BaroSinusitis

You suffered a bleed into your sinus from pressure changes. This is not an
infection by either bacteria or viruses.
Normally the ostia (openings between the sinuses and the back of the nose) are
wide enough to let the pressure equalize. When the pressure doesnt equalize,
sometimes small blood vessles will rupture, or some of the pressure may cause
headaches and eventually, if it doesnt drain, infection.
(The ears have a similar problem called Barotitis. There is a tube that goes from
the middle ear to the back of the throat, called the Eustachian tube. Its function is
to keep the pressure in the middle ear the same as the local atmospheric
pressure. (You can voluntarily open your Eustachian tube when you click your
ears, or by chewing or yawning or opening your mouth wide.)
When the airplane descends, atmospheric pressure goes up quickly. Sometimes
the pressure collapses the Eustachian tube or the sinus ostia and keeps them
from equalizing the pressure in the various cavities of your head.
The mucosa gets sucked in, gets inflamed, and may start to weep fluid. If there
has been any bleeding, it mixes with mucus and takes time to drain. If the fluid
collection doesnt drain in a few days, that fluid may get infected. The whole
process is very painful.
To prevent pressure problems, while flying you should chew gun, click your ears,
or yawn a lot. If you do not suffer from High Blood Pressure, you may put a few
drops of Neo Synephrine into each nostril just as the airplane starts to descend.
Do not use more than 2-3 doses of Neo Synephrine. You may sniff steam from a
hot cup of liquid, and even wash your nose out with a solution of salt water.
First, mix a cup of warm water with about a to a tsp salt. Taste it till it is as
salty as tears. Drink it up THROUGH YOUR NOSE and SPIT IT OUT THROUGH
YOUR MOUTH to clean out your nose and sinuses.
If you have pain, you may take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) 10-15 mg / kg (5-7 mg /
lb) every 8 hours, together with up to 10-15 mg/kg or 5-7 mg/lb) of
acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4 hours.