Chronic Sinusitis

[Trtnop]

Has anyone had chronic sinusitis? I have had two sinus surgeries in four months. My ENT mentioned he thought I might have an autoimmune disease. I had some blood work done and I had low IgG. They are doing some more testing. I have done some research, I have several of the celiac symptoms. Just wondering. Thanks!

[SMDBill]

I do not have chronic sinusitis, although I have had a few bouts in the last few years. However, I had constant drainage that made me clear my throat constantly. I developed a few throat and sinus infections that were only killed by strong antibiotics. All my life I've been susceptible to strep throat, but not sure if that mattered back then that I now have celiac.

After about 4 days being gluten free I noticed I hardly had to clear my throat at all and the morning sinus drainage/blockage has minimized. When I got glutened a week ago my sinuses started to act up again and I was clearning my throat a lot. Those symptoms have since settled back down and the drainage is minimal. I'm guessing if you are gluten intolerant or have celiac, the sinus issue will change or disappear once you know and go gluten-free.

Are you gluten-free right now? If not it may be a good idea to see your gastro and get tested for celiac before going gluten-free. Going gluten-free will give you answers but it'd be best to find those answers after knowing the root cause.

[Trtnop]

I went on a gluten free diet for about two weeks. I noticed I did much better...no headaches, joint pain, less drainage, prickly skin, fatigue, etc. I am back to eating gluten....symptoms have returned. I don't want to go gluten free until all of my testing is complete....which should be mid November. I think my physician thinks I am crazy....but, something has to be going on....I have been feeling not like myself this past year!

[SMDBill]

I had the rough skin and now I believe I had DH showing signs on my feet. I had these light brown "blisters" that I called them, but they were deep in the skin rather than surface blisters. They itched and were red around them. I also had daily headaches and occasional (monthly) migraines. Fatigue, drainage, muscle weakness/soreness. gluten-free solved each and every symptom I had in relatively short time....2 days when I felt like a new person and the skin and muscle issues stopped just a few days later. It was like a miracle for me to find out.

If your doc thinks you are crazy, find another. Elimination of gluten is confirmation of the problem if the symptoms resolve. If he/she does not accept that as proof even after negative test results, get another opinion. Find a specialist and make sure they agree with the testing you believe should be done. THeir gut doesn't hurt with gluten....yours does! You have a right to a proper diagnosis, even if it is a lot of work for them.

[amahones]

I've had chronic sinusitis due to seasonal, food, and environmental allergies. I've also had two sinus surgeries (but they were five years apart). I've heard of people whose sinuses and allergies improve on the gluten free diet, but so far I've noticed no difference. I've i've been gluten free for a little over two months though, and this time of year is the worst for me, when it comes to seasonal allergies.

[GottaSki]

One of my sons has battled sinus issues for about ten years. He has had improvement gluten-free - for him the improvement was very slow. He has been gluten-free for 3 years and still has minor problems, but he has improved a lot!

I hope your improvement is speedy, but do give it time.

[megsybeth]

I did and was lucky to have this clear up to some degree almost immediately after I went off gluten. My son, who also has celiac, also has terrible sinus/tonsil issues and has had two surgeries. He's still in the middle of testing but I had taken him off for almost a week and noticed him breathing through his nose better and he went back to putting his face in the water when swimming, which he'd stopped doing (he's just four).