Sinuses

hgsouth

OTF status
Apr 15, 2006
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I surfed last week even though I thought enough time had passed after the rain I couldn't remember because of all those weird patchy downpours we had. However later that night I felt like my throat was irritated, and then several days of a sore throat only with some post nasal drip. But I was never congested, it was all just running down the back. Also had a persistent headache.

A week later I thought I was feeling better (no symptoms, throat better, etc) went out for a couple beers and now the post nasal drip is worse and I have completely lost my voice. Still have that fucking headache (and I rarely get headaches).

Doc says it takes weeks for sinus infections to develop, but is this true for surfers? How quickly can you develop a sinus infection from dirty water?

I'm prone to these darn things, I think my sinuses seem to harbor bacteria more than average. Constantly got sick from surfing Cardiff so I quit surfing there and stopped getting sick. And every time I get a round of antibiotics they clear up immediately, leading me to think these aren't false alarms. Hate taking antibiotics but also hate having to wait weeks with awful symptoms to prove I need em.

 

rts265

Phil Edwards status
Oct 19, 2007
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i've been pretty immune most of my life, I feel the last 2 years I've been getting nasty sinus infections that just keep coming back to haunt me, and the beer makes it worse, thats what hurts second most to not surfing. age related? IDK :shrug:
 

rts265

Phil Edwards status
Oct 19, 2007
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oh man that was pretty disgusting when they put the camera up there with the screen in view.

we didnt talk turbinates but I have a badly deviated septum, which I've always had.

I went in to get my nose cauterized, all he told me was it always doesnt work the first try. he didn't tell me the extreme pain id be in later with my two front teeth. nosebleeds...
 

hgsouth

OTF status
Apr 15, 2006
182
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The doc I went to didn’t even look in my nose. I’m annoyed I’m going to have to make another appt. 😡

Got thick yellow mucus coming out of my nose now. And no sign of my voice coming back
 

SurfDoc

Michael Peterson status
Dec 19, 2002
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Could be the water. Could be a failure on your part to properly drain your sinsuses after a session. Or you could have caught something viral in the same time frame. These are difficult and complex sets of symptoms and etiologies.
 

Lohena

OTF status
Oct 30, 2019
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So are a sinus infections common for surfers? After almost 30 years of surfing, I got my first one six weeks ago and it’s been brutal. Headaches and fatigue and it just doesn’t seem to get better. I have tried decongestants, anti-histamines, sinus flush, nasal spray, and now finally antibiotics, all so far little to no improvement. On top of all the other crap going on this year, another thing keeping me out of the water and I’m pretty bummed.

What strategies do people use to avoid this? Does anybody use the swimmers nose plugs? This has been so bad I’m worried every time I surf I'll go through this all over again.
 

JBerry

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 8, 2017
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I've had them for 35+ years of my surfing life as well. nsaids only do so much, if anything, as you've experienced. Antibiotics is usually a last resort, but still takes upwards of a month after them to kinda feel normal. You sound like you're on the same track. Time.
One thing I've done is use earplugs, docs proplugs. I won't even go in the water if I've forgotten them. I started wearing them when I was about 15. I feel it has always helped.
2nd thing I do is blow my nose a lot, drain water out of my head immediately when out of the water. If I don't, it usually comes back to haunt me as a sinus infection.
3rd is to take claratin or similar to help dry up the mucus, helps you breath a bit to sleep.
Good luck with that!
 

sizzld1

Phil Edwards status
Mar 31, 2009
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I had chronic sinus infections for years. Surfing made them worse. Would spend months on end barely tasting anything, sneezing, blowing my nose, etc. Torture. Finally went to an ENT and found out my sinuses were full of polyps as a result of all the years of infections and stuffiness. Got the surgery and it changed my life. It's been a bit over a year and I have't had any sinus issues since. Best of all I can finally take a full, deep breathe through my nose. It really is the best thing I've ever done for myself. Insurance covered most of the cost. Sounds like you should look into it JBerry.
 
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potato-nator

Phil Edwards status
Nov 10, 2015
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went through a bout of recurrent sinus infections for which my Doc (RIP; some example he set) prescribed the antibiotic LEVAQUAN which i found to be effective and
powerful meaning DO take w/food.
 

xmesa

Nep status
Jul 25, 2014
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I had chronic sinus infections for years. Surfing made them worse. Would spend months on end barely tasting anything, sneezing, blowing my nose, etc. Torture. Finally went to an ENT and found out my sinuses were full of polyps as a result of all the years of infections and stuffiness. Got the surgery and it changed my life. It's been a bit over a year and I have't had any sinus issues since. Best of all I can finally take a full, deep breathe through my nose. It really is the best thing I've ever done for myself. Insurance covered most of the cost. Sounds like you should look into it JBerry.
i read a book called "breath" that talked about a group of people who have a really bad experience with nasal surgery and "empty nose"... seems like it can cut both ways and depend on the person/problem/surgeon. cool book though and talks about a lot of alternative approaches to correcting breathing issues and the importance of breath over time in humans.
 

sizzld1

Phil Edwards status
Mar 31, 2009
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I'll check it out. Always open to new and better ways to keep the sinuses healthy. :cheers:
 

SurfDoc

Michael Peterson status
Dec 19, 2002
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Lots of different ways to approach this. Learning how to drain your sinuses after surfing is perhaps the most important first step. If you have a history of chronic sinus problems even if mild you may benefit from a decongestant nasal spray occasionally or steroid nasal spray. If you do have recurring infections it is worth having her sinuses checked out by a competent primary care doctor or ENT specialist. In the acute phase if it does not clear up or you have fever probably should be checked out urgently.
 
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Lohena

OTF status
Oct 30, 2019
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Man, I now feel sorry all you that have this as a chronic issue. I've always thought it was like having a bad cold, but now I know how bad it is.

I'm going to try these nose plugs and see how they go. Looks like a low profile fix, but we'll see.

https://www.amazon.com/Sinus-Saver-Water-Sports-Plugs/dp/B07CMCVP45
for anybody interested, these things work. No water at all in sinuses. Will take getting used to breathing only out of the mouth, but worth it for me to avoid another sinus infection episode.