What are the Frontal Sinuses?

I have seen firsthand how the frontal sinuses can affect the voice. I am the songleader at my church, and when I got a sinus infection over the summer, I had to let someone else fill in for a couple of months.

I sounded so nasally that it was obvious something was wrong. Normally, I have a crystal clear voice, but it had been hijacked by bacteria.

The crazy thing is that even after I finished my antibiotics, my voice continued to be affected. The infection returned, and I had to take a different type of antibiotics this time.

After a couple of months, the infection finally went away. I am able to sing again, but I can still notice a difference in my tone. I sound slightly nasal, even after all this time.

This makes me wonder if it is possible for the sinuses to be permanently damaged. Could it be that I may never get the voice I had before the sinus infection back?

I'm glad that our bodies have a mechanism for warming outside air before it enters our lungs. In the wintertime, it would be excruciatingly painful to inhale subzero air.

The natural humidifying feature of our frontal sinuses also makes it much easier to breathe. I know that in my heated house during cold weather, the air gets very dry. I often have to use an extra humidifier in my room at night to moisten my nasal passages, and I can't imagine how bothersome it would be if I didn't have nature's little humidifier in my head to help out.

@Perdido - I always become painfully aware of my frontal sinuses as the pain from a sinus infection sets in. I get severe headaches along with the inflammation and swelling.

I take ibuprofen for the inflammation, but it doesn't do anything to fix the source of the problem, so it only works for a few hours. Generally, if I get a sinus infection, I have to go to a doctor for antibiotics. Otherwise, I will continue to suffer.

A sinus headache is unlike a regular headache. To me, it is even more painful, because the pain seems to bounce around inside the sinuses. You know how it feels when you accidentally breathe in some pepper? Well, this is how my frontal sinuses feel when I have that sort of headache.

I didn't realize that the sinuses in my forehead were involved in a sinus infection along with the ones in my nose! I never really think about the frontal sinuses, probably because they are not right in my direct airway. When I think of sinuses, I automatically think of my nose.

When I get a sinus infection, my nose aches with a fullness. No matter how much I blow my nose, I cannot empty it out. It swells, which makes the flow of mucus difficult.

I didn't know it until my doctor pressed on my cheeks close to my nose, but those sinuses hurt, as well. Probably, if she had pressed on my forehead, I would have felt tenderness there, too.