Maxillary-facial CT scan yesterday and I do not have an abscess. Hooray! Nor osteomyelitis. Hooray again! However I have a sinus infection, right maxillary, air fluid level and the second from the back molar right upper has a root that is right up against the inflamed sinus mucosa.
So: why can't I have normal symptoms?
I've never had a sinus infection that I know of in my life. Totally negative allergy testing in 2014.
I don't have sinus pressure, a fever, an elevated white blood count. I had the right facial nerve pain which quieted down with 10 days of penicillin V. I have an elevated antistreptolysin antibody, which is one of the tests used for rheumatic fever: a positive indicates a strep A infection within the last 6 weeks. It tests the antibody level specific for strep A.
Strep A is not supposed to infect the sinuses* and all three times I've had a negative throat culture. The last two times I had hoarseness and a cough, then walking pneumonia, then sepsis symptoms.
So back to my doctor today and NOW what. My main current symptom is tenderness when I touch just above that tooth over the sinus and sometimes it hurts a little. And ok, for the last month sometimes I have clear fluid nasal drainage: just suddenly pours. The radiologist says that sinus may be a little blocked and indeed on the CT images the other openings are perfectly clear and that one isn't.
Well, could be worse.
And the other question is have I had this since 2012, when I first got the strep A? If I have almost no typical sinus symptoms, how would I know? Also how will we know when it's gone? Dang it.
*Sanford says 2%.
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