In the winter, I spend more time with sinus infections than without. I feel like I've tried everything, but relief is temporary at best.
edit: Thanks for the tips everyone. Upvotes all around! Some of these suggestions I've tried, others are new to me. I'm going to give them all a shot. Looking forward to breathing again!
I use a neti pot or saline spay often durning the spring and fall. For last few years flonaze has helped a lot too. An air filter and staying away from smoke helps too.
The only thing that helped me was seeing a good ENT. It took several different visits to different ENTs, because while they all identified my issues were structural, I was told surgery wouldn't help.
I finally was able to get reconstructive surgery, which included removing a bone spur that had grown big enough to almost completely block my left sinus, as well as a reduction of the turbinates on either side.
Probably the most brutal recovery period I've ever experienced, because I was breathing through tubes that were basically airline hose for about two weeks, but when they took everything out and my first breath of cold air hit the back of my sinuses for the first time... all worth it.
No on/off sinus infections or sinus issues since then.
What helped me was to eat better. In general my health improved by getting further away from a SAD (Standard American Diet): no meat, only occasional fish, lots of vegetables, much fewer processed foods. But what might be the most important was to replace sugar with local and/or unfiltered honey. (Maybe its pollen immunized me from certain allergies that started the infections?) I haven't had a sinus infection for months, almost years now.
Do you have a house? Do you regularly change your furnace filters? Is your house over 10 years old and had the ducts cleaned?
I know a guy that would get sinus infections yearly and had his ducts cleaned, problem went away. He was rather extreme and does it yearly, but it works for him and spending a few hundred a year is worth it to not have sinus problems every year.
Not a doctor here but fellow sufferer.
Use saline spray like Ocean brand. Every morning, noon and night. Keep the nozzle from entering your nose as much as possible and keep it clean. Do this by laying on your back on the bed to administer.
Use vaseline in your nostrils. One end of Q-tip into vaseline then into nostril. Don’t put that end back into the vaseline.
Use the other end of the Q-tip to get more vaseline and put into other nostril.
Drink shitloads of water all day and do not smoke or be in environments that have smoking or vaping.
Get tons of sleep! More water.
That’s the best I got.