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I apologize for the delay of Summary Part 2 that addresses my original question:  could my sinus infection be fungal related and does it tie with my Celiac disease?  This second summary took more time because readers wrote heart-felt details of their experiences and I did not want to invade their privacy by divulging too much.  In addition, an author sent me a summary of science research outlining some of the connections to Celiac disease . If you would like me to send that attachment, let me know. I didn't know how to attach it to this summary.
 
Again, thanks to all of you for your feedback.  My last tip to you is this:  do not let your sinus infection go untreated. I'm still pursuing my fungal theory but in the meantime I"ve had quite the adventure (including losing the sight in my left eye due to infection pressure and a hidden secondary cataract.  Good grief!)  Sight is back after surgery.  Still working on this...and I have my suggestions from generous readers.  Best regards, Carolyn O. 
 
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--My indicator symptom when I get trace gluten in a "gluten free" meal is a runny nose. It takes about 10 minutes after I've eaten. I notice it driving home in the car.  And then it lasts several hourse. And I've had a history of runny nose, stuffy nose, difficulty breathing though my nose, sinus congestion and chronic sinus headaches for most of my life.  I learned to attribute it to "dust allergies".... NOT TRUE.  I'm now 62 and just got the diagnosis of celiac.  So I'm only 5 months into this. 
    It was quite an unexpected surprise on the gluten free diet when I could again breath through my nose after 14 days.  It continued to take even longer before I felt the symptoms were totally gone.  Perhaps you have learned of the connections of celiac to the eventual development of other autoimmune diseases.  This is well explained in Dr. Peter Green's video online with the 
Bay area celiac group.  http://www.northbayceliacs.org/petergreen.html 

--Are you dairy free?  Dairy is a sure sinus infection for me.  I can have some cheddar cheese now and then, but even dairy in a probiotic will set me off.
 
--I can believe it--especially if your system is still healing from past damage, which can take a while. My brother has been taking a probiotic
(he's a newly diagnosed celiac and I'm a lifer) that he said he loves. Iread the product reviews and some folks mentioned that it helped withfungus, candida, and I thought someone might have mentioned sinus
infections. Anyway, it's not a cheap supplement, but it's probablycheaper than medicine if it works. I think our systems really need agood probiotic anyway. My brother says it works best for him on an empty stomach. I think I'll give it a whirl myself. Here's a link to the product on iherb.com
http://www.iherb.com/Garden-of-Life-Primal-Defense-HSO-Probiotic-Formula
 
--Yes, I had the same experience, tho not in the same order as you.  I was diagnosed in 2000, but had had undiagnosed cd (from infancy) for at least 48 years.  I had been ill my entire life and had sinus issues/ environmental intolerances/ multiple chemical sensitivity/ many other food intolerances/ many other auto-immune diseases and etc health problems for years before being diagnosed with celiac disease.  [I was bed-bound for 13 years prior to dx, too.]  
 
My intolerances and sinus infection did get worse after going gf, tho.  And, it took me 3 years of gf diet to improve and plateau only at the ability to do very light work/activity for 3 to 4 hours a day.  That was when I began suspecting aberrant gut flora and infections as causing my inability to recover further.  I went to medical docs but none thought I was correct in my assessments and none would help me.  (I was told I should be thankful that I recovered to the point I was at, and I should "move on"!)  So, after reading a very good book about bad but flora and hormone problems one day, (written by a nutritionist), I decided to give him a call and ask him if he had any knowledge of a doctor or nutritionist in my area who could help me with these problems, locally.  He answered, no, but told me please do expound on my health problems, maybe he could help me.  Just minutes into my health history, he told me to stop--he knew enough to help me.  
            First, we worked on healing my liver and elimination systems through supplementation and other various things--the lymphatic system, lungs, liver, kidneys, skin (I did alot of detox soaks in epsom salts, sea salts, baking soda, and vinegar; not together--I rotated the baths.  This was to get my skin used to pulling toxins out.)  My elimination system had had years of garbage piling up, while the garbage workers union had gone on strike in my body.  ;)    I have not gone into specifics with the supplements he had me on--that subject is quite involved and complicated.  I might add, tho, it would be good for you to see a sinus *specialist* first before trying to accomplish any of what I have written here.  It is now known (by some sinus specialists, at least) that a particular anti-bacterial is needed to kill off resistent sinus infection--I believe it is amphotericin B (there are 2 others which will work for some people).  And it has to be given for a long period--I think a month to 6 weeks.  Anyway, best to do that first, since reintroducing antibiotics later will get your fungi out of control again.  And, yes, there might be fungal aspects to the sinus issue, but you will need to knock out any bacteria there first.  
 
--I was also plagued with sinus infections, since 1993.  I had sinus surgery in 1999 due to constant infections. About 6 years ago I started sinus irrigation and no more infections.  Not sure what the cause was: fungal or bacterial but they are gone.   Everyone in my extended family use it and no more infections for them either.
 
-- I saw this post just today & wanted to share my own experiences with sinusitis. My bout last month was pretty severe, so much that my ears felt jammed & my head felt like it was clamped tight. 
I tried everything from spicy hot tomato soup with garlic ( this is very soothing), ginger tea etc. What has provided sustained relief is a nasal wash every day during my shower: take a neti pot or any cup with a spoutlike edge ( this allows for directed flow into each nostril), fill with some warm water (about a cup), add 10-15 drops of Grape fruitseed Extract (GSE), & gently pour into each nostril, exactly as you would with a neti pot. Do this everyday for a few weeks. It works for me, hope it does for you too.
 
--My husband (positive enterolab test, better off wheat) and my daughter (biopsied celiac with ulcerative colitis) both have a history of respiratory issues. She is currently being treated with nystatin for candida overgrowth because nothing else worked, and she started recovering within 3 weeks. But the standard generic nystatin pills we got had sugar in them! And she went downhill, so the doctor agreed to compounded nystatin. She takes pure powder with water and no additives and has been improving ever since. She was an "ears" kid, and she and her dad both have problems with ringworm.  My husband  has problems with toenail fungus, and he has a LONG history of sinus as well as being progressively more carbohydrate intolerant like our daughter. They both are intolerant of any fruits or grains, and are worse with any sugars added to recipes. They live on meat, eggs or seafood and nonstarchy vegetables. She will have to stay on this until the infection is really dead. I am hoping the ulcerative colitis will go away because much of u/c is fungal in origin. The sinus is just the upper end of the same mucous membrane digestive tract that goes down through the stomach and intestines.I plan to take him to the same doctor and see if they will treat him with nystatin. It is not absorbed, and passes thru the gut killing off the bugs and there are few side effects, especially if you can get pure powder without tableting ingredients.
If you have tried everything else, I would try treatment for fungal problems. My husband had fungal cellulitis in his feet 10 yrs ago and the same doctor treated him with LAMASIL because it has fewer side 
effects than the older medication GRISEOFULVIN, although some insurances require griseofulvin first. My husband was on LAMASIL for 3 months and has never had a reocurrance of the foot fungus since. His nails grew in beautiful like new. Because the insurance would not pay for it, he gave us samples for the whole 3 months because we were changing jobs and my husband couldn't afford to miss work at the new job. It worked great.
 
--In my case, I am also gluten intolerance (positive blood test & enterolab) and got rid of 30 yrs of irritable bowel, muscle and joint pain when I gave up gluten. However I don't seem to catch fungal problems. I have slept in the same bed with my husband for 26 yrs and can even walk around swimming pools and locker rooms and never caught fungal skin infection. I must have a better immune system I guess.
 
-- Sinuses are mucous membranes like those that line the gut cause the IgA immune system response to gluten in celiac disease.  Having the celiac/gut aspect of your Ig A immune system activated causes other other parts of the mucous membrane system to react more quickly than they would if the system wasn't already on alert.  And, other  immune system components, like the Ig E histamine response to airborne allergens, may be more easily triggered as well.  
    One of the things I've discovered is that takig a Time Release vitamin C helps calms the inflammation & shrinks sinus tissues, giving me more room in my head to breath. Before I started taking it, I avereage about 2 infections a year and was bothers by every low pressure that came through (here is seems as if that was every other day!)
    I guess I've been taking the time-release C daily for 8 years or so I haven't had any problems serious enough  to  require a trip to the Dr. for antibiotics.  While a severe storm front/low pressure still triggers headaches, the normal day to day variations aren't noticeable. (I also take an antihistamine, like benedryl or chlorotrimaton, when problems start to prevent things from getting out of control.) 
   Walgreen's Finest Natural brand of Time-Release Vit. C 500 mg is probably easier g.f. one to find.  Comparatively, it's inexpensive and even more so with the frequent 'buy 1, get 1 free" sales.. I've experiment with various doses, but  500 mg tab/day seems to be sufficient under normal conditions. 
    I have recently noticed that I have a lot of mucous in the am when I drink the shortly before going to bed.  It seems to less problematic if I drink less milk and especially if I drink it  earlier in the day...
    While I don't use one, using a nettie pot with a saline solution would probably be a good way to create a "climate" in your nasal passages that is less hostpitable to bacteria and virsuses.
 
 
 
  		 	   		  
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