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Hi, I Have Been Experiencing Sinus Issues And Did Three
Question: Hi, I have been experiencing sinus issues and did three sinus rinses yesterday. Unfortunately, I used tap water instead of distilled water, and I read in the news where a man in Florida died from a brain eating amoeba from that! Should I be worried, or go to a doctor?
Brief Answer:
The risk is small
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask a Doctor'.
It is true that amoeba infections rarely occur when using tap water for sinus rinses, and so we do recommend using sterile saline water when doing nasal rinses. However, it is still very rare, and I would not be too concerned about it. There would not be anything you would need to do at this point, but if you do develop any symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea/vomiting, confusion, stiff or painful neck, or any other neurological symptoms such as seizures, you should be seen as soon as possible. These would typically happen within a few days after the saline rinse, and so after a few days, if you don't have any symptoms, there would be no need to worry.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
The risk is small
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask a Doctor'.
It is true that amoeba infections rarely occur when using tap water for sinus rinses, and so we do recommend using sterile saline water when doing nasal rinses. However, it is still very rare, and I would not be too concerned about it. There would not be anything you would need to do at this point, but if you do develop any symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea/vomiting, confusion, stiff or painful neck, or any other neurological symptoms such as seizures, you should be seen as soon as possible. These would typically happen within a few days after the saline rinse, and so after a few days, if you don't have any symptoms, there would be no need to worry.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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