Wow!!!! Thank you Karen for putting it in simple terms for me. Sorry but I dont have a medical background so sometimes dont understand technical terms. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this. I appreciate it very much!!!

you're welcome Christine and thanks to Brian who corrected me and added the fungal infection (sometimes I need to slow my fingers and speed up my brain)

You did a good job. I didn't wish to detract from that.

We have things to deal with bacterial and fungal infections but those viruses..... they are an elegant design, and there is no such thing as a viracide. If we could kill them, we would finally have a cure for the common cold (rhinovirus)!!

And not just the oncogenic viruses that we talk about here are dangerous. The World Health Organization says that about 300,000 to 500,000 people die every year world wide from the common flu virus.

My parents, poor impoverished uni students that they were, could not afford a honeymoon. So they volunteered to be subjects in a British research project on the common cold. They were taken to a holiday camp that had been especially isolated for the project, were given full use of the facilities but were only allowed contact with each other. Then they were injected with rhinovirus followed closely by the potential cure. Perfect honeymoon had the researchers actually managed to find a cure (and probably a nobel prize and knighthood for the researchers).

That was 1958

Interestingly enough, if you Google "sinusitis radiation", Dr. Brook's blog and this thread are the most entries. The last major discussion of this was back in 2008 right when I joined OCF and at the time, sinusitis was the least of my worries

My misadventure with my latest MRI had a silver lining: since the radiologist's computer erroneously told him there were no prior MRI's to compare, he added two sections none of my prior MRI or Petscans did:
[quote]Right Mastoid Sinus: There is some opacification of some of the air cells in the posterior aspect of the right mastoid sinus. This is typically inflammatory in nature
Maxillary Sinuses. there are small air-fluid levels in both maxillary sinuses. This is consistent with acute maxillary sinusitis[/quote]

Of course I did have a wicked cold the week before, but thanks to this post and re reading the 2008 post, I am prepared to discuss this March 1 with my ENT.
Thanks Doc and Brian
Charm

Clicking a few pages more on google brought up another study by Dr. Huang et al on oral cancer patients concluding that [quote]Endoscopic sinus surgery is an effective treatment for irradiation-induced rhinosinusitis in NPC patients, improving ventilation and drainage of the paranasal sinuses, and facilitating regeneration of the sinus mucosa. [/quote]
Mine's not that bad, but here's the link
endoscopic sinus surgery on irradiation-induced rhinosinusitis The technical cite for the study is
Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery October 1, 2008 vol. 139 no. 4 575-579

Hi Dr. Brook, I have a question. My sinuses seem to be a bit inflamed and sometime I can feel my heartbeat in them? Very weird. My radiation was directly under my chin, could this have affected my sinuses? When I push on them they feel swollen slightly painful? Thanks! Shelly

Shelly,

I�m not Dr. Brook, and I haven�t had cancer or cancer treatments. But when my husband was first being treated, I mentioned to one of his surgeons (ENTs) how I could �hear� my heart beat in my upper cheek and "see" it pulsing in the side of my right eye. I have had chronic enflamed sinuses for years and this was just my taping into my body. I notice my body much more now. It wasn�t anything to worry about. (and they gave me a nose spray that helped a lot)

I have a hard lump inside my jaw on the gums - like Tim�s tumor (except his was two inches long, mine is a pin point). I rushed to the periodontist. Tim had no risk factors; hence, my chances of cancer are greater than average. The lump turned out to be bone. It seems that I grit my teeth and that can make bits of jaw bone grow outward.

Cancer fights dirty, it gets into your mind as well as your body. It makes you think you are sick when you aren't and well when you aren't. Listen to your body and ask your doctor one-on-one to explain why. Don't hold out or be embarrassed. You know your body better than anyone.

Charm, I had the exact same wording on my early post Tx MRI's, they eventually cleared up.

Gary

Thanks. I did meet with my ENT this week and she reviewed the MRI scan images and thought it was very minor and definitely related to that cold I had. On a practical note, I had started using my Netty Pot again after that MRI and asked her about it, she thought it was a very good idea to keep the sinuses healthy.
Charm