Chronic Sinusitis
Do you suffer from constant pain from your sinuses? Many people do every day of their lives and this can become a very painful condition, especially in the case of a severe infection. If you are having trouble like this, you need to see your doctor about chronic sinusitis treatment.
If you are taking over-the-counter sinus preparations to relieve your pain and pressure, you should make sure to see your doctor prior to doing so. If you have an infection, these kinds of medications will only help to cover up the real cause of your pain. In some cases, you might need a strong antibiotic for an infection. You will most likely also be given medication for the pain and pressure as well.
An examination of your nasal cavity will help to uncover any obvious signs of what is causing your sinus troubles. Many times, patients have nasal polyps that are causing their sinus problems. If there are no signs that are easily visible in this kind of examination, then you may be required to go for further kinds of testing.
Usually the next step in sinus testing is the nasal endoscopy. This test will require that a light be taken through your nose and into your sinus cavity. This will help doctors to see the highlighted areas of your sinus cavity that is not visible with the naked eye. This is a routine kind of test and will not cause you any pain.
Sometimes, a patient might need to have a tomography test done to show the inside of their sinus cavity. This is also referred to as a CT scan. You may also have an MRI test done as well. This test is done with magnetic resonance imaging. Both of these kinds of tests will take pictures of deep inside your sinus cavity, revealing inflammation or obstructions that otherwise cannot be viewed.
Many times, a simple lab test can be done to figure out why you are having so much trouble with your sinuses. Cultures can be grown from samples taken from your nasal cavity to provide clues to what is going on in your nose. Bacterial pathogens can be detected in this way. You might have to wait for results in a week or so, but your doctor will probably give you medication for the pain and pressure until then.
Could allergies be what are causing you to experience pain with your sinuses? This could be the cause and your doctor can do allergy testing that will tell if this is the cause. Many people have seasonal allergies to things like oak spores and pollen that can cause their sinuses to become inflamed and very painful. You will most likely have this kind of testing done to rule out or diagnose allergies.