Sinus Relief Is Necessary When Fighting Infection
When you have nasal congestion, pressure in your face, a fever, plenty of pain, you may have a sinus infection. Is it a viral or bacterial infection? While most sinus infections are viral, there’s no way to guess which you have based on your symptoms. There are no symptoms that are reliable signs of one or the other. Visiting an ENT doctor can get to the bottom of your sinus relief. Even the doctors can’t tell between viral and bacterial just based on symptoms. Instead, they have to look at the duration of those symptoms to determine where your infection is sourced. Viral sinus infections usually improve after 5-7 days while bacterial infections persist for 7-10 days and can sometimes get worse after a week goes by. No matter which kind you have, sinus relief is at the top of your list. Your ENT doctor may prescribe you with medication to help, but you can also do a few things at home to ease the symptoms.
At-Home Sinus Relief
Use a saline spray in each nostril a couple of times a day to help relieve the congestion you have in your nasal passages. It might not help right away, but can break down some of the congested areas over time. You can also use a nasal decongestant, but only for a few days. Make sure you drink lots of water, at least 8 glasses a day, and rest as much as you can. When you have a sinus infection, all you want is for the pain and pressure to ease. But if the infection is viral, antibiotics won’t help and can actually do more harm than good. You need to visit with your ENT doctor before medicating in any way.
Addressing Chronic Sinusitis
If you have chronic sinusitis, which results in symptoms that last 12 weeks or longer, your doctor may take a nose swab to do a culture in the lab. This will tell them what kind of bacteria is causing your infections so they can prescribe the right antibiotic to relieve your symptoms. Don’t try to suffer through it when the conditions are chronic. Chronic sinusitis may not go away on its own.
Treating Early Signs
If you feel a sinus infection coming on with slight increased pressure in your sinuses, headaches, congestion, and other symptoms, be proactive about your treatment. Get plenty of rest and stay as hydrated as you can. Get some over the counter sprays and decongestants to help you with symptoms. If your illness extends past the week mark, talk to a doctor about a prescription. If your condition worsens in that week range, you will also want to get into your ENT doctor.
Sinus Relief Will Come With Patience
Sinus infections are no fun and it would be nice if you could automatically tell if yours was viral or bacterial just based on the symptoms. But time is really the only thing that can diagnose that difference. Use the at-home remedies as you wait to see which you have and consult with your ENT doctor at any time. To get advice on sinus relief during an infection, contact Breathe Clear Institute for help.