| Ms. SN, a 34-year old teacher, tall and thin with
strawberry blonde hair and a little dimple in her chin, came to
see me for chronic sinus infections and polyps in her sinuses so
severe, that she had been forced to stop teaching. She had had two
recent sinus surgeries to remove the polyps but said the polyps
would grow back within six months. Her ENT doctor says her sinuses
are “packed with polyps.”
Her doctor has put her on various antibiotics, but then she always
gets yeast infections. She also has severe environmental allergies,
especially to molds, and has constant postnasal drip. “I remember
sniffling constantly as a child.”
She also had a urinary tract infection at the time she came to
see me, with a history of recurring UTIs in her 20s. She reported
occasional vulvar discomfort and hoped to be healthy enough to start
a family. In her past medical history, she reported:
• warts on her hands, feet and nose frozen off at age 8
• her adenoids removed at age 10
• an intestinal blockage due to an abdominal adhesion, age
14. “I still feel as though something is kicking around in
me” – gesturing to abdomen.
• ongoing acne since puberty, with a very greasy, oily complexion
She also reported many vaccinations in recent years, because of
those required for teaching and those required for international
travel.
“I started feeling more ill when I began teaching high school
a year and a half ago. I believe my sinus infections started getting
worse last year. I was catching every cold then. I became pregnant
around Christmastime, then in January my sinuses were insanely swollen.
I felt bad because I had to take Sudafed. I tried going off my medications
but I got very sick and my doctor said I had to take them. I miscarried
in February and felt guilty about the medications.
“In addition to beginning a teaching career, my personal
life was very stressful. I had just gotten married the previous
September, and we had to rush the wedding due to my husband’s
overseas travel schedule. My job was exhausting, and in August I
found out my uncle had molested his two sisters. I told his ex-wife
because I was afraid for the safety of their young daughter. This
was very traumatic for my family. Then my father refused to come
to our wedding. He didn’t tell us, he had my grandmother tell
us. I became much more distant from my family after all these conflicts”.
“My sinuses tend to get worse as the day goes on and are
at their worst around 8 pm. I have mild face pain; headaches; swollen
sinuses that make it uncomfortable to speak. When I learn forward
to pick something up, it feels like my sinuses are falling forward
in my face. Lots of mucus – very dense, not runny –
pools near the bridge of my nose, so I have to blow my nose regularly
to remove it. A ton of mucus comes out, it’s a deep golden
yellow. There are pieces of stuff that look like rubber cement.
I can often see the swelling in my face. The bridge of my nose and
sides of my nose look swollen”.
“I have a huge amount of stress right now around not being
able to work as a teacher. It took me so long to figure out what
I wanted to do with my life. Now I’m being told I can’t
teach, for health reasons. I have lost my whole identity, my sense
of self-worth. Plus it’s creating financial stress”.
“When I was 19 I went to the emergency room with a UTI.
The doctors made me feel filthy, told me I had pelvic inflammatory
disease. I did not respond to the antibiotics and developed a kidney
infection. From then on I experienced painful sexual encounters
and later experienced vulvar pain and burning, along with frequent
UTIs, until I was 29.”
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