The bf has been sick as a dog since Monday with no improvement. It's moved to his head with lots of pressure and drainage. It's hurting behind his eyes, his jaw, and his ear. He has a constant headache pretty much. He takes NyQuil and it dries him out but also knocks him down. The pharmacist suggested Claritin D but it hasn't done anything and he wants to be fixed. He also took Mucinex and that didn't work.

Problem is he's not on the company health insurance yet. What can he take to combat this OTC or does he need to take the bullet and go?

I looked at webmd and they suggested it is probably sinusitis. Help!

7/17/2009 2:51:13 PM

are there any licensed physicians that actively post? i can't think of any.

[Edited on July 17, 2009 at 2:53 PM. Reason : i know the "dr. tww" joke and shit, just thinking aloud via text]

7/17/2009 2:52:29 PM

I dunno, I think brainysmurf does something medical related and a few others are in it but who knows.

7/17/2009 2:53:14 PM

Zicam and hope it goes away with a quickness

sounds like a bad sinus infection, which is never good.

7/17/2009 3:57:18 PM

neti pot

7/17/2009 4:00:24 PM

7/17/2009 4:04:59 PM

Quote :

"sounds like a bad sinus infection"

7/17/2009 5:26:38 PM

Yeah he says he blows his nose and his head feels like it's going to explode. Poor thing. We just got more meds to see if it works because he's not getting worse, he's just not getting better either.

7/17/2009 5:27:34 PM

swine flu! it's gaining traction in raleigh.

just kidding, but i hope he gets better soon.

7/17/2009 6:03:35 PM

Quote :

"it is probably sinusitis"

lol, no shit.

if he hasn't improved at all since monday, he needs some abx.

bite the bullet and go to an urgent care center to get a script.

7/17/2009 6:27:01 PM

Definitely a sinus infection. I am the sinus infection queen.

He needs:
-Decongestant.
-Neti Pot or a positive pressure sinus wash kid from the drug store.
-Plenty of fluids.
-Chewing gum to keep those ears clear. (Ear infections are a sinus infection's last stand.)
-And get some damned antibiotics.

7/17/2009 6:53:13 PM

Quote :

"are there any licensed physicians that actively post?"

skip - I know she does family medicine.
DaveOT - not sure of his specialty.


possibly more.

7/17/2009 9:22:20 PM

^Radiology.

And the answer is yes, go see a physician.

Call around to some of the walk-in clinics (just check the phone book) and see if they'll cut the cost of a visit for self-paying patients.

7/17/2009 9:54:20 PM

call the county health dept, ours referred me to a place that bills based on income. i pay 20 bucks a visit, and they have prescription help if you can't get generic.

7/17/2009 11:02:54 PM

1) Take hot steamy shower

2) Blow the fuck out of nose repeatedly in shower

3) Get some rest

4) Drink plenty of juices with vitamin C

5) Repeat

7/18/2009 1:49:28 AM

http://www.minuteclinic.com

find a location in your area

they are cheap and quick

7/18/2009 8:06:11 AM

^^If you blow your nose too hard, you'll cause an ear infection. The pressure forces sinus drainage through the Eustacian tubes and into your middle ear.

7/18/2009 8:16:55 AM

what color is the mucus?

Clear mucus may be indicative of something other than a sinus infection, but if it's bright green or yellow, it's a sinus infection for sure.

[Edited on July 18, 2009 at 11:17 AM. Reason : .]

7/18/2009 11:15:03 AM

Quote :

"if it's bright green or yellow, it's a sinus infection for sure"

Nope.

Traditionally, we thought that green sputum indicated a bacterial infection, but the data don't support that. Color of the sputum really means nothing.

7/18/2009 11:27:45 AM

Drinking lots of OJ, & getting plenty of rest while treating the symptoms over the counter is usually my first defense against disease for a few days or so before considering going to a doctor.

NCSU's student health trained me to believe everything is a virus, and there is nothing a doctor can do about it (or even if it wasn't, they still wouldn't treat it). Heck, even when I had strep throat, and would go in there saying "I know I have strep" they'd do the quick test, tell me I don't have it, and call me like 2 weeks later saying some culture turned out to show that I do have it, but since its been so long, you're hopefully getting better anyways so we aren't going to prescribe meds.

The severity determines how long I'm willing to go like this, but usually if its been a full week & I'm not showing any signs of improvement, then it's time to take the next step.

7/18/2009 3:51:00 PM

We talked to a pharmacist today. Most of is symptoms are gone except for pressure in his sinus cavity and up against his ear. She recommended a low dose Sudafed he can take every 4 hours, he was having issues with a racing heart, but also a nasal spray. He's been doing the shower steam thing and that seems to help. Pharmacist told us to hold out for a few more days before heading to the doctor.

All the reading I've done says there's no antibiotic for a viral sinus infection which is the most likely cause of sinusitis. So if we can avoid the cost of walking into a clinic just to be told to get OTC then we will. If we need to go to a Doc I'll use all your recommendations for finding one!

7/18/2009 5:28:52 PM

kiljadn - love

7/18/2009 5:37:44 PM

Quote :

"NCSU's student health trained me to believe everything is a virus, and there is nothing a doctor can do about it (or even if it wasn't, they still wouldn't treat it)."

that's because most of the time it is a virus.

Quote :

"All the reading I've done says there's no antibiotic for a viral sinus infection which is the most likely cause of sinusitis."

abx don't do anything to viruses. you get them when you don't improve for a while mainly as a prophylactic of sorts - if there is a bacterial infection, it at least attempts to keep it from getting horrible.

7/18/2009 6:36:22 PM

or it's a z-pack and it commits bacteria genocide.

7/18/2009 8:52:13 PM

zithromax isn't what it used to be

mainly because pcp's would (some still do) throw one at anyone who had even the slightest indication of infection.

7/19/2009 12:48:28 AM

7/19/2009 10:00:18 AM

Quote :

" NCSU's student health trained me to believe everything is a virus, and there is nothing a doctor can do about it (or even if it wasn't, they still wouldn't treat it). Heck, even when I had strep throat, and would go in there saying "I know I have strep" they'd do the quick test, tell me I don't have it, and call me like 2 weeks later saying some culture turned out to show that I do have it, but since its been so long, you're hopefully getting better anyways so we aren't going to prescribe meds."

i had to take a medical withdrawal one semester because after being sick for 4 months and going to student health 5 times and telling them that i was pretty sure i had mono and a sinus infection they still said it was probably just a "bug" (although at one point they said maybe gonorrhea, wtf)

finally went home to my old pediatrician... mono and now MAJOR sinus infection that resulted in a localized infection that now required major surgery

DO NOT TRUST STUDENT HEALTH

7/19/2009 10:07:19 AM

student health always took my word for it. took a culture test. prescribed antibiotics which i picked up before I left the building.

i had strep every year at state. they were never as bad for treating it as you all described.

7/19/2009 10:20:46 AM

i was told 5 times that they were sending my blood to the lab for Epstein bar test, it apparently never happened. my pediatrician's first test also came back negative, but the epstein barr test came back positive. he also noticed that my liver and spleen were huge, the health center missed this at every one of my visits and told me i was fine to play rugby.

the pediatrician noticed instantly that i had a sever sinus infection and referred my to an ENT because it was so bad, the health center repeatedly just gave me decongestant and told me it was probably just a cold

i'm not one to overreact about getting sick, i probably go to the doctor less often than i really should, but the quality of treatment i received at student health was atrocious

7/19/2009 10:33:11 AM

When I had mono it was quickly diagnosed and I didn't have to go to my gym class anymore .

It seems student health is an excellent example of YMMV.

7/19/2009 11:06:38 AM

Whenever I have sinus pressure, I get a simple saline nasal spray and use it in the shower, where the heat has already helped to loosen things up. It looks like you mentioned that, though.

The other thing that hasn't been mentioned already is that I try to eat really spicy foods, usually manhattan clam chowder with a lot of hot sauce in it. That way I'm getting hot soup and spicy at the same time. It helps to encourage drainage for me.

7/19/2009 11:12:23 AM

needs antibiotics. I'd suggest a Z-pack (azithromycin) or Keflex (cephalexin) at 500 mg or so. He'll need something substantial to get through any bacterial infection that's causing the sinusitis.

Walmart was running a deal on generic prescriptions for like $4 each. see if cephalexin is on that list.

7/21/2009 12:47:39 PM

fuck that, get some levaquin and rupture your achillies tendon!

7/21/2009 1:44:21 PM

He's all better! The low dose Sudafed helped him out without making his heart race and then aleve for the headaches.

He said one morning he was laying in bed and heard a click or pop in his ear then all the mucus drained. He said it was gross. haha But now the pressure is gone and he's back to work with $100 in his pocket because he didn't have to go to the doc's! Sweeeeeeet!

7/21/2009 1:53:13 PM

ugh, my better half got prescribed afrin by student health for a severe, severe sinus problem that required 3 surgical procedures to begin to fix (ent said it was in the top 10% worst cases ever), and they dicked around when i had anemia until i had to have a blood transfusion.



STUDENT DEATH IS MORE LIKE IT

7/21/2009 3:30:15 PM

TWW doctors:

my thumbs peel. and it hurts. a lot. the tops peel off. i tried to google it and it said either stress or a fungal infection. if it was fungal would it be on both thumbs? why not on all my fingers? is it just stress?

i really don't like it. it hurts my skin doesn't seem that try. seems like if it was dry skin all of my fingers would peel. any ideas?

7/26/2009 9:05:26 PM

pics?

7/26/2009 9:07:46 PM

in my gallery now. not that good but hopefully you get the point. they are worse than the pictures look though.

7/26/2009 9:23:00 PM

to me, it look like eczema to me.

try some hydrocortizone ointment. if that doesn't work, ask an md for some .03% protopic

7/26/2009 9:28:45 PM

really? i just always thought that was like dry patches of skin. but if that is right then maybe i can get some relief

7/26/2009 9:29:37 PM

yeah, especially since it's happening to both thumbs - that leads me to think something other than infection.

7/26/2009 9:40:16 PM

cool thanks!!! yea i just went and put ointment and bandaids on it! i hope that helps because it is kindof ouchy.

wonder why it is only on my thumbs? i guess the tops of the rest of my fingers are sort of peely just not as bad. just looks like dry skin.

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 9:44 PM. Reason : .]

7/26/2009 9:43:48 PM

pretty sure thats nothing to be worried about. looks natural. prolly will stop soon. i know i've had shit like that happen over the years.

7/26/2009 10:35:06 PM

i'm not worried it just hurts and it happens a lot.

the skin peels off and the underneath skin is like red and stingy and raw

edit: it peels off like thick so it hurts

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 10:55 PM. Reason : .]

7/26/2009 10:55:24 PM

haha. yeah i know. i've had this at various times in life. sometimes on my feet too. not as often as it sounds like you do. do you think it might be related to your diet?

7/26/2009 11:39:39 PM

So I found out that the death pain from Mon, Tues, and Wed. mornings was the result of a kidney stone. Now the stone seems content on hanging out... somewhere. Not sure where at the moment. I'd guess it's still sitting in the kidney waiting to travel to the bladder.

There's no telling. I wish I could go ahead and get it over with.

7/31/2009 2:22:32 PM

How big is it?

I'm guessing <5mm, though, since they sent you home to pass it.

7/31/2009 8:29:04 PM

^^It took me 10 days to pass 3 kidney stones. I have never been so miserable, but I didn't have health insurance to pay to have them broken up. Good luck!

Walk walk walk and drink water.

7/31/2009 9:40:15 PM

3mm. It isn't going anywhere. I've purposely avoided my daily walks/jogging. I guess I'll have to start that back up.

8/1/2009 11:57:49 AM

I was told to walk to help them move their way out. It may have been coincidence, but I passed mine the day after I spent an afternoon walking around campus putting up fliers with a friend.

8/1/2009 8:35:30 PM