It's probably not a good idea

To sit online at 1AM and self-diagnose. But I'm doing it anyway. After my umpteenth coughing fit of the night I came downstairs, tried to (sorry, TMI) clear my nose as best I could, and really need to take some cough medicine.

I'm quite sure I have a recurring case of bronchitis. But I have figured out that my 2nd sinus infection in nearly as many months has a name, as well. Chronic sinusitis. That is what I have. Seriously.

These are the symptoms, as per the Mayo Clinic. And if you're going to believe anybody, of course it's going to be them!

Chronic sinusitis symptoms include:

• Drainage of a thick, yellow or greenish discharge from the nose or down the back of the throat
• Nasal obstruction or congestion, causing difficulty breathing through your nose
• Pain, tenderness and swelling around your eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead
• Aching in your upper jaw and teeth
• Reduced sense of smell and taste
• Cough, which may be worse at night

**Uhm, yeah, as if I don't ever not have any of those symptoms!!! OK, well, the first one is kind of gross, and it's not all the time, but the rest, totally me. Sense of smell, practically been gone for months. Helps with changing diapers, but not with ensuring that said diapers don't on the toddler child for hours (not really) prior to being noticed.**

And then they say ...

Other signs and symptoms can include:

• Ear pain
• Sore throat
• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Fatigue or irritability
• Nausea

The signs and symptoms of chronic sinusitis are similar to acute sinusitis, except they last longer and often cause more significant fatigue. Chronic sinusitis is sinusitis that lasts more than eight weeks or keeps coming back. Unlike with acute sinusitis, fever isn't a common sign of chronic sinusitis.

**Uhm, yeah. Me, again. Guess what? When I wake up in the morning I feel like I can't breathe and haven't been breathing all night. Why is that, you ask? Well, thank you for being concerned. Probably because I HAVEN'T BEEN BREATHING ALL NIGHT! (Sorry, I really don't mean to take this out on you! It's just that I see an Urgent Care visit in my future and I'm not looking forward to it. I'd rather see my doctor, but when you don't drive, have a 2-year-old and hubby works like a fiend, well, it's not always an option, ya know? Again, truly sorry for snapping. Maybe I should find a doctor who'll toss in some Xanax with whatever might fix this sinus issue?)** [I have no clue why this paragraph will not bold no matter what I do, and at this point I have no mindset to address it, so take it as an assist from Blogger, who obviously feels I am being too hard on my readers and wanted to soften the blow!]

And how I LOVE this part: When to see a doctor?

You may have several episodes of acute sinusitis, lasting less than four weeks, before developing chronic sinusitis. You may be referred to an allergist or an ear, nose and throat specialist for evaluation and treatment.

See a doctor:

• If you've had sinusitis a number of times and the condition fails to respond to treatment
• If you have sinusitis that lasts more than 7 days
• If your symptoms don't get better after you see your doctor

**Dare I say that I'm all of the above? Last year, about a month or so into this blog I wound up with some scary steroid medication, but man, did it help. I'm about to go beg for it. Despite the chance that I could wind up w. a puffy face, gain like 50 lbs and turn into a fierce and screaming b!tch. I mean, as if I am not all of those things already, right?**

Anyway, that's where I'm at at what is now almost 1:30AM. Hope the rest of you are sleeping well. Maybe I'll take a snifter of NyQuil to get me some ZZZs. If only hubby hadn't already done that. At least one of us has to be somewhat coherent enough to hear the child. Sigh.

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