Miserabe with stuffy, runny, sore nose!

[troubled]

I don't get a cold often but when I do it's horrible. I can't sleep, no appetite and worst of all, I can't breathe through my nose. I take sudafed (the good one behind the counter) and an antihistamine and yet hours later, I still am plugged up tight while my nose drips constantly. It's worse when I lay down and try to sleep. I tried the netti pot, saline spray, and blowing my nose a lot but still, this is day two of stuffy, runny nose. My doctor gave me an inhaler the last time I had a cold like this and THAT didn't work, either, nor did the tussin he gave me and an antibiotic shot in the arm with follow-up antibiotic in pill form. I rubbed Vicks all over my chest and neck and on the bottom of my feet, too! Honey and lemon tea does nothing either.

Why does none of this work??? I used to use Comtrex or some other severe Cold/Flu night time pill that you could buy OTC but now there seems to be nothing left that works. They took all the good ones away!! I am sooooo miserable! Last time I even tried drinking cayenne pepper and garlic tea and that didn't do anything but burn my mouth and lips. Still plugged!

What to you use that works?????????????????/I'll try anything to unplug and stop the runny nose.

 

[Hound dog]

Hmm not sure about unplugging. I've been using mucinex DM to get rid of the mucous.

But I'm right with you on the miserable and I past a wk several days ago.

This bug started with stuffy (pressure) headache fever......progressed to body aches........coughing to death due to the overwhelming mucous production in the sinus draining. Not chest accumulation thankfully or it would be pneumonia by now. Took the mucinex a couple of days to get rid of the extra mucous. Well ok the large volumes of the stuff anyway. I don't normally take the stuff. But everything else I tried failed miserably and it had gotten to the point breathing was becoming a real issue. So I tried it, it worked best. Down to taking it only at night. That I'm still up is due to other issues with this bug. But at least the drowning thing is over.

I'm getting suspicious I'm never getting well. But that could be do to more than a week with nearly no sleep at all.

*hands you chicken soup, soft tissues, warm blankie and cushy pillow* Hope you feel better soon.

Hugs

 

[troubled]

Awww thank you Hound Dog (((hugs)))) and I hope you feel better soon also. I will try the mucinex DM as soon as I can get some.

 

[Star*]

(makes sign of the cross and dawns hermedically sealed hazmat suit) -----germophobe.......sprays lysol and sits to chat briefly.

I'm not a nurse.....or medically inclined.....but it sounds like you are taking too MUCH stuff. Sudafed I think - dries you up......you're already plugged up. Then you take an antihistamine.......and that dries you up too. So nothing is (sorry .....blech) dripping out and in essence perhaps you are plugging yourself up more when you should be letting it all run out? I would think - (maybe) a day of letting the (sorry.......blech) snot just pour out and blowing would uncomplicate your sinuses - and then allowing steam - just plain old natural steam and a little vapor in a shower, with some hot water hitting your sinus cavities - would allow the pressure of the water to bust loose the (sorry.......blech) snot. THEN.......once it gets a good gagging flow? THEN blow, and vics and BLOW and mucinex DM......and stop plugging yourself up.

You may have inflamed sinuses or narrow sinus something or other that if you don't allow it to just flow out? It won't. Sometimes I think we're too quick to jump on the pill bandwagon and not just let our white and red blood cells do their thing naturally - maybe yours just need to reset? I dunno. Like maybe your body just NEEDS this cold to run it's course so that the next one it WILL fight off easier with a little sudafed? OR.....

Maybe there is something in your house that is continually aggrivating your nose? Like fabric softener? Shampoo, conditioner, perfume? Makeup? If this continues? I think I would look into allergies? Dust, pets, cats? Dog dander? Even food allergies. I took shots for 10 years and spent my life nearly in a bubble.....(not kidding) Something to think about.

 

[DDD]

I'm sending caring thoughts your way combined with hopes that the bug flies away soon. DDD

 

[AnnieO]

This is terrible, but... hot sauce or hot peppers, or horseradish. Your mouth will burn, but it will clear your sinuses.

And I think Star's right - if you take too much stuff - it kind of counteracts itself.

I actually took a DayQuil today for the first time in ages... And it helped. Not totally, but I might make it through the day...