Sinusitis

pI'm not sure this will help, but my son used to get sinusitis when he was a toddler (now 5), and the only things that have made a difference are 1)a prescription to claritin and 2)an adenoidectomy (huge difference). You'll need to go to a few specialists to find your answer - our pediatricians just kept prescribing antibiotics. By the way, if ever his doctor does prescribe antibiotics, be sure it is a longer-term dosage (i.e. 21 days instead of 10). We found that out the hard way when we took our son to ER with a temp of 104 from sinusitis. The 10-day dose doesn't get into the tiny capillaries in the sinuses to kill off the infection, so it keeps coming back!/p

pI'm not sure the sinusitis is due to allergy, generally an allergic reaction to an allergen in not accompanied by temperature. Whenever a temperature is present it could be a sign of a viral infection. Confirm this with your allergist, because allergies should not give a temperature./p

pDaniela,br /
I think the original poster was referring to seasonal allergies causing the sinusitis vs. food allergies. Long term "stuffiness" caused by seasonal allergies definitely causes sinusitis.br /
Christine/p

pYes, I agree seasonal allergies can cause sinusitis (or stuffiness) but they do not cause a temperature./p

pBut the sinus infection itself causes a temperature.br /
Christine/p

pOh Boy, do I have alot of experience with this one! There are many causes for chronic sinusitus. A regular old cold can turn into sinusitus. Seasonal allergies can also cause inflamation of the sinus cavities. The sinus swell and the poor flow of mucous starts to breed bacteria and the next thing you know a full blown sinusitus. /p
pWhen your treating the sinus infection upon the completion of the anti-biotics does a follow up x-ray get performed? This can tell if indeed the sinus infection has been completely cured. Also salt water nose spray can greatly relieve sinus congestion if you use it like four times a day. (after spraying, blow to get rid of the congestion.)/p
pDo you use a nasal steroid yet to help with nasal passage inflamation?/p
pHave you already put into practice the elimination of all the allergens possible in the bedroom yet? Encapsulating the matresses in allergen proof covers, getting rid of all the stuffed toys, removing mini-blinds and using roller-shades instead, etc. etc.?/p
pThe A.A.A.A.I. has some great med. facts availible on their sight. They have a tips page on indoor allergens and sinusitus too./p
pGood Luck. JL/p

pJl, my p.a. child was recently put on a steriod nasal spray (Flonase) one spray up each nostril, once a day. I was told she should use it 3 - 6 months (to get her hayfever symptoms under control). When I feel her symptoms are improving, I was told I could slowly wean her off of it. She is also on Clariton. A week later she developed a sinus infection and was given Amoxicilin. Which she has had two reactions to involving the tongue, complains her tongue is on fire when she takes it. (See my post on reactions/stories). She used to develop a sinus infection every Nov./Dec. and would be prescribed a nasal spray. Now she seems to suffer hayfever in the spring fall. I do not like using steriods in my kid's meds. Though the doc. said it is perfectly safe, in the next breath he said "oh, yeah, bring her back in 3 months so we can check her height as steriods can affect growth." That's not very comforting considering our past history with steroids. She broke one leg at the age of 3 (running in the house) and the other leg when she was 4 (going down a curly slide). I have been told since then liquid steriods can cause brittle bones. When I asked the docs. about this, they said it can occur while taking the liq. steriods but not after they stopped using it. Well, she had been on them as an infant for severe eczema but was not on liq. at the time. I am not convinced the side affect is not long lasting. I plan to get her off the spray ASAP. I would rather see her be uncomfortable with a stuffy nose that more broken bones or growth stunted. /p
pShe was just retested and we don't have the results yet but the doc. did say she was allergic to just about everything she was tested for (including dust pollen). Peanuts/tree-nuts are the worst. I do think kids with allergies are prone to sinusitis./p

pFor those of you whose children have inhalant allergies and are experiencing sinusitis, have you begun doing allergy injections? The reason I ask is that my son was in the same position last year. Horrible allergies in the spring which led to sinus infections and reactive airway disease (asthma like symptoms). It was so bad last allergy season that he was on EVERYTHING!! Antibiotics for months, Flonase, Claritin, Sudafed, Astelin, Albuterol. He had just started injections a few months prior so they hadn't kicked in yet. We've continued with the injections throughout the year and so far this year he is doing 100% better. He only has very mild symptoms. This year we have used Claritin sporadically and have hardly touched the albuterol. No sinus infections either. I just had him retested with a new allergist and he is still very allergic to all the pollens/trees/molds etc. The new allergist said his best defense is the immunotherapy and I have to agree that it is working.br /
Christine/p