Similarly struggled. Not exactly the same but similar. I think mine are brought on more by seasonal allergies and develop into sinus infections (or did in the past) about 90% of the time. Using the neti pot daily as a preventative measure has made a huge difference for me in the last year. I'd like to think I don't need to use it everyday but it's made such a difference I don't want to attempt to stop...Prior to that, I'd have 4 or more sinus infections a year. I've had one since then.

A lot of people here, including me, have mitigated the generalized nasal congestion and irritation by discontinuing flip turns.

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I was pretty much the same in my earlier years of life, I used to get a lot of sinus infections; I was always a mouth breather. About 14 years ago I had my nasal cavities roto rootered... They basically go in an remove flesh into the opening of your 4 sinus cavities in your nose. For the first time in my life I could breathe through my nose. When I caught a cold and got congested I could still breathe through my nose and my congestion was a faction of what it used to be. By always breathing through your nose, it helps to dry out your nasal cavities. One of the best things I ever did.
A few years later I started triathlons and some of the congestion came back, but it was only after doing o/w swims. I think it was the bacteria in the water or something. It was too hard to switch back and forth between nose breathing and mouth breathing while swimming in the pool or o/w so I only swim with a nose plug and it's very rare I get congested from swimming now. I use Laxto nose clips.
Hope this helps and you can figure out your congestion.

I started using a nose clip after I noticed a correlation between swims and cold symptoms. It seems to have helped. N=1

+2 on the roto rooter.

I used to have nasty sinus infections biannually that were nearly intolerable. I went to an otolaryngologist & had my sinuses debrided 8 yrs ago, & if I ever have sinus infections now, they are very very minor.

I highly recommend this especially if you have pressure headaches from your sinuses not draining properly.

Crystallized ginger.

Whenever I start getting any sinus irritation (swimming, allergies, etc..), I'll eat a little bit of crystallized ginger.

It seems to help almost instantly, tastes good & appears to help halt the development of the irritation into something worse.

I had horrible problems with sinus infections for about 20 years. I had at least 5 a year. My condition was caused by multiple issues. Deviated septum, badly infected tonsils that needed to be removed and then the passages from the sinuses above my eyes needed to be enlarged. I had those surgeries over about 10 years and each helped incrementally. It took another 5 or so years for my sinuses to get healthy. I also take Zyrtec year round, as my ENT says the lining of my sinuses and my nose seems to be very sensitive.

I don't do it as much now, but I also rinse my sinuses with an attachment for a waterpik. It really helps clear them out and keep things flowing.

Same problem. I have some structural issues from crushing my face and sinuses, surgeries to repair, etc... Religious use of the neti-pot (I use one that's battery operated and pumps the water- freaking brilliant) and then I really have to go further, limit dairy, stay hydrated after swimming, try to note when I'm getting sick because I'm burning the candle at both ends. I used to blame seasonal allergies which certainly play a factor, but so does getting up at 4:00 and ramping up the mileage. Good luck.

My wife had the same issue -- got a sinus infection for almost every cold she ever had, until she was about 30. She was diagnosed with a deviated septum, had the surgery, and I don't think she's had a sinus infection in about 15 years since then. Amazingly successful.

I do use a neti pot after I swim -- bottled water with saline packet added so I don't get a brain-eating amoeba, which is a real thing. The neti pot removes some of that post-swim irritation that I assume is from chlorine.

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<The Dew Abides>

OP didn't say how old they are. I swam from age 9 to age 45 in every pool, lake, bayou,river, stream, ditch, gulf and ocean I ever came across without an ear or sinus infection. Then on my 45th birthday I was given the gift of ear aches and sinus infections any time I swam putting together a program. I think a combination of old age and surfing just got to me. I think nose plugs, ear plugs and the neti pot are certainly some helpers in preventing problems, but I wonder if as some point your sinuses ears and nose just don't handle water as well as they once did. I use all of the above and occasionally can sneak in 3-4 weeks training without having problems. I don't think I will ever be much of a swimmer anymore. Good luck

Try wearing a nose clip...It worked for me.

Nose clip. Suffered the same problems with chronic sinus infections until I met an md who swam. It was the chlorine/chemicals in the pool causing inflammation then the sinus infection. He recommended a nose clip which really helped. Good luck!

I had the same problem, was using an over chlorinated indoor pool. After having sinus infections constantly for a year and not pinning it to anything I switched pools and it went away all together.

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I’ve been battling a sinus infection the past two weeks. I finally broke down and they gave me antibiotics and prednisone. Making matters worse my nose is dripping like a water faucet (not exaggerating either along with sneezing). I’ve had to shelf my training yesterday and today, maybe tomorrow... Hopefully I’ll be back on track no later than Monday.

I’ve had a few, but used to get them more frequently. I’ve not gotten many since taking up triathlon six years ago. I’ve gotten sick very little.

Great advice all. For the record I'm 32, have had sinus issues for a while but lately it's been getting ridiculous. Will try out nose clips and might see an ENT doctor to check deviated septum and possible surgery.

Never heard of this before but every day is a school day. Nose plugs and ear plugs would be a good ideas in case you get an ear infection as well but it could be the swimming pool has an issue with bacteria? Maybe worth mentioning to them in a nice way. You've go to be careful as this is now becoming a situation where you could have chronic sinus infections that eventually won't ever go away. If I were you I would go to the doctor and get a course of antibiotics. I myself got so bad with infections that antibiotics no longer cleared the infection away. I used a nasal spray that you won't have heard of. This sinussoothe really cleared my sinuses out and cured my infection of ten years and now at even the slightest hint of an infection I use it and within a day or two there is no sinus pain etc.

Have you gone to an ENT and had a CT scan of your sinuses? I had 20 years of issues with my sinuses. Deviated septum repaired, tonsils out (as an adult) and finally the passages from one set of sinuses roto rootered (doctor's term ;-) ). Additionally, I take a Zertec every day and at times one of the older antihistamines too. If I start to get congested, I use an ipratropium bromide nasal spray and will intersperse a decongestant nose spray. My ENT said the linings of my nose and sinuses are very sensitive and swell easily, so like you, if I get some sort of URTI, it quickly morphs into a sinus infection. Any sort of intense exercise used to set mine off, anything where I was really exhausted by the end. Usually 2 days later I would start with cold symptoms and then progress from there. Used to last for weeks. It's mainly under control now with the surgeries and medication.

I had chronic sinus infection problems for a decade or so. I would get a sinus infection if I just got run down, so I didn’t even need a cold to trigger one. The fix was to do allergy shots. I guess I just had chronic inflammation issues from allergies.

My suggestion would be to go buy a bottle of Afrin and try that when you don’t have a sinus infection. If there is a remarkable improvement in your breathing, it would suggest that you have a chronic inflammation problem (I.e., allergies to something). If it only kind of improves things, I would suspect some other type of obstruction.

an acute bacterial sinus infection typically sets in near the end or a few days after a viral URI, and what most people think of as a sinus infection is typically just congestion/rhinitis associated with the original URI. what most posters are describing here (and i had it too) is more like allergy symptoms within 24 hours of swimming. for me, a nose clip solved the problem immediately. if you are getting fever, pain, yucky discharge then your recurring problem might be more complex.

I had an ENT tell me to use a water pik set on low with a tbsp of salt in warm water. He sold me an attachment to go with it. If I use it frequently, then I never get an infection.

These used to plague me. I use NeilMed Sinus Rinse (saline) with distilled (not tap) water. I use it when I get home from the pool everyday and also use it on non swimming days. It has worked for me.

 
Former sinus sufferer here - pretty much along the same lines as what you were going through until about 2 years ago I had 8-10 sinus infections in a year. Pretty much any time I raced or just overdid it a bit in training I'd end up sick and on antibiotics.

Long story short - went to see the nose doctor, the anatomy of the inside of my nose was a mess - deviated septum, unusual sinus openings, and some other stuff that was making it a prefect breeding ground for bacteria. Had surgery and it was life changing. Had 1 infection post-op but have been fine ever since.

I also have one of these. Got it in the 90s after my first sinus surgery. Works well, I use it when I feel something coming on.

Interesting that you mention a CT scan. I had sinus issues for so many years that I stopped noticing that breathing through my nose wasn't generally easy; not completely impossible but just difficult enough that I had more or less just switched over to breathing through my mouth. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea 2-3 years ago and settled on a full (nose + mouth) mask to wear at night. I casually mentioned to my sleep medicine doctor that I really liked the mask because it allowed me to breathe through my mouth and still get the benefits of improved sleep. He looked at me with some concern and said "what do you mean you can't normally breathe through your nose? That causes several problems". A followup with an ENT doctor and a review of a years-old CT scan of my head led to nose surgery (septoplasty, significant nasal turbinate reduction, etc.) which dramatically improved my ability to breathe and in general led to a reduction in noticeable sinus infections.

Fast forward to last September. I had a fall at home that included a severe blow to my head - I was dizzy, nauseous, and bleeding out of my left ear. A trip to the ER followed immediately and it included a CT scan. No swelling or bleeding inside the skull but still a concussion and I needed 12 stitches in my left ear. The ER doctor started to ask me about sinus infections and if I had one right now. This seemed to my wife and I that it was a really random thing to be asking about; I insisted that as I had no symptoms of one (breathing freely, no coughs, no post-nasal drip, etc.) that I was sure I didn't have one. He then says "well then, there are a few things that showed up on the scan that are concerning to me". Remembering that there was an earlier scan to use as a baseline, we agree that the new scan would be sent to the ENT doc I had seen for review.

It would turn out that I had a large chronic sinus infection that I was utterly asymptomatic for. The treatment since then has been daily budenoside + saline rinse. Unfortunately a followup scan showed that it is remarkably resistant to treatment although there is some improvement.