How to tell if you have a sinus infection?

A recent article by Karan Minnis, covers the painful conditions brought by a sinus infection. Some excerpts from the article are reproduced below:

Coakley, 43, a resident of Grand Bahama, has suffered with acute sinusitis for a little over 10 years, which has forced him to undergo two surgeries to try to help solve his problems, on top of the multitude of medication he takes seeking some sort of relief.

"I have tried almost every medication out there, but nothing can really stop my issues," he said.

"In the past 10 years I have had two surgeries — one in 1998 and one in 2001, just to remove polyps from my sinuses which doctors said were causing my issues. About a year after each surgery, the issues would return."

The victim of chronic sinusitis, is fed up, and says he refuses to have another surgery, which he said have just been a waste of his money because he hasn't gotten a solution or relief to his problem."My issues came back every single time and I'm not about to waste more money for that to happen again. Instead I will just have to keep experimenting with medications until I find something that will actually work for a full day."

Sinusitis — an inflammation of the sinuses and nasal passages, is a common aliment that many people have to deal with. According to general practitioner Dr. Martin Brown at Kennedy Medical Centre, sinusitis sufferers know that the problem is not a joke.

"Sinusitis is really something that can ruin your day especially when the symptoms kick in because sinusitis, which is a sinus infection, can cause many issue like a headache or pressure in the eyes, nose, cheek area, or even on one side of the head and that can alone be painful.

Additionally a person with a sinus infection may also have a cough, a fever, bad breath, and nasal congestion with thick nasal secretions and none of these things can be considered fun."
Once you experience sinus symptoms, he says you should seek medical help, and not the other way around, when symptoms get extremely out of hand.

"Your doctor is there to help you, therefore you should call your doctor once you are experiencing pain or pressure in the upper face accompanied by nasal congestion or discharge, postnasal drip, or ongoing bad breath unrelated to dental problems. That is a sign that you need medical help and help is available," said Dr. Brown.

He said there are even home remedies, that most people can use, but that your treatment will depend on the type of sinusitis your are experiencing, of which there are two — acute, also known as sudden onset or chronic, which is known as long term, with chronic sinusitis being the most common type.

Both have varying symptoms. With the acute form of sinusitis, which usually lasts less than eight weeks or occurs no more than three times per year with each episode lasting no longer than 10 days, sufferers will have off and on nasal congestion with discharge or postnasal drip when mucus drips down the throat behind the nose, pain or pressure around the inner corner of the eye or down one side of the nose, a headache in the temple or surrounding the eye, pain or pressure symptoms which become worse when coughing, straining, or lying on the back. A fever is also common.

Chronic sinusitis sufferers have symptoms which usually last longer than eight weeks or occurs more than four times per year. Symptoms usually last more than 20 days, comes with nasal discharge, obstruction, and low-grade discomfort across the bridge of the nose, with pain that is worse in the late morning or when wearing glasses or even with colds, flu, or allergies.

A fever can be a symptom of a sinus infection or a cold. Also simple congestion with a low-grade fever can indicate a cold and may not call for medications or antibiotics, but when you have these symptoms and are also experiencing facial pain or headaches it's more likely that you may have a sinus infection.

Find out what the top 10 sinus infection symptoms are and the major causes of sinus infection at Sinus Infection Help.