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Ashley Gold

Ashley Gold, a 39-year-old Director of Development for a large nonprofit agency, thought she'd come down with a summer cold. "Last June, I was hit really hard. Terrible, terrible headaches, chest pain, awful congestion, exhaustion. I tried to ride it out, but I kept feeling worse. And I knew my vacation was coming up in August. So I went to see the doctor."

Ashley received an intense course of a broad-spectrum antibiotic, but she didn't respond. In fact, her symptoms were increasing in severity. "The only time I felt better was for about a day after my office visits. Dr. Ferguson would numb my nose and aspirate mucus deep inside my breathing passages. It was great for a little while, but then the congestion all came back." Dr. Ferguson also prescribed a cortisone nasal spray, and suggested a systemic cortisone to further reduce sinus inflammation. But Ashley was opposed to systemic cortisones: "I had taken another cortisone a few years ago and didn't like it. It gave me crazy dreams and made me gain weight," she said. Shortly before she left for her summer holiday, Ashley began taking an antibiotic. "Here I was in the desert, away from all the things I'm allergic to, and on a strong antibiotic. But I wasn't improving," she lamented. "It was awful. I was on vacation and I was miserable."

Ashley returned from her trip and went back to see Dr. Ferguson. This time, a culture of her sinus discharge revealed fungal infection. "Dr. Ferguson prescribed an anti-fungal drug. But there was a problem with my insurance company, which didn't recognize it as a sinusitis treatment. Dr. Ferguson had to write a letter of explanation and they finally relented. I started taking the anti-fungal drug, and within 5 days, there was relief. The pain was finally gone."

Something else that disappeared was a nasal polyp that was blocking drainage and complicating her condition. "It went away on its own, once the fungus was cured and the swelling went down," she said. Almost a year later, she receives allergy injections for her chronic fungus and mold allergies and has not experienced a recurrence of sinusitis symptoms.

Editorial Note: Name and images of the patient and patient's family have been changed to protect individual privacy. Surgeon referenced in this testimonial is the actual surgeon.

The patient testimonial you have just read is from a real patient relating their actual experiences. This patient's story may or may not be representative of the total population of people suffering from sinusitis and sinus-related disease, as results vary from patient to patient. Most patients receive varying degrees of relief from their symptoms; however, there are some patients who have reported receiving no relief. Please see your healthcare provider to determine what medical course is right for you.

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Version 2.0 This web page was first published on August 14, 2003, and was last updated on June 14, 2006.
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