I physically feel like I used to in high school

[figmo]

This is Not A Good Thing.

One of my nicknames in high school was "Rudolph" because my nose was perpetually red. I used to get horrid sinus infections every month that were more regular than my menstrual periods. The way I'd rate the infection was by how many boxes of tissues I was going through per day. If I were on the east coast today would have been a "two box" day (I'm hypersensitive to cold).

They wanted to put a photo of me in the yearbook where I was holding my purse in one hand and a huge box of tissues in the other. That was the way I had to walk around school. Yesterday I awoke with a sore throat; by the end of the day I had so much trouble breathing I had to sleep sitting up and opted to not eat latkes because I didn't think I could get them down. I was walking around the house with a box of tissues that is now 3/4 gone.

This morning I couldn't do my neti-pot flush because my sinuses were so swollen. All day I was travelling around with a box of tissues -- first to the vet because Lady is ill (the vet thinks she's got seasonal allergies), then to my own appointment with my ENT, then to get various meds and supplies. Instead of hauling my purse, I had a plastic grocery bag I was using as a tissue receptacle.

Just like in high school, my nose has already started turning red. Now that I'm medicated to within an inch of my life I might actually get some sleep. Last night I slept sitting up because I couldn't breathe any other way.

Comments

[robin-june.livejournal.com]

Do today's new lotioned tissues help any better?

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Nope. Instead, my hands get greasy. The only tissues that prevented the red nose were the 100% cotton ones.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

Oops, there goes my only suggestion.

As you may have seen in my LJ, I'm getting used to my new CPAP, which blows the mucus backwards through my nasal passages. I won't recommend one for you, in part because AFAIK you have to get a doctor's prescription to buy one. I'm just mentioning this because I'm curious what's going to happen the next time I get a cold and my sinuses go into hypermegaludicrousoverdrive. Not so curious, of course, that I actually want to find out.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I don't have sleep apnea. Heck, I've been losing weight (albeit very slowly) over the last couple of years.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

Wish I could say the same. :(

[figmo.livejournal.com]

It's taken me just over two years to drop just over 30lbs because my metabolism is so "efficient" (read: ultra-slow). I have to restrain myself from comparing my (relative lack of) weight loss with that of others who are able to lose weight faster than I can.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough, I too was considering a CPAP at one point due to the insomnia (which I thought was caused by snoring).

Since I have yet to solve the weight problem (winter and holidays do not help), I may wind having to reconsider that at some point in the future. However, I *do* sleep better now than I did a year or more ago. [Not having to commute 2+ hours to and from work each day also helps. :-)]

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear this ... I too have had sinus troubles in the past, though nowhere near as severe as yours have been. What drove me batty is that the side effects irritated my throat, so any attempt to sing or talk often triggered a coughing fit. :-(

I managed to curb some (most?) of the troubles by tracing them to food allergies late last year (creamed anything, soft or processed cheeses and the like). It's annoying to be unable to have pizza for example (the mozzarella cheese), but I can sleep better at night and sing on occasion. :-/

At least one relative of mine relied on nose sprays to curb the problem, but then a tolerance was built up and the sprays no longer worked. So I avoid medication whenever I can [though if that means no sleep at all as apparently it did for you, I'll take the medicine :-(].

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I know my food allergies and sensitivities and work around them.

Right now I'm trying to not use nasal sprays unless I absolutely can't sleep without them. If you use them for mroe than two days in a row, you get into a "feedback loop" where you swell up because you've been using the spray to unswell your sinuses.