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Well, I'm starting to do better.
As some of you may recall, last fall (September - November) I had a "mystery illness". It turned out, most likely, to be an acute case of food poisoning gone horribly wrong.
That's all cleared up. The only lingering effects are some weight loss (50 pounds that I didn't really need anyway) and eye floaties - which I've learned to live with and may have been coincidental. *shrug*
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Well, off and on throughout the winter EVERYONE here has been sick. In addition to the Norwalk Virus (which was pretty terrible in this area, lemme tell you!) there seems to be some OTHER virus floating around which lives in the head/chest and makes one prone to repeated sinus/ear/chest/throat infections.
It's going around everywhere, so we hardly feel "alone" in the matter.
Well, at any rate, about a month and a half ago Logan, Julie and I got yet ANOTHER sinus infection. (Third time this winter!)
What was different this time was that my ears started ringing like mad. Turns out it was ALSO an ear infection.
Well, some antibiotics and decongestants later... the pain was gone, but not the ringing... or pressure.
Turns out there was still fluid in my ears. GREAT. Both Julie and Logan's ear infections went away... then came back, and they needed another round of antibiotics! Ouch!
Well, as recently as a week and a half ago, I still had fluid in my ears. Monday I saw an ear doctor, who said "well they have finally drained", and took me off all the medicine I had been put on. His hope is that as I continue to get better from this winter's virus and as my body gets cleared of all the medications... that the ringing and pressure will subside.
I hope so too.
Basically now what I get is varying levels of ringing and/or pressure, depending on the time of day (worse after the sun sets), where I am (worse in PA than in MA), and what I'm doing (opening and closing car doors sets it off).
Just walking from room to room causes the ringing to change due to pressure changes. Driving along on a mostly level road, I'll hit a small hill and my ears will plug and/or pop. This is a TOTALLY bizarre thing for me, because I've NEVER had these kind of problems in my life. Normally, I'm the guy who's on a plane looking at all the uncomfortable gum-chewing people clutching their ears and going "what's their problem?".
Anywho, the working theory is that my eustacian tubes are not 100% up to par yet, due to long illness... and that some time off the medication (I was on Pseudoephedrine, Allegra/Fexofenadine, and Rhinocort - a nasal steroid) will help.
In the meantime, I'm cleaning out my system again. Nothing but a multivitamin and lots of water for this fella - and the occasional aspirin/ibuprofen since being off the decongestants has caused a few sinus headaches to crop up in the past day or two.
Keep yer fingers crossed.
It's even worse that I'm trying to deal with packing, moving, and finding a new job right now as well. Not easy under the best of circumstances.
*sigh*
Such is my life.
- Gurm
As some of you may recall, last fall (September - November) I had a "mystery illness". It turned out, most likely, to be an acute case of food poisoning gone horribly wrong.
That's all cleared up. The only lingering effects are some weight loss (50 pounds that I didn't really need anyway) and eye floaties - which I've learned to live with and may have been coincidental. *shrug*
-------------------------------
Well, off and on throughout the winter EVERYONE here has been sick. In addition to the Norwalk Virus (which was pretty terrible in this area, lemme tell you!) there seems to be some OTHER virus floating around which lives in the head/chest and makes one prone to repeated sinus/ear/chest/throat infections.
It's going around everywhere, so we hardly feel "alone" in the matter.
Well, at any rate, about a month and a half ago Logan, Julie and I got yet ANOTHER sinus infection. (Third time this winter!)
What was different this time was that my ears started ringing like mad. Turns out it was ALSO an ear infection.
Well, some antibiotics and decongestants later... the pain was gone, but not the ringing... or pressure.
Turns out there was still fluid in my ears. GREAT. Both Julie and Logan's ear infections went away... then came back, and they needed another round of antibiotics! Ouch!
Well, as recently as a week and a half ago, I still had fluid in my ears. Monday I saw an ear doctor, who said "well they have finally drained", and took me off all the medicine I had been put on. His hope is that as I continue to get better from this winter's virus and as my body gets cleared of all the medications... that the ringing and pressure will subside.
I hope so too.
Basically now what I get is varying levels of ringing and/or pressure, depending on the time of day (worse after the sun sets), where I am (worse in PA than in MA), and what I'm doing (opening and closing car doors sets it off).
Just walking from room to room causes the ringing to change due to pressure changes. Driving along on a mostly level road, I'll hit a small hill and my ears will plug and/or pop. This is a TOTALLY bizarre thing for me, because I've NEVER had these kind of problems in my life. Normally, I'm the guy who's on a plane looking at all the uncomfortable gum-chewing people clutching their ears and going "what's their problem?".
Anywho, the working theory is that my eustacian tubes are not 100% up to par yet, due to long illness... and that some time off the medication (I was on Pseudoephedrine, Allegra/Fexofenadine, and Rhinocort - a nasal steroid) will help.
In the meantime, I'm cleaning out my system again. Nothing but a multivitamin and lots of water for this fella - and the occasional aspirin/ibuprofen since being off the decongestants has caused a few sinus headaches to crop up in the past day or two.
Keep yer fingers crossed.
It's even worse that I'm trying to deal with packing, moving, and finding a new job right now as well. Not easy under the best of circumstances.
*sigh*
Such is my life.
- Gurm
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