Use a 10ml syringe instead of nose-pipe to force fluid into your sinuses

I suffered from chronic sinisitus for five years before it was properly diagnosed. The extreme discomfort that I experienced then (everyday for 5 yrs) makes my current condition seem like a blessing in comparison. Antibiotics helped temporarily but the infection always came back, along with the pesky post-nasal drip that clogs the throat and affects one's voice. Its been 8 years now and I still have some off days but I now have many more on days that is the result of aggressively maintaining a hostile environment for bacteria within my sinises.


A CT scan of my sinuses indicated oclussion of ducts leading to my maxillary sinus. Saline irrigation did not appear to help which you would not expect it to if it wasn't getting to the area where it was needed - past the narrow ducts into the maxillary sinus where the infection was. My solution to this was to use a 10ml syringe(without the needle of course) to inject the fluid into my nose while blocking the other nostril. with my head tilted back I fill the nasal cavity with saline. Further injections are done with the head tilted forward. In this position the saline is not forced into the area behind the ear drum. I tilt my head back to prevent the fluid draining back out while I refill the syringe. There is some pressure in my maxillary sinus for a few days after injection that dissipates as the fluid drains out slowly carrying with it any particulate matter present in my maxillary sinus. The post-nasal drip seems to subside after injection. After injecting and allowing the excess fluid to drain, I find it helpful to force air into my sinuses by blowing through my nose while blocking it. The air is forced back into my sinuses which temporarily opens them, aiding drainage.

Mark Tweet