((((Hugs)))

Rob, of course you're frustrated. You've been going through this for a very long time. At least it appears you have the best looking after you. I hope they come up with the best plan for you and it is solved soon. Hang in there.

That sounds so unpleasant, Rob. I hope it works quickly for you.

Rob, I hope this begins to resolve quickly for you. It is a lot to have to endure.

I refused to get an implant after having a tooth pulled because a sinus lift was involved and there was NO WAY I would go through that. That and the fact that because there was that added factor, the cost was $5,000 for one tooth which I didn't have and even if I was indepently wealthy, I would never go through it.

You know we are always down for a good vent.!

Y'all are the best! I appreciate the condolences, commiseration, and funny comments. Thank you for letting me vent.

I have to do the pill thing twice a day. I just now looked at my daughter and said "I don't want to do this." And she said, "Mom, you said you'd do anything to get rid of this infection." "Including shove pills up my nose?" "Including shove pills up your nose." We thought of worse places, but maybe they're better places. And I did the nasal rinse laughing all the way through. Kids are great for making you remember the things you said. Even as adults. Yep, I would do anything to get rid of this. She put it into perspective.

God bless us everyone!

I'm so sorry you are going through this and I'm so glad your daughter can make you laugh. This sounds like a rough one. You sound like a terrible candidate for a coke addiction.

Wish it was as easy for you as my mystery sinus pressure five years ago after coming back from a Florida vacation. For a month I had splitting sinus pain above my eye, but no cold. Thought it was a mold reaction and tested my house, did everything to figure out this pain. I was stretching in front of the TV one night and when I folded over to touch my toes a gush of water flooded out of my noise and my pain vanished.

In a rare spontaneous moment on vacation, I asked my husband to throw me as far across the pool as possible. I landed with a splash and got water up my nose. I think the pressure from flying lodged it in there good. It just took five weeks to come back out!

Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery, rob.

So sorry to hear this hasn't been resolved yet, it sounds miserable. Sending good healing thoughts your way...

Rob - wish I had a magic wand to wave and make this misery disappear. Take your meds (as unpleasant as they are) and hang in there. We're all hoping you get relief soon.

Gad! I sure hope the latest will do the trick. I really feel for you. Good luck

patriciae

As familiar as I am with sinus infections, I had never heard of this type. I can hardly bear to think of your discomfort and pain. Best wishes for you!

Rob, it's been 4 days since you last posted. Are things improving? I really hope you are making some progress in healing.

Tomorrow is my follow up with the surgeon. I hope he says that everything's perfectly fine, but I would assume he's going to do a culture to find out definitively, and that will take days!

Sending up prayers and keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Good luck Rob!

Hoping you get some good news from doc

Rob, I thought of something I had forgotten about. Did your doctor advise you to use distilled water with your sinus rinse? I learned a while back that you should absolutely NOT use tap water for this purpose. There are too many contaminants in tap water to put any up your nose. I think you might be able to boil it, cool it and use it, but not sure of that. Most doctors recommend using slightly warm distilled.

I got pretty good at warming the distilled in the microwave just enough seconds without having to let it sit and cool before adding the med.

I hope yiu are getting better.

Yes, I've always used distilled water. Thanks for the reminder!

I did not get to see my physician today, because he called out sick. I do happen to know that the super flu is going around. I hope that's not what it was! I'm rescheduled for Wednesday, and if they move it again I won't be surprised.

Still not solved. New antibiotic. One final time. And if it doesn't work, I will go farther up the chain, to the Chair. A specialist at the specialties. I was already in otolaryngology, and surgical, this one specializes in nasal. I could have gone up sooner, but I just didn't think it would persist (I managed to pay $7,177 in out of pocket this past year for dental and medical, after coinsurance and deductibles).

I can't believe it has gone on this long. It shouldn't take two surgeries and eight antibiotics, but that's my body's fault and nothing else.

Any use in going to an infectious disease specialist? An immunologist? Are they culturing things before throwing antibiotics at it? Is it definately a bacteria and not a viral infection? These might be stupid ideas. Just spitballing because it sounds frustrating as hell. I'm so sorry for what you are going through.

I'd also ask your docs to consult with docs at other instututions to see if anyone else has ideas. I know you said you are at the best hospital in a multistate area. Is it a university teaching hospital? If so, they should be interested in your case and conferring with others.

I'm so sorry you are going through all this.

I'm reminded about gut biome and one gal who had chronic diarrhea and nothing helped. They finally did a fecal transplant from her husband and it fixed her up. Now it's a treatment option for chronic gut infections.

Another guy who had a chronic ear infection in one ear and everything they tried didn't work. Finally he fixed it himself by putting wax from his good ear into his bad ear.

So I can't help but think your sinus biome is so messed up from all the anti-bios you've been treated with that it can't get healthy. Is there such a thing as a nasal biome transplant? Where you can get mucous from a healthy nose transplanted into yours and see if it helps? I'm no doctor or anything, but I'm just thinking outside the box, trying to think of a solution for you.

I'm so sorry you're going through all this. I hope they can find an answer and you can find a way back to health. I can only imagine how miserable all of this is for you. Sending you thoughts of healing and strength.

ETA: Apparently it's a thing! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X24003263

Actually, I typically avoid all antibiotics. I don't want to build up a resistance. So that's how I got here. I should've gone sooner. Yes, they've cultured. Kicking it up to higher ups is the answer in this case. I'm making them wait for one more run. He admits this is frustrating him that he can't fix it for me, and he has ideas in his back pocket. He's shared them all, and we're making choices together. This is a bad time of year for my allergies, so it's hard to tell what is concomitant, and thus, the one more try to get over the hump.

Beyond frustrating for both of us. I should say.

What a frustrating mess. I sure hope there's a solution fo you soon!

A bacterial sinus infection can develop when a viral infection causes the sinuses to become blocked and bacteria begin to grow inside the sinuses, and these bad bacteria have been bothering you for so many weeks! Given the latest culture I hope your doc pulls out his best treat for your infection. The infection is located in the sphenoid sinus, which is behind the eye, near the brain. It sounds like it’s a precarious spot, and that’s likely why the doctors are being extra cautious, trying to prevent any further complications.

If they have tried many rounds of different oral antibiotics and found the oral drugs not effective, the next step would be hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics. If all fail then nasal microbiota transplantation (NMT) may be looked into, as this is experimental and not a standard or first-line treatment for acute sinus infections.

All those antibiotics, especially when taken over a long period of time, can really disrupt the balance of good bacteria in the gut. Since gut health is crucial for overall immunity and well-being, taking steps to support it can definitely be helpful to fight off the infection along with drug treatment. If the doctors’ orders did not include probiotics, Zinc, Vitamin-C, D for immunity support, I would discuss with the doc.

The fact that you have a team of specialists working together is a good sign, and it sounds like you’re in very capable hands. But it doesn’t make the process any easier to endure, and I imagine it’s emotionally exhausting to feel like progress is slow, especially when it’s a deep sinus infection and the symptoms are so persistent. So yes it’s frustrating.

So sorry - wishing you relief going forward.

FWIW, I went through a period in my life with constant sinus infections and can only imagine the pain and discomfort. Mine were always accompanied with depression and brain fog ☹️

All I have to do is look at a bottle of antibiotics, and I get a raging yeast infection. Ugh.

I don't have MRSA. I do have MSSA. I'm waiting to hear what next steps are, but I envision an IV and hospitalization. This past week was the sickest I've ever been. My O2 stats were really low. It was just really awful. Antibiotics helped a lot. Let's see what they say. This has been way too long, and it better not spread to my bloodstream. Staph infections can be very deadly. 🤞🏻🙏🏻🤞🏻🙏🏻

Oh Rob, Im so sorry. I hope you get an answer and treatment very soon. Hugs.

Sheesh. Not knowing anything about anything, I googled MRSA and MSSA and got the impression MSSA is the more straightforward one to treat with common antibiotics. But obviously that’s not the case here.

Ten months is an awful long time to have an infection, it really surprises me thar hospitalization and IV wasn’t prescribed months ago. But like I said, I dob’t know anything about anything.

The only thing I do know for sure is that I hope you finally beat this thing. Good luck!

Hugs and caring thoughts sent your way. Hoping for some answers soon.

So sorry for all your suffering. I hope they get you fixed up really soon. Sending you thoughtd of strength, comfort, and healing.

I can't even imagine what you are going through and how long you have suffered with this. I hope it gets resolved very soon.

Good luck and hoping for a best outcome.

Best wishes to soon put this bad experience in your rear view mirror.

Wishing you continued healing 🤞

Rob, you have really had a rough time with this and i am very happy to read things are looking better. Take it slowly and stay on top of things, and I’m sure you will overcome all this in no time. After all the antibiotics your immune system might need a boost. The best thing is rest, plus some vitamin D and C doesn’t hurt either, and the more you can get from fresh fruits and veggies the better.

I am over the pneumonia, I think. No more difficulty walking... or late at night. I was thinking I was over it, but every other day, still waking up at night. That's gone. I am trying hard not to overdo things because that seems to cause three steps back. Sunday night is a good example of that. I have this tendency to just ignore my body's signals and go incessantly, until I want to sit down. That's not working yet. I will have to rebuild my stamina. It's coming along. I do have an appointment in late July. Which I like since it'll be far enough off to see if I can live without support, but fully over all of the infections. I think that'll be the case. I keep telling myself that I have take it easy for another week or so. Tomorrow is the midpoint of the stronger, longer drugs, so I may push it for longer periods. Thanks for joining me with my lesson in futility

Its so nice to read that you are on the upswing. At long last. Hang in there.

I am so relieved you are getting better. Please do not push yourself. Recovery should be gradual. Your systems have taken a beating and you could undo all that good work you have been doing. Relax, breath. Heal. Good luck.

rob333…..I am so happy to hear this. Thanks for sharing your good news! Please, please take it slow and steady. Treat yourself right!

Because it worked so well... But I failed the last test... I've been given 60 more days of antibiotics. I've got to tell you, even though the Chair of the division has given me this prescription, if it doesn't work, I've moved on to another more intensive division. I'm desperate and disappointed and other words I can't say. All along, I keep thinking that not everybody survives everything. It could very well be true, and I'm not even trying to be dramatic. The reason we're doing more, is because I was so excited about how good it made me feel. I know I can be in perfect shape. Maybe this will be the time. If not, I know the head of infectious disease. It's really difficult, but I'm still trying.

I hope things do improve for you. Sending an e-hug.

Im hoping for that Christmas miracle to visit you early. Pamper yourself.

“If not, I know the head of infectious disease.”

Gosh I’d have called in that favor a thousand pills ago!

So sorry you’re still going through this, but hopefully it’s a positive sign that you’re feeling better even if tests are atill coming back positive. 🙏

I'm sorry, too, rob that you are still struggling with this. I can understand how debilitating and depressing this could be. I hope you find your solution soon!

Wow what a long haul for you. I hope this is the trick and you are 100% soon! Hang tough kiddo!

Best wishes for a return to good health. I'm sure you're in good hands. It seems perhaps you have one of those stubborn, lingering things that can take time and a battery of different approaches to resolve.

On the subject of medical treatments, and I'm not saying (or even suggesting or thinking) that rob's situation is related in any way, both the Washington Post and the NY Times have a medical beat. Each episode describes an unusual medical problem or combination of symptoms that have baffled docs and what the path was to find the ultimate causes to know how to resolve the problem(s). Often, the reason for the inability to successfully treat a problem stems from a very unusual combination of factors producing misdiagnoses, misdirection, etc until ultimately a root cause not before or rarely seen is uncovered and treated.

The WP's series is called Medical Mysteries and has different writers

The NY Times' series is called Diagnosis and is written by Dr Lisa Sanders

Oh gosh, i thought you were well on the way to recovery. Im sorry you’re still struggling.

Hope this gives you a smile. First thing I thought of!

Oh, Rob! ⬅️

Y'all are very kind. It's just wearing on my heart, hurting my soul.

If they had been culturing, and finding something different every single time, I would think that they weren't on it. But this group is staying very vigilant, and making sure they discuss things with each other. I did actually tell the chair, that the person who's been with me up until now has done everything perfectly fine and wonderful, but maybe it's systemic now. If he's right, I'll be done in another 57 days. If he's not, I'm going to infectious disease. I think it would feel differently if they weren't watching so closely.

It's just so strange that so many different types of bacteria. It's like they're knocking out one after another, and finding more and more underlying stuff. I think that's why I felt so good at the end of the last round, because that's actually been the underlying thing all along.