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Sinus and crohns is there a connection

M

minnie winnie

Guest
sinus and crohns is there a connection

Hi all,

Just wondering if any of ye have had sinus problems. I have crohns since 1993, in the last few weeks i've started to get very bad headaches and sinus pain. My doctor said i have sinus problems and neuralgia. Just wondering if there is a connection between sinus problems and crohns, also have noticed that i've been going the the toilet alot in the mornings, something i haven't done in a while. I 'm on deltacortril 5 mg, currently weaning myself off, going down to 2.5mg on saturday. Hoping i'll be ok on 2.5 mg, last time i got a kick back from the steroids and i had to go back to 7.5 mg and try to wean myself off again.


:ycool:
 

Kev

Senior Member
Well, I could make a joke.. say that everytime I go the to bathroom, my nose revolts.. however, my lame joke aside, I noticed (and still do) that my sinuses do act up EVERY day before my first BM. Why? I dunno. Runny nose, watery eyes, its like a cold or allergy.. and it's a definite sign that Mother Nature is going to call. It has been with me as long as I can remember, so long that I thought it was just normal. I dunno if anyone, anywhere, ever experienced it or anything like it... Maybe I'm just one in 6 billion or so who goes thru this..
 

vickyoddsocks

wears odd socks
I often get really bad headaches with a temperature and fever - seemingly for no apparent reason. Got it today actually.
I get REALLY REALLY cold and shivery (like im in the arctic) but when i take my temp its usually really high - last time it was 40.1!!
But if i take paracetamol, 1/2 an hour later it seems my body catches up and i get REALLY hot and sweaty, and feel absolutely fine after a cople of hours! - Weird.
The only correlation i can find is it sometimes happens when im really exhausted, like after a day of riding at uni!
Anyone else get this?

Sometimes i get runny nose, but i think thats to do with the azathioprine ()imuran) andhaving a lower immune system.
 
hi minnie :)

in answer to your question, yes and no, lol. yes in that i've suffered headaches for years, which have FELT like sinus pain, and have invariably told i have sinusitis. also they sometimes went hand in hand with earache in one ear - again told i have blocked sinuses. the weird thing is.. also the pains would go, nothing ever drained out of me. occasionally the gp said i had neuralgia too, and last year was told i had a bone infection behind my ear.. which turned out to be nonsense.

now that i have a confirmed diagnosis of recurred crohns disease, and unfortunately worse headaches and migraines than i used to have, i am beginning to think i never had sinus episodes - i think the pains were crohns headaches.

recently someone recommended an over the counter drug - syndol - for joint pains. its absolutely wonderful for these sinus type headaches as well, in fact they are promoted as headache painkillers.
 
There was a study published early last year I believe that people with IBD often have respiratory symptoms as well. I don't remember the specifics, but I get a semi-nasty cough for a month or two at a time 2-3 times a year for the last 2 years or so and finally the doctor at my campus clinic (I thought it wasn't crohns related at the time) said she found a study from Stanford I think with this information and that it would be the likely cause. When I think back on it, the cough often would appear in times of added stress and go hand in hand with a minor flair, though this most recent cough lasted just over two months and didn't go away till they put me on prednisone because my colon was really inflammed. I know it wasn't asthma or allergies because I had already tried albuterol and benadryl to get rid of the coughing, so most likely it was in fact another symptom of my flair up.
 
Are you on Imuran? The only time I got a very serious sinus infection (I was having bloody mucous from my nose and headache....) was after about a month of starting Imuran.... An antibiotic took care of it though and i never had it again.

I guess it's all related to immunity. when you have Crohn's and you are on immunosuppressive meds, you are surely more prone to infections.
 

Kev

Senior Member
Perhaps, in just my case, a loop of my bowel extends into my cranium. It certainly would explain a lot... and justify everyone who ever called my a 'sh_ _- head!!!'
 
Well, I could make a joke.. say that everytime I go the to bathroom, my nose revolts.. however, my lame joke aside, I noticed (and still do) that my sinuses do act up EVERY day before my first BM. Why? I dunno. Runny nose, watery eyes, its like a cold or allergy.. and it's a definite sign that Mother Nature is going to call. It has been with me as long as I can remember, so long that I thought it was just normal. I dunno if anyone, anywhere, ever experienced it or anything like it... Maybe I'm just one in 6 billion or so who goes thru this..
I get the same thing, but I thought for sure the Doc would think I was crazy if I mentioned it

I still don't have a diagnosis, but I see the Rheumy this week so maybe he can shine a light on it
 
I just had an MRI for severe headaches and frontal pressure and it showed euthmoid thickening and inflammation of the sinus cavity...stating that I have a chronic inflammatory disease in my sinuses
 
you most likely have allergy problems
I have that.
Try Sudafed 12 hr it opens up your sinuses it is a decongestant (it's over the counter)
I live on it in the Summer months
Or the drug name is Pseudoephedrine. Comes in many generic forms
 
you most likely have allergy problems
I have that.
Try Sudafed 12 hr it opens up your sinuses it is a decongestant (it's over the counter)
I live on it in the Summer months
Or the drug name is Pseudoephedrine. Comes in many generic forms
Careful about buying any over-the-counter meds contains pseudoephedrine, which is now heavily regulated, because it can be used to synthesize meth., and in a number of states now, meth addiction is so widespread, it is considered an epedemic.

As a result, purchasing products containing pseudoephdrine requires ID, which is input into a centralized database to track sales and limit quantities sold. Generally speaking, you can only buy somewhere around 2-3 boxes of Sudaphed per month.
 

Lisa

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
New York, USA
I have sinus issues - in fact I have some cysts in both sinus cavities (found on MRI done to check brain after first migrane)...ENT didn't seem concerned about htem. Right now I'm battling a sinus infection of some sort.....happy joy...if it isn't markedly better by Wednesday I will be calling the doctor for some drugs.....
 
Pasobuff
Good luck....I get severe migraines and the doc feels its coming from my sinuses. They have discussed putting me on a nasal steroid - will find out soon
 
Hi all,

Just wondering if any of ye have had sinus problems. I have crohns since 1993, in the last few weeks i've started to get very bad headaches and sinus pain. My doctor said i have sinus problems and neuralgia. Just wondering if there is a connection between sinus problems and crohns, also have noticed that i've been going the the toilet alot in the mornings, something i haven't done in a while. I 'm on deltacortril 5 mg, currently weaning myself off, going down to 2.5mg on saturday. Hoping i'll be ok on 2.5 mg, last time i got a kick back from the steroids and i had to go back to 7.5 mg and try to wean myself off again.


:ycool:
Hi Minnie Winnie,
I have had sinus issues for years, with some sort of "neuralgia" symptoms to boot. I was recommended by two GPs to try steam inhalation, to help with sinusitis and ear infections/catarrh too. So I started that with one of those steam inhalation cups. And I add a few drops of essential oils - eucalyptus (3 drops), and 1 or 2 drops of peppermint (usually 2 but started on 1 as it is strong), and sometimes a couple of drops of clary sage if I have nervous tension. I feel this has helped actually. If you want to try that, make sure you close your eyes when you inhale the steam, and don't use more than 1-2 drops of peppermint because it feels like it is burning - though it doesn't actually burn. These oils all have antibacterial volatile components that go directly to the sinuses where they are needed. They are also anti-inflammatory so can help in two ways. Other than that you could try those sinus sachets (saline) with the squeezy bottle - many people seem to get relief from those.

Hope that helps :)

oops ..... I just realised this is a really old thread - so not sure if anyone is following this or not.
 
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