Mystery Sinus/Head Pain for 3 Years
I've been moving a lot which has made it hard to get consistent care but not a single doctor has had a good answer for me. Any help with what could help would be deeply appreciated. Context: I'm a 20s female, work out a few times a week, work a desk job, eat decent, and have no other major health problems other than this. I have bad eyesight and dry eyes but no vision problems with contacts/glasses, and I grind my teeth occasionally but don't have any jaw issues.
Constant Symptoms (Daily):
- Cannot breath fully ever, any deep breath feels blocked
- Ear fullness, can sometimes pop but fullness returns fast
- Sinus fullness + pressure + tenderness (temple, browbone, cheeks, etc)
- Post nasal drip with thick mucus
- No runny nose but can blow some out sometimes
- Cannot lean down with getting dizzy (especially past 180 degrees)
- Cannot move head fast in any direction
- Feels like someone is slightly squeezing my head most of the time
Worse Symptoms (Weekly at some point):
- Sinus pain
- Temple pain
- Head pain along middle strip / headache
- Dizziness
- These are all "dull" pains but usually Advil resolves
Worst Symptoms (Monthly/Rare):
- Worsened pain throughout head and sinus regions
- Nausea
- Vertigo
- To the point where I cannot drive or work or even think because I feel disoriented, head cloudy and full.
Triggers:
- Yoga (especially downward dog)
- Air travel / train tunnels (any other big pressure changes)
- Alcohol / Caffeine / anything leading to Dehydration
- Dancing, running, any activity moving the head fast
- Sitting sideways on the bus (not facing street)
- Honestly, sometimes random as far as I can tell
Do daily:
- Steam nose
- Saline rinse
- Azelastine + fluconase nasal spray
- Drink water
- Massaging face to attempt drainage
Tried:
- Septoplasty + turbinate reduction surgery
- Less flights (but take Sudafed when flying or when symptoms are unbearable)
- Pin-prick allergy tested (no allergies)
- MRI (2 years ago) clear
- Recent audio check, ears look normal
- Most recent CT scan came back fairly normal but has not in the past (have had sinus infections before)
I've mainly gone to ENTs but they have nothing new for me. I've lived in many cities with different climates so it doesn't have to do with location either. Some people have suggested migraines but these are constant symptoms that never come in waves/auras, it's a baseline level of livable and ignorable and at its worst, I can't do anything but lay in bed and maybe scroll. Any ideas on what this could be?