Sinus trouble after PCR test

Kefir

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Greetings!

My first post. I hope to share with and partake in the knowledge and experience of the community.

I went into ER 6 weeks ago for chest pain. I was discharged after 24 hours observation and a negative treadmill stress test. I was made to undergo a PCR test for Covid. Unfortunately, I developed sinus problems that have bothered me since. Specifically mucus, encrusted in blood- sorry for too much information. Secondarily, congestion and headaches- on jaws, temple, brows.

My PCP tried to pass it off as a seasonal allergy. I've had mild allergies before but not to that extent. My ENT was more sympathetic and agreed with the iatrogenic diagnosis. He prescribed Augmentin, to eliminate any bugs I may have picked in ER. He also recommended an OTC solvent- Ponaris to clear my nasal airways. In addition, I take Serrapeptase 40K IU 1x daily. I also shine red light 660/850 nm up my nose.

I do other things as well, but the things mentioned above is what I believe help the most and what I've converged on after some trail and error. I believe I am on the way to recovery. My primary goal is to stem the bleeding. I'm all ears or all nose :) I'm a firm believer in the placebo effect. So any solution, however unconventional, is welcome even if it "only" a personal anecdote of N=1.
 

carlz

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Jul 3, 2021
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My husband had some pretty nasty scabs/clots after a PCR test. They eventually went away. A neti pot may help. Doing my best to never ever have one haha
 

FoodForeal

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Just say no.
 

AlaskaJono

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Hi Kefir, yes just say no if there is a next time. I do also recommend neti pot (gentle), or just warm salt water in little espresso cup or tea cup, and snurf. If you have never done it just warm not hot (cold is actually ok, but more mmmmm hard at first). Salty like salty miso tea. It does not have to sting your mucousa. I have been doing that snurfing most days when I have phlegm congestion, and def. when I am ill. For 35 years. It will move phlegm, infections, foreign matter out of your head and you will spit and nasal project out. Good luck, and good riddance!
 

FoodForeal

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Kefir

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Hi Kefir, yes just say no if there is a next time. I do also recommend neti pot (gentle), or just warm salt water in little espresso cup or tea cup, and snurf. If you have never done it just warm not hot (cold is actually ok, but more mmmmm hard at first). Salty like salty miso tea. It does not have to sting your mucousa. I have been doing that snurfing most days when I have phlegm congestion, and def. when I am ill. For 35 years. It will move phlegm, infections, foreign matter out of your head and you will spit and nasal project out. Good luck, and good riddance!
Hi AlaskaJono, thank you for the suggestion. I'm a bit wary of the neti pot since I have tinnitus and I hear it's a no-no over at tinnitustalk. I do however use Xlear, which is a saline solution with xylitol- an excellent germ killer and grape seed oil (ditto). I just wish a scab would form though and the healing begin. The good news is that the Augmentin definitely reduced the mucus so there's at least some relief. I will try your good old salt water recipe.

Yes, I'll say no next time. This one time (and only time) I was under duress- price of admittance to ER. I thought at least an ER nurse would know what he was doing, compared to a Walgreens/CVS assistant. My poor parents can't fathom why I can't fly overseas and see them; it would mean endless PCR tests. Sorry if this reads like a self-pity fest.

I haven't figured out how to reference/ping by username in this forum, I tried using the ampersand and tilde prefixes that usually work in Atlassian environments but to no avail.
 
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Kefir

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I got a bright idea. Should I just powder a K2-MK4 tablet in coconut oil and apply with a Qtip?
 

Lollipop2

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Nov 18, 2019
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I got a bright idea. Should I just powder a K2-MK4 tablet in coconut oil and apply with a Qtip?
Why not try - I can’t see that it would hurt you and K2 might help with the bleeding. I would use a coconut oil based liquid K2. That way it is already in solution and you won’t have to mess with the powder and figure out quantity and maybe preventing too high a dose. Check Amazon - I know it is out there - I have used one before - forgot which though.

I would maybe consider D3 at the same time because they are so synergistic.

By the way…your XClear is awesome! I have used it and it works.

Edit: Welcome! I wish the you best and feel fairly sure you will heal this. It might take some time but be persistent. I completely understand having a scare that would send you to an ER. Like yourself, I have learned it is not worth it. Not even a regular checkup anymore. I trust symptoms and you can always test yourself with temps, pulse blood tests in US do not need a physician’s or practitioner’s orders. You can look for a company called Any Lab Test Now. I sort of biohack my own health now.
 
Last edited:

AlaskaJono

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Apr 19, 2020
Messages
940
Hi AlaskaJono, thank you for the suggestion. I'm a bit wary of the neti pot since I have tinnitus and I hear it's a no-no over at tinnitustalk. I do however use Xlear, which is a saline solution with xylitol- an excellent germ killer and grape seed oil (ditto). I just wish a scab would form though and the healing begin. The good news is that the Augmentin definitely reduced the mucus so there's at least some relief. I will try your good old salt water recipe.

Yes, I'll say no next time. This one time (and only time) I was under duress- price of admittance to ER. I thought at least an ER nurse would know what he was doing, compared to a Walgreens/CVS assistant. My poor parents can't fathom why I can't fly overseas and see them; it would mean endless PCR tests. Sorry if this reads like a self-pity fest.

I haven't figured out how to reference/ping by username in this forum, I tried using the ampersand and tilde prefixes that usually work in Atlassian environments but to no avail.

Just the old ampersand and then the name should pop up - click it and that is the ping. @Kefir

Ya very cool w xylotol... I used it a few months years ago when an ND friend suggested it (just the dietary kind dropped in my little cup- not a nasal product). It can break up the phlegm for sure. I also used a few time Ponaris drops, very strong mint/eucalypt/pine etc oils in a cottonseed base. Yes, I know, cottonseed oil, Yuk.. But it's function is to stay around on all the deep surfaces so that the other strong oils can work. Maybe you have to make your own concoction?

Also fwiw, years ago I was in Ladahk, and so arid and dry at 12000 feet, that I would get some ghee and put it up my nasal zones with a finger. Just to stop the dryness/cracking/slight nose bleed.

And, yes, about travel or ER, things are getting strange and constricting. So one will have to make powerful long lasting choices. Here in Australia there is a bill to make it OPT-OUT only for vaccines when one enters the ER. So if you do not know about it, or you are unconscious, they Could jab you without your consent. So.... do your homework. Cheers.
 
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Kefir

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Just the old ampersand and then the name should pop up - click it and that is the ping. @Kefir

Ya very cool w xylotol... I used it a few months years ago when an ND friend suggested it (just the dietary kind dropped in my little cup- not a nasal product). It can break up the phlegm for sure. I also used a few time Ponaris drops, very strong mint/eucalypt/pine etc oils in a cottonseed base. Yes, I know, cottonseed oil, Yuk.. But it's function is to stay around on all the deep surfaces so that the other strong oils can work. Maybe you have to make your own concoction?

Also fwiw, years ago I was in Ladahk, and so arid and dry at 12000 feet, that I would get some ghee and put it up my nasal zones with a finger. Just to stop the dryness/cracking/slight nose bleed.

And, yes, about travel or ER, things are getting strange and constricting. So one will have to make powerful long lasting choices. Here in Australia there is a bill to make it OPT-OUT only for vaccines when one enters the ER. So if you do not know about it, or you are unconscious, they Could jab you without your consent. So.... do your homework. Cheers.
I tried the ampersand, but perhaps it's considered a link I'm not allowed as a newbie.

Yes, the cottonseed oil in Ponaris is a bummer; wish it was almond or sesame or castor, these are all Ayurveda approved with excellent penetration, even if Peat unfriendly, if they needed an unsaturated organic oil carrier. And I should have thought of ghee, currently can't tell a forest from its trees. Time to melt some Kerrygold butter. Btw, raw xylitol in its natural crystalline form is a great if somewhat sticky mouthwash, no water needed; it draws out saliva like nobody's business, which is what makes it so effective.

Yes, travel means potential testing at all points including transit. Incheon and Hong Kong had thermal scanners even a decade ago. And one gets "randomly selected" for testing, meaning you win the lottery if you don't happen to look like everyone else that got off the plane.

Sorry to hear about Australia and by extension, the rest of the world. I follow vloggers who talked of how back in 2019 they could park in any open public parking spot and stay there as long as they liked (certainly not feasible in the US) as they lived the "van life" moving from one beach to another. I thought that was so cool and wanted to visit. Now I don't know.
 
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Kefir

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Joined
May 3, 2022
Messages
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Location
US
Why not try - I can’t see that it would hurt you and K2 might help with the bleeding. I would use a coconut oil based liquid K2. That way it is already in solution and you won’t have to mess with the powder and figure out quantity and maybe preventing too high a dose. Check Amazon - I know it is out there - I have used one before - forgot which though.

I would maybe consider D3 at the same time because they are so synergistic.

By the way…your XClear is awesome! I have used it and it works.

Edit: Welcome! I wish the you best and feel fairly sure you will heal this. It might take some time but be persistent. I completely understand having a scare that would send you to an ER. Like yourself, I have learned it is not worth it. Not even a regular checkup anymore. I trust symptoms and you can always test yourself with temps, pulse blood tests in US do not need a physician’s or practitioner’s orders. You can look for a company called Any Lab Test Now. I sort of biohack my own health now.
Thank you for the encouragement, Lollipop2!

The ER experience was certainly eye opening. I felt like a hapless pawn in a ruthless money making machine.

Tbh, I am getting a bit overwhelmed at the moment exploring all the options, so I'm considering scaling back a bit and taking a Eastern existential approach to it. As in, let it go and it will come to you. Don't do, just be. Time heals a lot of wounds.
 

Peater Piper

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Mar 18, 2016
Messages
817
Was this a back of the skull PCR, or the anterior variety? I was being forced to test multiple times per week for work and never had any problems, they were anterior swabs. If it was the same for you, then perhaps you simply picked up a bug from the ER? If they went several inches deep, then it's quite possible they did some tissue damage that will take time to heal.

Also, as there's talk about neti pots...I have tinnitus, and I always had issues with actual neti pots, and squeeze bottles when trying to irrigate. They always made my ears feel full and clogged. I eventually bought a Sinupulse, and I also add a tablespoon of xylitol to the saline mix which helps pull the solution and mucus out rather than getting trapped in my sinuses. No issues with my ears when irrigating over the past two years, and I've done it a lot since the pandemic started. It also helps to not blow your nose immediately afterward, give it some time to let the nose drain and loosen the mucus, and then blow gently, otherwise it can get forced into the eustachian tubes.
 
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Kefir

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Location
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Was this a back of the skull PCR, or the anterior variety? I was being forced to test multiple times per week for work and never had any problems, they were anterior swabs. If it was the same for you, then perhaps you simply picked up a bug from the ER? If they went several inches deep, then it's quite possible they did some tissue damage that will take time to heal.

Also, as there's talk about neti pots...I have tinnitus, and I always had issues with actual neti pots, and squeeze bottles when trying to irrigate. They always made my ears feel full and clogged. I eventually bought a Sinupulse, and I also add a tablespoon of xylitol to the saline mix which helps pull the solution and mucus out rather than getting trapped in my sinuses. No issues with my ears when irrigating over the past two years, and I've done it a lot since the pandemic started. It also helps to not blow your nose immediately afterward, give it some time to let the nose drain and loosen the mucus, and then blow gently, otherwise it can get forced into the eustachian tubes.
Hi @Peater Piper ,

Thank you for adding your experience and sympathy to my thread. This forum is quickly becoming my friends and family, my legacy ones live too far to help or are too busy getting ahead in the world or have problems of their own and I'm judging unfairly. I only half jest when I say my best friend is my car.

I don't know what type of PCR it was, my first and hopefully only experience. It was definitely nasopharyngeal, I don't recall too much pain at the time, but it felt so abnormal that I almost heaved. I try not to dwell too much on that unpleasant experience, since per the Law of Attraction, what you think, you are :). But perhaps this will serve as a useful trail for someone else. About 48 hours after ER discharge my ears were flooded with fluid, noted by my PCP who deduced allergies, but didn't look up my nose. Shortly thereafter began stuffy nose, stuffy sinus and mucus with bleeding. I got to see the ENT only 4 weeks later and his assessment was the same as yours, that perhaps I picked up a bug in ER. He gave me Augmentin, which did reduce the mucus. Also on the bright side, my sense of smell which had all but disappeared, coffee smelt like mud, cardamom and cloves smelt like burnt rubber, thankfully is almost restored.

I will try the Sinupulse, it looks promising, there's an "Elite" model online - would you suggest that one? I'm glad you confirmed it doesn't aggravate tinnitus.
 

Peater Piper

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Joined
Mar 18, 2016
Messages
817
Based on your description, it's possible they did some direct damage with the swab, not to mention opening up the sensitive tissue could have let in some bacteria and whatever else was floating around the ER and your sinuses. Yes, the Sinupulse Elite is what I have. The Navage looks interesting too, but the Sinupulse has been working for me so I've stuck with it. Obviously I can't guarantee it won't affect your tinnitus, everyone's anatomy is different, but reducing the inflammation in my sinuses also seems to keep my tinnitus mild.
 
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