|
Chronic Sinus Trouble... Yep
First of all, I have not been diagnosed with MDS... rather, I have some sort of unexplained slow-moving pancytopenia. Sort of like Aplastic Anemia but in super-slow-motion. But the doctors always say that what I have could be some sort of "smoldering-MDS"...
Yes, I have had a lifetime history of sinus trouble. This trouble reached its peak at some point in the late 1990s. It got to the point that I had sinus infections that basically never went away. CAT scans showed that all the sinus cavities in my head were fully clogged and would never have drained on their own... and as a result, I was in a continuous cycle of sinus infections.
Finally, after going to ENTs and getting a couple of opinions, I went in for some pretty extensive sinus surgery in the Spring of 2000. After recovering from this surgery, I went in for allergy testing (to try and further remedy my sinus issues), and my allergy doctor noticed several of my blood counts were low after sending me in for a CBC.
Later, in 2004, I was once again having frequent sinus infections. Once again, my sinuses were not draining properly. And once again, I had to go in for more sinus surgery -- this time at University of Alabama-Birmingham! Had to repair some scar tissue from the first surgery, and also to remove some polyps... and maybe they did a few other things. Anyway, since 2004 (after the 2nd round of sinus surgery), my sinuses have functioned properly, and sinus infections have not been nearly as frequent... even though my blood counts have steadily dropped since 2000.
Not sure my story helps that much, other than to say that sometimes there can be "structural" problems in the nose / sinus cavities (e.g. deviated septum, polyps, etc.) that can mightily contribute to frequent sinus infections... especially when coupled with a lowered immune system from MDS or AA.
Surgery might not always be the answer, but it might be useful to help the sinuses drain properly and reduce the likelihood you will have to battle chronic sinus infections.
Something else I have found that is very easy to do and super helpful with sinus issues is to drink lots of water!
__________________
David M, reds/whites/plats slowly declining since 2000; hypo-cellular bone marrow; diagnosed Mild AA; low counts, but stable since 2009; watch and wait -- no treatments required to this point.
|