Foul Smell in Nose AFTER Sinus Surgery

[ricocsk]

I've been reading a lot of posts about "smells" in the nose, but I haven't seen anything with my particular circumstance.
Three weeks ago, I had sinus surgery. I had thickening in the frontal and maxillary sinuses, and a couple of polyps removed. Recovery was going fine until yesterday when I began to have this smell in my nose. I have a relative who has chronic bad breath. The only way I know to describe the smell is to say that it smells like my aunt's bad breath. It can be very faint, but at times will come on very strong like opening a garbage can and getting an intense wave of bad smelling stuff. I'm also getting a lot more drainage down my throat and have actually had to blow my nose more these last two days than I did the first three weeks after surgery.

I have been using saline spray numerous times a day since my surgery, so I can't figure out why I would start having these problems now.

[littleelmer]

I had sinus surgery three weeks ago, tomorrow is my second post op visit.  I have been having sinus pressure in my forehead and it makes my top of my head hurt too and temples , for the past week or so almost and i had that smell it comes and goes after i neti pot to irrigate my sinus.  i recently started getting out more green and old blood colored boogers too the last couple days ,  I was on amox for the first 7 days after my surgery and i finished it.  but cold has been going around my house hold for the past three weeks too.  I hope i didnt catch infection. I really do not want to go back on anti biotic i hope it will be okay if i have to though.  I have been on amox like 3 times this year already in the past 3 months.

[littleelmer]

my sinus surgery i had my deviated septum fixed and lots of polyps dug out.  so any advice given would be highly appreciated on my previous post.  i get so worried.

[JD2000]

i had sinus surgey a week ago. no funky smells yet but i have this horrible burning sensation in my right nostril and right side of my throat anytime i eat or drink. it just started a few days ago. what is that from and how do i fix it? i am still on antibiotics and doing the saline rinses 4-5 times a day

[Ciciwaken]

Songbird-- I have had your same issues. Its so bad now that i feel terrible everyday i wake up. pressure in my eyes and under them. I tried the flip flush idea and it worked to get some of it out. I have now told my doctor twice about this terrible smell and nothing has been done. I had surgery on 10/29/2010 then another one on 12/16/10/ im sick of feeling this way. ive had blood work done and my white cell count is high but no one seems to look at that like i am. even my pcp is blaming this on my OCD> which i think is CRAZY. im studying to be a nurse so i do some thing is wrong. just the smell which i had once before surgery and i had a HUGE piece of black/green piece come out. and it had the same smell. i dont know what to do anymore. im at lost for words and im spending so much to try to get better.

[Songbird58]

Since I wrote my post back in October, I have been using the solution of 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt and 1 tsp. Boric Acid along with the distilled water in my Nelmed spray bottle.  The smell would come and go.  Then, just in the last couple of weeks, I developed a sinus infection, so I upped my rinses to two a day.  Lo and behold, about four days into the infection, I blew out what I have come to describe as an alien life-form, green, about 1/4 inch thick, and an inch long.  I have not had the foul smell since.
I'm hoping that was my problem.  I've had no more dizzy spells, but still have the pressure, and am struggling to get over the sinus infection.  Keeping my head elevated at night helps combat associated migranes, and a heating pad placed directly on the sinus area helped relieve the pressure-related pain.

[Misha914]

I had sinus surgery for deviated septum and polyps on 1/12/11.  I just started having a strange "mildew smell" about 18 days after surgery.  I googled it and this discussion came up.  It's been very helpful and I will make sure I ask my doctor about it on my follow up appt tomorrow.