Battling the Nose, Ear and Throat Problem After Sinus Lift Surgery

It's been more than two weeks since my last surgery. Although my energy level is almost up to my usual self, I am still irritated by ear fullness, nose and throat discomfort.

All the doctors I have been seeing gave me antibiotic, steroid, nasal spray and decongestant. I yet to see another ENT doctor to see if there is something different in the treatment because it makes me very sick and more uncomfortable of taking the nasal spray and the medicine.

In desperate, I remember that I have learned Chinese Medicine in a local college for one year before and why not I try Chinese Medicine myself. I search Internet to see if there is any available information out there. Finally I analyzed my situation and gave myself the following Chinese medicine.

桔根 （Platycodon root) 10g, 

元参 (Yuan ginseng) 10g,  

杏仁 (Semen Armeniacae Amarum) 10g, 

 橘皮 (Dried Tangerine peel) 10g,  

半夏 (Pinellia Tuber) 10g,  

茯苓 (Indian Bread) 10g, 

两面针 （Zanthoxylum nitidum) 10g，

山慈菇（Iphigenia indica A. Gray） 10g, 

甘草(Radix Glycyrrhizae) 8g

Most of the ingredients are very mild that are in some of the tonic soups many Chinese family cook in Singapore, except the 两面针 （Zanthoxylum nitidum) and 山慈菇（Iphigenia indica A. Gray). I use these two medicine because I found that my throat in the surgical side are very inflamed and a bit enlarged. These medicines are good to clear inflammation and swollen in the throat site, but they are a bit dangerous that causes diarrhea and poison if not taken properly. What I do is that I drink the medicine after meal and drink it bit by bit till I feel that my stomach is going to be uncomfortable.

(Warning!!!!  Do not take any of the medicine that I listed here without first consulting your doctor or physician. Taking some of the medicine without your doctor's supervision may cause diarrhea, kidney problem or even death.)

If you delete the 两面针 （Zanthoxylum nitidum) and 山慈菇（Iphigenia indica A. Gray), the rest of medicine is very good for allergic sinusitis with main symptom of clear mucus. The medicine circulates the Qi around your stomach to clear sputum in your head.

I feel much better after taking several days of the medicine. My head is lighter, and ear is much relieved. But the symptoms still persist more obvious in the morning.

As Chinese, we usually think that Chinese medicine has less side effect and safer. But I am not very sure about it. There is no strict scientific proof as what have done to the west medicine to believe that with long term us of certain Chinese medicine is safe.  We only have our long history of 5 thousand years of using Chinese medicine to back that it is generally safe to use certain Chinese medicine under good control.

But what I am sure is that steroid definitely has side effect even with small dosage. Chinese medicine on the other hand has many ingredients that may help each other to minimize the side effects and enhance the treating capability. It tries to cushion your whole body well to fight the disease. While sometime, not always, west medicine is analogy to fire fighter that when fire coming out, you kill the fire but you never try to understand the cause of the fire and how to eliminate the cause.

Of course most important ingredients that you need on top of your medicine are:

1. Optimism
2. Exercise
3. Balanced nutrition 

I know it is very difficult sometime to keep optimistic. I am so scared to think that I will live forever with the problem. But most of the time, I tell myself that things will gradually to be manageable if you try hard. As old Chinese saying "病来如山倒， 病去如抽丝”， meaning when disease comes, it comes so quick as the speed of falling mountain, but when it goes way, it is as slow as pulling the thread from silk worm cocoon. Be patient!

Exercise enhances your Qi and blood circulation which is very important in Chinese medicine. With fluent flow of Qi and blood, you body can fight many diseases well. 

As for nutrition, I have stop eating chicken, orange, diary products, and my favorite fruit mango and some more. My ENT doctor told me that they pron to cause allergic reaction. I eat much less meat and more green leaf vegetables now.