On Saturday, we went fruit picking at Phipps and visited the chupacabra (hee hee) at Harley Farms. Unfortunately, I am allergic to every type of tree and grass. After about 30 minutes and half a bucket of ollalieberries, I was continuously sneezing and itching all over. Mikee and I walked back into the store to look at the nursery, birds, pottery, and other produce being sold.
Ollalie-what??? Ollalieberries. Ollalieberries are a larger type of blackberries.
More pictures are posted to the snaps gallery. I haven't had the chance to go through and edit them but I figured I'd post them instead of being late again.
Warning: I will be ranting in the next section of this post. It might be too graphic for some people so read at your own risk.
After this, I am going to refrain from posting again until I feel better. My doctor has already changed and added more medication, but today has been really awful. What am I taking?
Daytime: Guaifenesin (400mg) - 2 x daily, Pseudoephedrine (120mg), Fexofenadine (180mg), Nasacort AQ (55mcg), Grapeseed
Nightime: Guaifenesin with Dextrometrophan (400mg), Singulair (10mg)
As needed: Albuterol, Tylenol Sinus-Allergy
One reason why I've been avoiding posting entries is that I've been pretty cranky. I tried taking a nap because my headache has gotten worse but I couldn't sleep. I took a couple Tylenols a few minutes ago and I'm still waiting for it to kick in. I've been drinking orange juice and water non-stop. Although that has helped with my cough, the numerous trips to the john has been quite annoying.
As I continue to type, I am making squeamish facial expressions. Why? Because my sinuses hurt like hell. There is endless pressure from my forehead up to my cheeks. It feels like there are a bunch of invisible lemmings shoving the mucus trapped in my sinuses. My jaw is tired from doing the valsalva maneuver to clear my clogged ears. There is temporarily relief when I can feel some 'air' released from the pressure. I can also often hear and feel some cracking noise around my nose, close to my cheeks. Other than that, you can just feel the mucus being constantly pushed around.
Twenty minutes into this entry, the Tylenol is starting to work -- only for my headache. At least the throbbing has stopped. I am just hoping that my sinusitis/cold and cough go away soon.
In case you are wondering if I have tried any herbal/alternative remedies, I can't. As I mentioned, I am allergic to trees, grass, and a bunch of other plants so they will just make things worse. I've tried it before. It wasn't a pretty picture.
If you haven't had sinusitis before and are wondering what it is and why it sucks, here's a brief description based on my experience:
Sinusitis is like a cold that does not want to go away. It hurts, sometimes worse in some days than others. It makes me feel tired as it reduces your energy level. It interferes with sleep since you can't breathe. Your ears are often clogged -- you get the same feeling when on an airplane.
Sinusitis can also affect your sense of smell and taste. It can make you sound hoarse and give you bad breath. The decongestants you take can dry you up so you need to constantly drink (which means you need to keep going to the bathroom). Some of the medication can keep you up all night or make you instantly drowsy.
More often than not, when I feel extreme pain from it, I imagine myself with one of those court hammers hitting my cheeks to help the trapped mucus get out. I know, too graphic. But I warned ya. Anyhow, I hope you don't ever need to experience this.
Rambling Gypsy