I hate being sick. I feel like I never get sick, but when it hits me it hits me hard. A few days ago I started feeling like crap. Wed was bad, Thur was a little better and today was the worst. My whole head feels as though it will explode. My teeth are hurting so bad. My face hurts. My nose is running constantly and at the same time it is so stopped up.
I visited my local CVS to see the MediClinic nurse and walked in and told her that I do have a sinus infection and was hoping she would just write me a prescription and I would be on with my day. She informs me that they don't give out antibiotics until you've had this for TEN days. Oh my goodness. I can't do this for TEN more days.
She said that my allergies have gotten out of control. I didn't even have allergies before I got here to Austin! What is up with this place. So she sent me home with a prescription for this stuff that you spray up your nose, told me to take my allergy medicine every day no matter what. She also introduced me to the NeilMed Sinus Rinse. Anyone ever used one? I tried it when I got home and wow it is weird. One of my nostrils is so stopped up that the water came out of my eye. Oh my word! GROSS I know! I'll try it out tonight and hopefully I can get it to come out of my nose and not my eyes! 🙂
So I'm hoping that tonight I sleep much better. All the kids were great today and they entertained themselves quite well! Way to go kids!
Anyone have any home remedies for me to kick this sinus/allergy stuff to the curb FAST? I think I'm running out of toilet paper around here & my nose might fall off from redness.
*** UPDATE – thanks guys. BUT now i'm worse.
This won’t fix the sinus problem long term but if you are desperate for relief Afrin works wonders. You can only use it for three days but when I am super stopped up I will use it to let me breathe so I can sleep. Maybe this can help you out until you get a real fix….of course, if you are already using a nose spray I don’t know if you can mix them.
I use the Sinus Rinse thing. If you are completely stopped up on one side, YES, you will erupt from somewhere else (or down your throat *shudder*). Yet, when it can make its way through your sinus caverns, it is AMAZING.
Start using it every day and you will notice improvement with the allergies.
I also started allergy injections when we moved to Dallas (then again up here – a whole new slew of allergens to battle). They did help me. I did RUSH therapy this time around (Rapid Desensitization Allergy Injections), and highly recommend it if you can find a doctor in your area that does it.
And eat lots and lots of local honey. It can have the same effect as the shots on a much smaller scale. It’s also very yummy. 🙂
No cure, but Puffs Plus will keep your nose from getting too red and raw. I know they’re expensive; they’re WORTH it when you have to blow your nose 8 million times a day. I do know people who swear by the saline rinses, but I’ve never been brave enough to try!
Try penicilin. I’m not totally sure if you can get it not as a prescription, but you might be able to find some lying around the house. When I had a bad sinus infection this summer, penicilin helped me out because i would not under anyy circumstances take asprin…… GROSS! I know, Ive only had a sinus infection once, and i got it bad, but they suck! so just rest, and ill be praying you feel better!
I don’t know about natural remedies or even about allergies, but when I was SO sick before going to Haiti in Dec. and needed to find a miracle cure… I tried Zicam. I think they have it for allergies too. It’s a wonder drug. Seriously. I was a new woman the very next day. Good luck!
Oh girl, I feel your pain. I have the same thing going on right now. My allergies act up every time the weather changes, and right now my head feels like it weights 50 pounds. I can’t even breathe through my nose.
I do use a Neti Pot every day, which is similiar to the rinse you have. I’m really skeptical that it’s actually working, but I keep doing it. I am also on a nasal spray – Flonase or something. Whenever I get sick I do Zicam. But I’m really not sure any of it works. 🙁 I wish there was an allergy vaccine.
Do you know what you are allergic too? I go to an allergist and was tested for allergies. My son and I both come in and get allergy shots weekly and it has helped so much! I have also used the NeilMed rinse, but only if my symptoms are really bad. I don’t really like it but the doc swears by it. I use an over the counter allergy med like Alavert, and a pres. nasal spray. If you know what you are allergic too it helps to know what you need to avoid if possible. I’m allergic to dust mites, so I need to wash my sheets in hot water more frequently and vacuum with a hepa filter vacuum. Carpeting is not my friend, and dusting is a chore the kids get to do. I am also allergic to pollen so during spring I avoid having the windows open in our house, and try to stay indoors on the few really bad days the pollen count is high. (you might be able to find a website that monitors that, our doc office monitors it in our area) It also helps to shower before bed to remove pollen from my hair if I have been out. I hope that helps. I noticed my allergies were bad in Austin too. I wonder what it is… take care of yourself!
girl. i know that sinus rinse is gross, but my mom swears by it–and she has worked for my allergist for 6 years! it’s way funky when you’re sick and stuffy… and it’s still a bit funky when you’re well… but it’s worth a shot!
i used it during my bad allergy season last fall and i’m using the neti pot now–i like it much better than the neti pot!
hope you’re feeling better when you wake up, my friend!
My allergies have been horrible since moving to Austin. Sudafed, the one you have to sign for with the pharmacist and you don’t need a prescription works miracles but it has to be the one you ask for at the pharmacy counter not the ones on the shelf. Also I use the netti bottle at Walgreens. Not pot. More powerful . I have a great allergist if you want a referral.
Hey Jamie,
i have had allergies from heck ever since i was little. Ever since my hubby and I moved to Waco (apparently the allergy capital of Texas) I’ve had 5 sinus infections (we’ve been there about 6 months). Anyway, I’ve come to rely deeply on Tylenol severe sinus, it’s been a God send for me. Also, when my husband got an infection the doctor told him that using warm salt water was just as good as any of those solutions you can use to flush out your sinuses.
Hope that helps and hope you feel better soon!
I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, and I hope you start feeling better soon! If you have what I had a couple weeks ago, ibuprofen helped me so much (and Tylenol Cold…love that stuff).
Hi Jamie _
I swear by the neil med!!! I use it all the time here in Nashville and the doctor I work for swears by it…it will clear it up, you just has to keep using it. Hope you are feeling better soon:)
I don’t have any home remedies, but since misery loves company, maybe it will make you feel a smidge better to know there are gobs of people who have the same thing right now. You are not alone as it is raging thru our neck of the woods too. You need antibiotics and I sure hope you get to feeling better ASAP and that the kids do not get it too.
I’m so sorry you have a fever now. FYI – if you have a fever, it is NOT allergies. It sounds like the flu. So sorry!
I can totally sympathize with the MinuteClinic exerpience. I had the exact same thing happen to me about a year ago and it was very frustrating. I’ve gotten sinus infections since I was a kid so I know when I have one. It sounds like that’s what you’ve got so you’ll probably need antibiotics. I use the NeilMed Sinus Rinse and can testify that it works wonders! However, with how stuffed up you are you’ll probably need medicine first to help clear things up but once you start using it on a daily basis it really does work. Hope you begin feeling better very soon!
Jamie, You will LOVE this site http://www.bulkherbstore.com. I have over and over used the Research Tab for home remedies. It is my favorite site for ordering bulk herbs for cooking, teas and tintures. I even ordered the herbal how to DVD and loved it. Our household staple cure-All is garlic. You must go to the website and read about the benefits and applications. Garlic is an amazing natural antibiotic. It is as powerful as penicillin without the side effects. I know it sounds silly, but I have been using it as an antibotic for 5 years. You have to do an antibotic 3x day anyway. I have used it for ear infections, any bacterial infections, strep or anything throaty, to drain lymphs, and sinus infections over and over. I was leary at first because Lane was getting strep often, and she spikes a extremely high temp so I didn’t want to mess around, but it totally works. And it so much better for you. Mostly I use it as an external rub and just add tons to food when we are sick. In a small bowl, I mince a fresh clove in a few TBSPs of olive oil and heat in the microwave for >10 seconds and then let it steep until the oil is infused with the garlic (about 5 minutes). Then I just rub it all over the lymphs and on the bottom of our feet…gets right to the blood stream and you can taste it in your mouth in minutes, weird:). If we have fever too, I will usually cook heavy with it. We love to eat whole baked cloves rubbed in olive oil. Only down side is you really stink…we just wear a scarf if we have to go out:) It is the BEST medical advice/remedy I have ever received. Oh, cayenne is a catalyst and really boosts the properties so I always use the two together in food.
i hope you’re doing better. austin is allergy capital. and the states capital. or is it capitol?
weird.