Posts by silvergardener472

Does anyone know if I actually need to book an appointment at the clinic on Main Street for bloodwork (CBC, Rh factor)? Their website mentions something about it, but I tried calling and—shocker—nobody picks up. Honestly, it feels like overkill; it’s just a standard blood draw, after all.

Grace Lewis6 said:I honestly think you were smart not to jump straight to those antibiotics; I’m right there with mellowlynx on that negative test result. 🤷
Don't you think you might be taking them a little too often?

I think I took my last one about two months ago... or maybe it was longer. Honestly, I've just been sitting here dwelling on it all, but I've reached that point where I simply don't have the energy to care anymore. I guess we'll just see if this whole mess finally settles itself down once and for all.

mellowlynx said:Now I’m totally lost. Did they prescribe you antibiotics even though the swab came back clean?😕 🤷

I can't even step foot near a Cheesecake Factory without feeling like I'm going to throw up, so I really have no clue.

Yeah, 🤷 honestly, I just don't care anymore; I'm just waiting to see the specialist... I almost lost it laughing today when I saw this allergy guy... the man was clueless. He takes an X-ray of my sinuses, stares at a piece of paper for ages, and then concludes I have inflammation in every single sinus... my doctor... seriously, someone needs to build a statue for that woman in the middle of Times Square just to commemorate her sheer ignorance 🤣 ...it's funny how everywhere online people say you absolutely need a CT scan because it's the only reliable way—unlike an X-ray—yet nobody mentions it to me... maybe the specialist will finally send me for one so I actually know what's happening... I honestly don't know where I find the energy for all this. I've been struggling since last September, first dealing with the GI doctor... I once sat in the waiting room for seven hours 😉 and then had to endure that awful endoscopy, ultrasounds, stool samples, blood work, and a bunch of other tests I can't even remember anymore...

I just went in for my nasal and throat swabs... everything came back clear. The doctor took a look today but didn't say a word... not that I’m expecting much help from this anyway. I'm basically just drinking enough to pass the time until the end of March when I finally have an appointment with a specialist a friend recommended.

So, I actually tried poking at my adenoids with a Q-tip, and it feels like they might be swollen... now I'm wondering if it's just the tissue in that "hallway" above the throat or if it's actually the tonsil...

So I went in for my allergy checkup this morning, and get this—the doctor actually managed to deduce that I have a sinus infection... genius, right? He prescribed an antibiotic, though I’m already certain it won’t do a thing since I just finished one nearly identical to it, but whatever... anyway, I've got the allergy testing scheduled for next week. Honestly, what a joke.

When are you heading in for your checkup? Do me a favor and ask them about this, because my appointment isn't until late March... I’ll have those allergy tests finished by then.

Is it possible for the third tonsil to be inflamed even if it hasn't actually enlarged? I mean, could that be what's triggering both the drainage and the sinus inflammation?

That’s news to me, honestly.

mellowlynx said:This is basically my exact situation. I was over at the Mayo Clinic, getting checked out by some resident, and aside from my tonsil issues—which he kept insisting weren't even that swollen, despite the fact that it hurts like hell and clearly feels too big—I’ve got this nagging suspicion about staph in my nose. It’s been popping up for the last two years with intense itching and those nasty pustules I haven't dealt with since puberty. I tried telling him that, but he just goes ahead and schedules me for sinus surgery without even doing a swab , claiming "folliculitis has nothing to do with sinuses." Then, when they find MRSA running through the hospital, everyone acts completely blindsided. 😠

I'm definitely going to get a second opinion. Sometimes I feel like being a doctor in America is the easiest job on the planet—nobody ever takes responsibility for mistakes, and you can be a terrible physician and still keep your job. 😠

Man, please tell me how they actually check that tonsil... do they use some kind of probe or what??? And as for the doctors... they're a total disaster. Honestly, I feel like I learn more from browsing the internet than what they actually know... it's so disappointing because it feels like they couldn't care less about their patients; they just don't give a damn. I don't get it, because you'd think they should actually love what they do, otherwise why go through all that grueling med school and residency... 🤷

Grace Lewis6 said:Honestly, they keep telling me it’s some kind of allergy too, so whenever my sinuses start acting up, I’m stuck taking Claritin and using that Flonase (steroid 😲 ) nasal spray and whatnot...
I just don't buy it, and I'm sick of these half-baked fixes—it feels like I'm just patching things up instead of actually getting better...

I don't get headaches either; it never even crossed my mind that my sinuses could be the culprit??

I've basically been a mouth-breather my whole life.😳

I've got a massive pollen allergy, so spring is basically a nightmare for me...I guess I'll run the tests just so I don't have to deal with the headache of asking for another ENT referral...but does that sinus drainage give you bad breath? Because for me, that's the real kicker. It makes it impossible to talk to people normally, and it honestly leaves me feeling totally depressed.😢
I'd honestly rather lose a leg than have to deal with constant bad breath...it's enough to drive anyone crazy.

So, I finally saw my doctor today to get that new referral sorted out... she ended up sending me off for allergy testing instead. She’s pretty convinced it isn't my tonsils—says a specialist would have caught that during the last checkup. It makes me wonder, though: can you actually spot something like that just by looking, or do they need some kind of scope to see what's really going on? She also thinks I'm dealing with chronic sinusitis. Is there even a way to fix that? Are we talking surgery or something similar?

Casey Rogers47 said:Maybe mention what part of the US you're in so someone can actually point you toward a decent specialist.

I'm based in Chicago... and I totally forgot to mention this earlier, but back when I was a kid—definitely before puberty hit—I was constantly mouth-breathing because my nose felt perpetually stuffed up, which honestly just makes me lean even harder toward that third molar theory.

Grace Lewis6 said:Do you actually know what the diagnosis is?
What did the doctor write down in your medical history?

I deal with sinus drainage too, but I don't have any pain or anything...just an LPR diagnosis!
And a deviated septum, too.
Chronic laryngitis, as well.

The only thing I don't have is bad breath, so maybe that isn't coming from your teeth?

Well, I actually went to see a specialist the other day...it was a total disaster...honestly, I didn't feel like he took me seriously at all...I'm thinking the issue might be my third tonsil, since the other two seem fine...I don't think it's a sinus infection because I don't have those typical symptoms like headaches or a runny nose, so the breath must be coming from that, I guess—I don't know what else it could be, since my teeth are fine and I already saw a gastroenterologist...everything there was okay too.
Now I've got no choice but to get a new referral from my doctor and find a different ENT specialist...anyone have a recommendation??
Honestly, the most frustrating part of this whole ordeal is feeling like I have to figure everything out on my own; doctors just seem so indifferent, they give me these blank stares, and then I end up searching the internet for answers, where laypeople like you guys actually end up being more helpful than the doctors themselves.🙄

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had this constant sensation of something draining down the back of my throat. It isn't a sinus issue—I don't get the typical headaches or runny nose—but this drainage is causing terrible breath, and honestly, I'm at my wit's end. I keep wondering if it's possible for an adult (I'm 20) to have issues with an enlarged adenoid that causes this kind of buildup? It feels like mucus is just pooling right behind my soft palate and I'm constantly swallowing it. I went to see an ENT today, but he was so casual about it, almost dismissive. He noted a deviated septum but said my sinuses seem fine, then vaguely mentioned some kind of chronic inflammation... he prescribed some Hexoral mouthwash and ten days of Septolete, but frankly, his explanation just doesn't sit right with me. So, does anyone know if adenoid issues can actually pop up in adults? I know it's a huge thing for kids, but could it be me too? Please help!