Dear Sinuses

[auronlu]

I didn't need to spend a third winter in a row suffering from a several-month-long sinus infection.

-- Neti pot and hot shower 2xday, check
-- Mucinex 2xday, flonase and decongestant, check
-- Vitamin C, echinacea and zinc, check
-- Probiotic mix, gaviscon and Pepcid AC to keep my GI from going into massive meltdown, check
-- Grape seed extract and grapefruit seed extract which may perhaps help sinitis, check
-- stock of chicken soup and underwear washed in case I have to spend most of my days in bed, check

AUGH.

I need to do my @#%$@!$ dissertation, not have pounding head, runny nose, and foggy thoughts.

No love.

Comments

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

I've got the chest version (generic Vicks) since I'm home doing dissertation -- the cat doesn't care. I use ginger tea and honey instead -- I'm not sure alcohol with all my meds is a good idea.

The trouble is, while I can clear the frontal nasal passages very effectively using the above methods (especially neti pot, aid for a saline rinse), I'll get the infection way up in my ear channels and forehead passages that even the menthol doesn't reach. Then I wind up on antibiotics to kill it off.

Last year they failed...I'd get it 90% knocked out, then it'd come back. I was breeding a goddamn super-bug using Darwinian selection. I finally had my first experience with prednisone (wheee!) to help clear out the infection. And by that time my immune system was so weak that I picked up something really rare that took a while to diagnose -- herpes simplex on the CORNEA. I'm still having to manage that to keep it from flaring up...once you get it, you're stuck with it. :P

[sissyhiyah.livejournal.com]

Holy hell. That sounds...bad. Like, the complete opposite of good. Yeah, that kind of bad.

Actually, at this point, I think you'd be better off snorting a cocktail of Clorox, Pine-Sol, and Pop-Rocks. Sounds like that's the only thing on the PLANET that could kill an infection like that.

On your freaking cornea?!?!?! God, I'm so sorry!

(and when the world is destroyed in a Ray Bradbury-everyone-is-stuck-on-Mars-because-of-the-blood-rust style cataclysm...I'm SO blaming you and your superbug breeding program. Hold on while I call the Homeland Security Team... )