★★★★★
A number of years ago, I was continually subject to sinus infections. Antibiotics didn't have any lasting cure for me. When I went to nursing school, the problem increased severely. I had to carry a roll of toilet paper to every class to keep wiping my nose. Fortunately, during one of those classes I learned that fungal overgrowths happen after antibiotic treatments. I tried suggesting this possibility to a few doctors, when the symptoms were so bad that I would visit them for "help," but the idea just didn't register with them. (I rarely saw the same doc on my cheap hmo plan).
Finally, many years later, I went to an Ear, Nose, Throat doctor who had the ears to hear what I was saying. Since I knew that Nystatin was safe enough to give to babies, I told the doctor that "sometimes I wish I could just snort Nystatin up my nose and see if my problem is a fungus, since the antibiotics just make me worse." I was overjoyed when he said, "That's no problem. Why don't we mix some up for you with some saline solution that doesn't have any additives in it." And that is exactly what he did...he had his nurse mix some up in one of those up-the-nose misting bottles, and they gave it to me. He suggested a regimen of two snorts per nostril. I eagerly tried my first dose! At first nothing happened. I checked out and then went to the local mall on an errand. The errand never got completed, though. 15 minutes after snorting the Nystatin mixture, I began to sneeze so continuously that I had to leave the mall for the privacy of my car and my stash of tissues (never far away). I sneezed and blew for a full half-hour. And then I was better. Seriously. Completely and utterly free from symptoms of nasal congestion, irritation and runniness. Oh, I continued on the snorting regimen until it was done, but I didn't have anymore symptoms after that for at least a few years (and bad eating habits) made me pay attention to dealing with that problem again. Of course, I now know that I can control a lot of these problems through other methods. But to me it was an amazing and dramatic experience that justified my suspicion that antibiotics are not the only solution that doctors should be offering to people who keep returning with chronic sinus problems.
