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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Sinusitis / March 2005Sinuitis or just a cold?
How do you tell the diff? I can breathe thru my nose (my nose is congested but not so much I can't breathe) so I'm figuring it's not sinuitis right? OTOH, I have a nagging cough and the niagra falls of post-nasal drip.  SignatureRemove nospam to email > How do you tell the diff? I can breathe thru my nose (my nose is congested > but not so much I can't breathe) so I'm figuring it's not sinuitis right? > OTOH, I have a nagging cough and the niagra falls of post-nasal drip. Viral infections tend to have a sudden onset and are usually self-limiting. If it's a viral common cold, it should start getting better after one or two weeks. The bacterial infections of sinusitis can last a very long time. Typically the "cold" seems to get better and then it relapses full force; or the "cold" seems to get gradually worse, not better, as the weeks pass. So if you're still very sick after four weeks, it's probably not a cold. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. Thanks Steve. At this point I'm wondering if I've got walking pneumonia. I'm coughing up gobs of green phlegm. I've got a hacking cough. I can breathe thru my nose though so my sinuses are mostly clear except for a steady post-nasal dip. I guess I'll be hitting an ER or county health since I don't have medical insurance (which is really stupid I know). SignatureRemove nospam to email > >> How do you tell the diff? I can breathe thru my nose (my nose is [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > So if you're still very sick after four weeks, it's probably not a cold. > Thanks Steve. At this point I'm wondering if I've got walking pneumonia. I'm > coughing up gobs of green phlegm. I've got a hacking cough. When I get bad sinusitis, I can cough up green phlegm too, because it is post nasal drip that got down into my trachea. Even without bronchitis or pneumonia. Here are two questions, courtesy of Dr. Robert Ivker, that can help figure it out: 1. Is the cough worse when you lie down in bed at night? (If so, that sounds like post nasal drip from the sinuses, rather than something in your lungs.) 2. When you feel that "tickle" that makes you cough, is the "tickle" deep in your chest, or higher up where your larynx is? (A "tickle" deep in your chest could be bronchitis or pneumonia. A "tickle" higher up in your larynx or upper trachea is more likely post nasal drip from sinusitis.) SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >Here are two questions, courtesy of Dr. Robert Ivker, that can help >figure it out: > >1. Is the cough worse when you lie down in bed at night? (If so, that >sounds like post nasal drip from the sinuses, rather than something in >your lungs.) Are you sure it's not the other way around? That's what I had heard. >2. When you feel that "tickle" that makes you cough, is the "tickle" >deep in your chest, or higher up where your larynx is? (A "tickle" >deep in your chest could be bronchitis or pneumonia. A "tickle" higher >up in your larynx or upper trachea is more likely post nasal drip from >sinusitis.) >>Here are two questions, courtesy of Dr. Robert Ivker, that can help >>figure it out: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Are you sure it's not the other way around? That's what I had heard. When we are up and about, we unconsciously swallow the post nasal drip so it doesn't get down into the airway. (If the PND is badly infected, swallowing it can actually cause stomach upset.) When we lie down and fall asleep, all that crud drips down into the airway and eventually our body reacts to it and we start coughing. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >>>Here are two questions, courtesy of Dr. Robert Ivker, that can help >>>figure it out: [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >When we lie down and fall asleep, all that crud drips down into the >airway and eventually our body reacts to it and we start coughing. Ah I see. However I never cough at night, only during the day. On 2/25/05 7:59 PM, in article 9usv11tou0pr9vovariabei5mjan6je7tp@4ax.com, >>>> Here are two questions, courtesy of Dr. Robert Ivker, that can help >>>> figure it out: [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > However I never cough at night, only during the day. Most persons handle mucus in the chest easily by action of the cilia. When the cilia fail, then the cough takes over. With a cough, all efforts should be directed at improving chest cilia action esp hot tea, lemon honey. Some persons are helped by making low pitched "oooommmmmmm" sound. Deep breathign also helps. >Most persons handle mucus in the chest easily by action of the cilia. When >the cilia fail, then the cough takes over. > >With a cough, all efforts should be directed at improving chest cilia action >esp hot tea, lemon honey. Some persons are helped by making low pitched >"oooommmmmmm" sound. Deep breathign also helps. I find that the clearing is profoundly influenced by how much I eat and, in turn by my body temperature. Probably I am borderline hypothyroid. (Actually the TSH numbers do indicate that using the latest standards). Or maybe I just eat too little, but the overall health advantages of a lower-calorie diet are too great to give up. I am cold a lot of the time. Would the cilia of a completely normal individual slow down if he ate a low-calorie diet? I am cold all the time too. When I was a child and still am today. That is summer, winter, indoors or outdoors. I always seem to have on more clothes than other people and can be still cold. My blood pressure is on the low side and I have a low blood count too. MY MD says it is normal that some people feel the cold more than others. What helps me is exercise. shirley >I am cold all the time too. When I was a child and still am today. That >is summer, winter, indoors or outdoors. I always seem to have on more [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >What helps me is exercise. You may may hypothyroid also. It would really serve you well to get your TSH value as a number (NOT as a conclusion) and post it here. My MD has done all those thyroid, parathyroid and the adrenal glands tests. He is a specialist Endocrinologist for the Endocrine center for the thyroid gland. He has done a biopsy of my thyroid gland as I have a nodule on it. shirley >My MD has done all those thyroid, parathyroid and the adrenal glands >tests. > >He is a specialist Endocrinologist for the Endocrine center for the >thyroid gland. >He has done a biopsy of my thyroid gland as I have a nodule on it. I would still like to see a TSH *number*. I will have to look in my old blood test results, I hope I still have them. He has done so many different blood tests in th last 5 years. Malabsorbtion, celiac disease, hypothyrodism, hyperthyrodism, blood cloting. shirley >I will have to look in my old blood test results, I hope I still have >them. > >He has done so many different blood tests in th last 5 years. >Malabsorbtion, celiac disease, hypothyrodism, hyperthyrodism, blood >cloting. That is very good that he did them anyway. But there is a lot of discussion about the levels of TSH that should justify therapy... I pulled all my blood test results going back to 1999 and none of them have the TSH results. But I know he did them because I have been going to him since 1995 and always sees that I get a printout of all the blood and urinalysis tests he ordered. shirley >I pulled all my blood test results going back to 1999 and none of them >have the TSH results. > >But I know he did them because I have been going to him since 1995 and >always sees that I get a printout of all the blood and urinalysis tests >he ordered. They have adjusted the standards several times in the last few years and many of the labs are not up-to-date. On 2/25/05 11:01 PM, in article ta7021dfr5gdn1r2l0aliddgk9rg27r0ge@4ax.com, > Would the cilia of a completely normal individual slow down if he ate a > low-calorie diet? No. There is evidence - unproven - that they slow if you eat a heavy fat diet. The key is adequate fluids and tea. >> Would the cilia of a completely normal individual slow down if he ate a >> low-calorie diet? Thanks for the information. >No. There is evidence - unproven - that they slow if you eat a heavy fat >diet. >The key is adequate fluids and tea. Those do nothing fo me when I am low on calories and protein. I think I must be hypothyroid or some such (TSH numbers is borderline). As I say, eating a lot immediately restores rapid clearance for me. Fluids do nothing (well they so help a little). >>Most persons handle mucus in the chest easily by action of the cilia. When >>the cilia fail, then the cough takes over. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Would the cilia of a completely normal individual slow down if he ate a > low-calorie diet? There is some evidence that a bronchodilator inhaler (e.g., albuterol) of the sort that asthmatics use, can not only open up the airways but it also improves ciliary action. I wonder if you might have benefited from use of a bronchodilator even though you don't "officially" have asthma. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >There is some evidence that a bronchodilator inhaler (e.g., albuterol) >of the sort that asthmatics use, can not only open up the airways but it >also improves ciliary action. > >I wonder if you might have benefited from use of a bronchodilator even >though you don't "officially" have asthma. Quite possibly so. Thanks. If I am in a dusty environment or also get very tired, I can actually feel my lungs getting irritated and I am not breathing quite as well. Don > On 2/25/05 7:59 PM, in article 9usv11tou0pr9vovariabei5mjan6je7tp@4ax.com, > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Most persons handle mucus in the chest easily by action of the cilia. When > the cilia fail, then the cough takes over. What causes the cilia in the chest to fail? Is it the toxins secreted by the infecting bacteria? SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. Thanks for some good news for a change Steve. The cough definitely gets worse when I lie down (either in the shower/tub or in bed). I can't really pinpoint where the tickle is though. I've also got an extremely hoarse voice. Someone was telling me today that if I had pneumonia I wouldn't really be able to get around (driving, going to work) without noticing an extreme weakness and possible dizziness. I think I'm getting better though. If there's no difference in my condition by Monday I'm going to the County Health Dept. and see what they've got to say. SignatureRemove nospam to email > >> Thanks Steve. At this point I'm wondering if I've got walking pneumonia. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > your chest could be bronchitis or pneumonia. A "tickle" higher up in your > larynx or upper trachea is more likely post nasal drip from sinusitis.) >> How do you tell the diff? I can breathe thru my nose (my nose is >> congested but not so much I can't breathe) so I'm figuring it's not [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > So if you're still very sick after four weeks, it's probably not a > cold. My recent cold gave me a fever and an itchy face with sneezing and watery eyes.I think the difference is the color of the mucous and whether you have teethpain and you feel like you are fulla puss! Is the mucous sticky? or oily feeling? Sinusitis crud is sticky and yellow and green! YUK! SYMPTOMS Symptoms of the common cold usually begin 2 to 3 days after infection and often include a.. Mucus buildup in your nose b.. Difficulty breathing through your nose c.. Swelling of your sinuses d.. Sneezing e.. Sore throat f.. Cough g.. Headache Fever is usually slight but can climb to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in infants and young children. Cold symptoms can last from 2 to 14 days, but like most people, you'll probably recover in a week. If symptoms occur often or last much longer than 2 weeks, you might have an allergy rather than a cold. Colds occasionally can lead to bacterial infections of your middle ear or sinuses, requiring treatment with antibiotics. High fever, significantly swollen glands, severe sinus pain, and a cough that produces mucus, may indicate a complication or more serious illness requiring a visit to your healthcare provider. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/cold.htm Signaturepreesi ~~~~~~~~~ My Websites: http://tinyurl.com/yvw45 Where I Hang Out: http://www.there.com Lets go surfing together: http://www.lluna.de/ My Pogo and AIM name: PreesiGirl (Come play with me) >>>How do you tell the diff? I can breathe thru my nose (my nose is >>>congested but not so much I can't breathe) so I'm figuring it's not [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Is the mucous sticky? or oily feeling? Sinusitis crud is sticky and > yellow and green! Pressi, This used to be the classical theory they taught in med schools. But my ENT (who is one damn good ENT) told me that the thinking has recently changed on it. They did a study of otherwise healthy volunteers who had what were supposed to be simple colds. Each one was given a CT scan and it showed that roughly half of them had infected sinuses too. From such evidence they have now started to believe in what my ENT called "the unified field theory of sinusitis": An infection that starts anywhere in your upper respiratory tract can spread throughout the rest of your upper respiratory tract and even spread into your lower respiratory tract. It's all the same type of respiratory tissue, after all. So that there really is no sharp distinction between a cold (viral rhinitis) and sinusitis. If you have a simple cold, the viruses can spread into your sinuses and give you sinus symptoms like green mucus. That's why I tried to reframe my reply to distinguish between viral infections (which are self-limiting) versus bacterial infections (which can linger or even gradually worsen with time). SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. |
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