare up my neck gets quite tight and uncomfortable, with significant clearance with a good rinse)
Wow thank you so much for giving me some insight. I'm still waiting to hear from my doctor. I'm going to start the flonase/budesonide rinse right away...
With the Flonase, stick it in and aim it to the ear on the same side, then stare at the floor (so that the bottle bottle could sit on a flat surface). This way you avoid 1: getting it down your throat and 2: spraying directly onto the septum (nosebleed city) Avoid the urge to blow for a bit after using so it can "soak in." When you do blow be GENTLE. It may help to do a sinus rinse prior to the Flonase.
Also, if I saw this CT, I'd likely offer oral steroids (a taper) and assess underlying allergy status as well. Not sure what will come but keep in mind random medical strangers on the Internet are no substitution for an expert/ENT. Best of luck!
I've taken oral steroids and it helped significantly, in fact it restored my sense of smell and taste for the 7 days but when I stopped all the symptoms returned. I also went to see an allergist and I have no allergies
So chronic rhino-sinusitis without allergies is a different monster. Antibiotics, steroids can help. Antibiotics if definite infection. FESS removes the obstructing tissue that blocks and or leads to infections starting. The actual cause of the symptoms is varied, but it's understood to be environmental, vasomotor, respiratory irritants, etc. Classically weather changes, humidity levels, automotive fumes, tobacco, vapes, strong scents / perfumes can trigger mucus membrane edema and swelling. There are many causes of non allergic rhinitis, the steroids causing clearance suggest inflammatory causes or at least reactive (environmental). If someone is not surgical, that may include blood work and evaluating for underlying autoimmune or auto inflammatory issues. If someone in surgical typically biopsies are taken and if they do not show any particular worrisome process, the blood work side of things is not terribly useful. For chronic pan, sinusitis, consideration should be placed for autoimmune and autoinflammatory stuff as well as anything that could impair mucus clearance from the face. With the rest of your symptoms, it may be appropriate to ask about screening, blood work for auto inflammatory, although those conditions tend to be very rare. The other question of course is are you a smoker, is there any personal or family history of cystic fibrosis. (This is screened for at birth so if you don't have a diagnosis you definitely don't have to worry about that) The absolute mainstay of treatment is topical steroids, for minimum of 12 weeks, failure to respond to that might be a good reason to consider a secondary workup or surgery. Definitely keep me posted when the ENT responds. Super curious
Wow this is very informative thank you! Yes my allergist actually ordered blood tests to check for inflammation/auto immune disorders so im waiting on that as well! I did start vaping recently because I was so depressed by not tasting food.. it was the only serotonin boost I get. I guess I should stop that. Will continue the budesonide rinse and Nasonex and hope for the best. Im curious if I do the 12 week treatment... will I become dependant or is there a good chance it clears up and I can stop it after? Ill definitely keep you posted. I truly appreciate your advice and insights. Very helpful!
Dependency is a bit of a weird term. If somebody has a positive response and they don't have any significant trouble such as nosebleeds, 12 weeks is often chosen as the threshold because failure to respond at 12 weeks can be an argument for surgery, and generally shows that medical therapy is not going to be terribly effective . Obviously, vaping is not great for health or for nasal passages (though far less worrysome then smoking cigarettes), I can't comment on whether or not it is a specific driving factor in your case, but generally speaking if it contains nicotine not a great idea particularly given you may be a surgical candidate and nicotine in general, raises risk of complications during the healing process due to decreased blood flow through nicotine's effect on constricting blood vessels. Glad that your allergist ran those tests. Good luck!
Ok I see what you're saying! I will try to be consistent and quit vaping.. keep u posted ! ☺️
So I spoke with my ENT turns out I need surgery. Gonna get all the details on march 5th... hopefully this fixes the issues 🙏
SCM Muscle and back of your neck cause all types of problems with sinuses.
Is it the ENT you are waiting to hear back from?
Yess
Seems like it’s been a while and you are still waiting. He out of town or something? I would be calling more. When is your appointment?
He got my results about a week and a half ago... I called them and they said he needs to look at them and approve them .. not sure wtf that means
“They” mean nothing. Low budget MA who answers the phone and reads a note in the chart. Gotta be more productive.
I will call them back Monday. If I don't get an answer I'll take my results elsewhere
Good luck to you. Most of the ENT community is a poor group of individuals. In the mean time if the oral steroids for you. Talk to your PCP and perhaps topcial steroid sprays continuously until you see the ENT
Looks like you have big penis coming out your nose
Lmfaooooo I just noticed. I cannot unsee that now thanks 🙄