My sinus infection journey

[fightinfrenchman]

I'd like to recount the journey I've gone through over the past two years.

For some background, I was not historically known to get sick super often. When I was a kid I had some strange run-ins with disease, notably getting scarlet fever twice, but other than that it wasn't much more than the usual spring allergies and the occasional cold.

This all changed just a little over two years ago. In December of 2015, I got incredibly sick, and was forced to push a planned Washington DC trip back a week. And yet, a week later: I was still sick! The trip managed to be fun, but the hours of driving and walking around definitely took a toll on me. (For more on the Washington DC trip, check out this thread)

During that time, I was probably sick with nausea, a headache, and running nose for at least a full month before I decided to head to the doctor over it, as I was used to just ignoring the disease/treating the symptoms and waiting for it to go away. The doctor diagnosed me with a sinus infection and with a dose of antibiotics I started feeling much better.

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning. Ever since then, I've been getting these "episodes" regularly, about every 2-4 months. And the symptoms - particularly the nausea and headache - last indefinitely until I am able to get to a doctor and get antibiotics to treat it. Obviously, taking antibiotics constantly is not great, as it makes your stomach very upset, but it's a better alternative to the constant misery of the sinus infections. In fact, once I realized how regular they were becoming, I would "trick" the doctor by taking all my antibiotics and feeling better, but calling the doctor and asking for a refill and pretending I was still sick. This way, I could secure antibiotics for the next "episode." This trick has saved me at least 3 doctor visits in the past year.

In September of 2017, I realized this was getting to be too much. I couldn't live my life like this forever! I researched chronic sinus infections and realized there is a surgery to correct a deviated septum that could possibly fix the issue permanently. I asked my doctor about it and got a referral to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, but didn't think too much of it really.

As 2018 dawned on us, I made a new year's resolution to fix the sinus infections once and for all, and I made an appointment with the otolaryngologist. I talked to him for a while, and my symptoms seemed to confuse him - some were indicative of sinus infections, but others were more closely linked to migraines, which also run in my family; however, antibiotics seem to stop all of them, so he was stumped. He did take a look and say my septum is deviated, but as of right now the treatment plan is to wait until one of these "episodes" (a term he kept using) occurs again, then to schedule a CAT scan to figure out if my sinuses are truly the problem or not. He told me that people often blame their sinuses for things they can't really cause (such as dizziness or lose of balance) so I'm unsure what the results of the scan will be, but it seems to be the first step in figuring out this constant malady that is ruining my life.

[deleted_user]

I was just a boy when I first retched through my mouth and my nose. A dog was shitting on the grass. The gas station smelled like marmalade and bleach and stale tobacco. It was connected to a restaurant which had only recently stopped letting patrons smoke indoors. The gas station toilet was reasonably clean at first.

Five years to its yonder (roughly -- time is not a constant moving thing) after the inaugural mouth and nose puke there began a systematic bout of mouth and nose pukes.

It would go like this: I'd know a full day before it’d begin. Then it’d begin. A box of Kleenex would be used to expel the chewed tart bits from my nose. A box of soft Kleenex was needed or my nose’d get red and sore like from a cold.

It would stop coming through the nose after the fourth or fifth time as there was nothing much to come up at all. Two hours would have passed since the start.

It went like this: I’d belch, make them great groaning sounds associated with the act as my innards wound mechanically, then heaved, then released. There was a great noise for a mere and lonely long drip of tart acid. The mouth was held agape and the gullet was held exposed, the whole way down, just so. The stomach would be knotted and squeezed into nothingness. The host would wait for the drip to drop. If willpower held it did, else half the drip would reverse-drop when the stomach became something again. The stomach did not like the reverse-dropped stomach acid. It tantrumed terribly like a toddler. It was a part of me, my tantruming stomach. I could not control it. I decided to never have kids.

Imagine a wound-up jack-in-the-box. Imagine after being released the jack does not bounce leisurely on his spring but instead holds itself very still in the very position most outward from his box tense as a tensioned knot. This is most difficult to achieve even in the human body which is muscle.

This cycle would repeat itself for at least eight more times throughout the night every half hour like clockwork. My innards wound mechanical. (Dentists say my enamel may be wearing.)

After the fifth bout in just as many months of a dozen sets of several heaves each it was decided I'd see a doctor. Three hours later I was cut into and my appendix was hoisted out. They say the appendix does nothing but cause issue. I am very glad it is gone if it is as they say.

The systematic retchings ceased. Thankfully it was not me which was causing the retching, that is, the me-without-my-appendix.

[fightinfrenchman]

I was just a boy when I first retched through my mouth and my nose. A dog was shitting on the grass. The gas station smelled like marmalade and bleach and stale tobacco. It was connected to a restaurant which had only recently stopped letting patrons smoke indoors. The gas station toilet was reasonably clean at first.

Five years to its yonder (roughly -- time is not a constant moving thing) after the inaugural mouth and nose puke there began a systematic bout of mouth and nose pukes.

It would go like this: I'd know a full day before it’d begin. Then it’d begin. A box of Kleenex would be used to expel the chewed tart bits from my nose. A box of soft Kleenex was needed or my nose’d get red and sore like from a cold.

It would stop coming through the nose after the fourth or fifth time as there was nothing much to come up at all. Two hours would have passed since the start.

It went like this: I’d belch, make them great groaning sounds associated with the act as my innards wound mechanically, then heaved, then released. There was a great noise for a mere and lonely long drip of tart acid. The mouth was held agape and the gullet was held exposed, the whole way down, just so. The stomach would be knotted and squeezed into nothingness. The host would wait for the drip to drop. If willpower held it did, else half the drip would reverse-drop when the stomach became something again. The stomach did not like the reverse-dropped stomach acid. It tantrumed terribly like a toddler. It was a part of me, my tantruming stomach. I could not control it. I decided to never have kids.

Imagine a wound-up jack-in-the-box. Imagine after being released the jack does not bounce leisurely on it's spring but instead holds itself very still in the very position most outward from his box tense as a tensioned knot. This is most difficult to achieve even in the human body which is muscle.

This cycle would repeat itself for at least eight more times throughout the night every half hour like clockwork. My innards wound mechanical. Of course it did. (Dentists say my enamel may be wearing.)

After the fifth bout in just as many months of a dozen sets of several heaves each it was decided I'd see a doctor. Three hours later I was cut into and my appendix was hoisted out. They say the appendix does nothing but cause issue. I am very glad it is gone if it is as they say.

The systematic retchings ceased. Thankfully it was not me which was causing the retching, that is, the me-without-my-appendix.

weird post

[deleted_user]

I was just a boy when I first retched through my mouth and my nose. A dog was shitting on the grass. The gas station smelled like marmalade and bleach and stale tobacco. It was connected to a restaurant which had only recently stopped letting patrons smoke indoors. The gas station toilet was reasonably clean at first.

Five years to its yonder (roughly -- time is not a constant moving thing) after the inaugural mouth and nose puke there began a systematic bout of mouth and nose pukes.

It would go like this: I'd know a full day before it’d begin. Then it’d begin. A box of Kleenex would be used to expel the chewed tart bits from my nose. A box of soft Kleenex was needed or my nose’d get red and sore like from a cold.

It would stop coming through the nose after the fourth or fifth time as there was nothing much to come up at all. Two hours would have passed since the start.

It went like this: I’d belch, make them great groaning sounds associated with the act as my innards wound mechanically, then heaved, then released. There was a great noise for a mere and lonely long drip of tart acid. The mouth was held agape and the gullet was held exposed, the whole way down, just so. The stomach would be knotted and squeezed into nothingness. The host would wait for the drip to drop. If willpower held it did, else half the drip would reverse-drop when the stomach became something again. The stomach did not like the reverse-dropped stomach acid. It tantrumed terribly like a toddler. It was a part of me, my tantruming stomach. I could not control it. I decided to never have kids.

Imagine a wound-up jack-in-the-box. Imagine after being released the jack does not bounce leisurely on it's spring but instead holds itself very still in the very position most outward from his box tense as a tensioned knot. This is most difficult to achieve even in the human body which is muscle.

This cycle would repeat itself for at least eight more times throughout the night every half hour like clockwork. My innards wound mechanical. Of course it did. (Dentists say my enamel may be wearing.)

After the fifth bout in just as many months of a dozen sets of several heaves each it was decided I'd see a doctor. Three hours later I was cut into and my appendix was hoisted out. They say the appendix does nothing but cause issue. I am very glad it is gone if it is as they say.

The systematic retchings ceased. Thankfully it was not me which was causing the retching, that is, the me-without-my-appendix.

weird post

stop quoting gigantic pieces of text or this thread will become locked and my great post (with it) will remain unnoticed

maybe we can insult some individual members of esoc or entire ethnic groups to keep it open

[Zutazuta]

Serious answer in a not sure if serious thread:

I battled sinus infections my whole life. Some time in college I went to an ENT and he told me I had a deviated septum. I got it fixed (I think the next year?) and I it made a world of difference. I'd highly recommend investigating it if the opportunity arises. The recovery sucks for about 2 weeks, but then you'll never have another sinus infection again.

Edit: To Callen's post, I too lack an appendix...

[fightinfrenchman]

Serious answer in a not sure if serious thread:

I battled sinus infections my whole life. Some time in college I went to an ENT and he told me I had a deviated septum. I got it fixed (I think the next year?) and I it made a world of difference. I'd highly recommend investigating it if the opportunity arises. The recovery sucks for about 2 weeks, but then you'll never have another sinus infection again.

Yeah that's what I was hoping for but the doctor was skeptical because some of my symptoms were unrelated to sinus infections. However the CAT scan will hopefully tell us what the problem is, and if the opportunity arises I will definitely opt for surgery. I must deal with this, it's ruining my life

[deleted_user]

Edit: To Callen's post, I too lack an appendix...

Appendix-less, unite!

It was a popular night for appendicitis. The surgeon didn't have time to do a three port laparoscopic. I was just gutted!

[fightinfrenchman]

I think it's time to "purge" the forums of appendix-less freaks like Callen and Zuta. Who's with me?

[tedere12]

Modtheear

[Snuden]

I'm never sick. I walk around in my village, looking down on the peasants, thinking "Ha! You mortal fools"
My guess is that I will live forever.

[gamevideo113]

Funnily enough the appendix is supposed to help defend our body Although it is quite an ancestral organ and it doesn't work very efficiently nowadays...

[lejend]

Make sure the doctor is a board certified nose surgeon, with plenty of experience. Thousands get their noses absolutely wrecked by doctors every year. Just because he is a doctor doesn't mean he is a good surgeon.

[fightinfrenchman]

Well after several months of healthiness I'm feeling sick again: sore throat, coughing, and that very specific pain in my face. Unsure if it's truly a sinus infection yet, but I'm holding off on taking my "stash" of antibiotics for a bit to see if the symptoms go away on their own. So far haven't had the nausea which is the most debilitating part of it.

[tedere12]

Good thread

[dietschlander]

take care Frenchie