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    Default Chronic sinus infections, bronchitis, and nasal rinses.

    Chronic sinus infections and bronchitis are very common among us Weggies due to our suppressed immune system, damage to our sinuses from the Wegs and the excess mucous resulting from the damage and our inability of our body to adequately flush our sinuses and nasal passages naturally.

    I had several sinus infections before i even got Wegs which my Weg expert said probably contributed to my getting Wegs in the first place but I have had a lot more since my weg diagnosis.

    The problem is these sinus infections and bronchitis tend to become chronic as the bacteria may develop a resistance to the antibiotics used. These areas are already often inflamed and damaged by the Wegs and the infections just compound the problems and make them worse. And these infections can also be caused by fungus or a virus and our suppressed immune system and damaged tissue in these areas just increase our risk of developing more such infections. Taking antibiotics for chronic infections becomes problematic if the infections are not caused by a bacteria since they will be ineffective and the antibiotics may well lose their effectives from continual usage. The only way to determine the type of infection is to try culture it which is expensive and also time consuming which may actually delay the needed treatment.

    I found out there is no all purpose way to deal with chronic sinus infections apart from general chemicals used to sterilize a hospital roon or OR equipment and these are not suitable for internal use. I found reference to a couple additives for nasal rinses that claimed to be multipurpose but they also seemed very expensive with little evidence to indicate their efficacy.

    The most promising info I found was a person who flooded his sinuses periodically with a strong hydrogen peroxide and saline solution and claimed it cured his infections repeatedly. Alkolol was another nasal additive that was widely promoted as a good solvent to help clean nasal passages. Adding some baby shampoo was also mentioned several times. Adding Betadine to a saline solution was also mentioned to kill any infections. The problem for me was that there was little info on how much to use or how effective these additives would be.

    I also found some suggestion that too much nasal rinsing could be counter productive and actually increase the risk of certain types of infections by removing too much of the protective layers lining the sinus cavities and nasal passages. My local ENT doctor had once told me you can not over do nasal rinsing but he could be wrong.

    I sought some helpful info from my local pharmacist. He told me he was unaware of any commercial product that would do what I wanted, kill off any chronic infections. He also agreed that chronic overuse of antibiotics presented potential problems.

    He said Betadine would work but would be messy. He said hydrogen peroxide seemed to be the safest and easiest one to try and cheapest one too. He thought a fairly high percentage of peroxide to saline water would be safe, up to 50% but this might also be quite uncomfortable.

    He agreed that Alkolol would help with cleaning the passages and had no opinion about baby shampoo as a solvent. He agreed that inhaling steam for several minutes before a nasal rinse should greatly increase its effectiveness.

    So I started experimenting. I would make a regular saline mixture which probably equaled three commercial packets to one 8 oz NeilMed bottle, add a squirt of peroxide, a drop of Johnson Baby shampoo, and rinse away. I usually got lot of blood clots and mucous gunk and some fresh blood on the first rinse and through half of the second bottle of rinse. The third bottle was generally clear so I would then add some Alkolol to end with a clean fresh feeling.

    I think the stuff suggesting a sinus infections has decreased some but i was also taking Azithromycin antibiotic at the same time so that might have also caused any improvement. I found I only add a small squirt of peroxide since more than that seems irritating but the solution is probably not strong enough to really do much antiseptic work in a quick rinse. I think flooding the sinuses with a stronger solution would be much more effective but also much more uncomfortable. I think the baby shampoo does help remove gunk and it only takes a drop or two to really suds up. It doesn't seem to irritate either at a low level.

    Taking a lot Guaifenesin seems to help thin the mucus and reduce the post nasal drip a bit but one needs to generally take the max suggested every day for this to be very effective. I am not aware of any research suggesting continual use is dangerous and I had ENT doctors prescribe it for me for several years on a daily basis for allergies.

    I find drinking a tea with added honey usually help reduces coughing fits for awhile. Of course there are many cough drops on the market too which help as do some hard mint candies.

    Inhaling steam for several minutes seem very helpful especially if done between rinses but it can also be another time consuming procedure. I have a small portable machine that uses distilled water and I set it on a small chair in the shower stall with a towel covering my head to help direct the steam into my nose.

    I find the chronic coughing from the mucus dripping down my throat very exhausting and annoying. As well as the congestion that comes from sinus infections. I think these two symptoms probably are the most common among anyone with Wegs since most people do end up with Wegs attacking the sinuses.

    I would love to hear any techniques people have found to help relieve these annoying symptoms.
    Last edited by drz; 05-05-2018 at 06:06 AM.
    Knowledge is power! Wisdom is using it to make good decisions!

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