Our topic for today is going to be…
What is a sinus infection and how do you know if you have one?
So to start out, it helps to understand what the sinuses actually are. We all have several different sinuses inside of our face. We have 4 different sets of these sinuses. There are sinuses in the cheeks called the maxillary sinuses. Second, there are sinuses up in the forehead called the frontal sinuses. There are two more sets of sinuses farther back in the nose called the ethmoid sinuses and the sphenoid sinuses.
What is a sinus supposed to be? The answer is an open space that’s filled with air with a small opening that drains out into the inside of the nose.
What happens when you get a sinus infection is that one or more of the sinuses becomes blocked (usually by swelling due to allergy or a viral infection). When this occurs, you’ll develop pressure in your face, build up congestion, and start blowing yucky green infected drainage out of your nose.
So how do you know if you’re having a sinus infection or if it’s just allergies or a cold? With true sinus infections, there are really four main symptoms that we think about.
Symptom number one is going to be a pressure feeling in the face and usually it’s around the eyes. This could be located up in the forehead, down in the cheeks, and/or in between the eyes. That’s typically where people will feel pressure from a sinus infection
Symptom number two is congestion. This means your nose feels plugged, and it’s hard to pass air through your nose. This congestion can be on one side or both sides.
Symptom number three is thick, discolored drainage out of the nose. We’re talking about thick yellow, green, or even brown stuff. It’s pretty unpleasant!
And last but not least, the fourth major symptom of a sinus infection is disturbance of smell. Some people will completely lose their sense of smell. Others will have a diminished sense of smell and some people even smell a foul odor inside of their nose.
So those are the four major symptoms of a sinus infection. Not everyone has all of those symptoms but I would expect you should have at least two and more often three of them to really think you’re having a sinus infection.
There are also other symptoms that some people will experience including cough, pressure in the ears, pain in the upper teeth, and fever. If you are having different symptoms than those I’ve described, you may not be having a sinus infection at all.
Your symptoms can be just a common cold or caused by many other reasons, so the best way to tell for sure is to come in to see me or another doctor and have us evaluate you.
If you’ve been having frequent sinus infections or sinus problems that have not improved in several months I can help you. Call my office today to schedule an appointment at 512-550-0321. We see patients in Kyle, San Marcos, and Lockhart.