Dealing With Headaches

I’m going to apologize in advance for any sloppy appeareance or any disjointed reasoning in this blog post (well, more disjointed than usual, anyway). I was up to three m last night with a killer of a headache in the front of the right side of my face. I assumed it was a regular sinus headache, as my nose had been dripping all day. So I took over the counter Rite Aid sinus medication. Not a lot happened, except I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t get much sleep.

It felt like the day after you get punched in the eye. (And I have been punched in the eye before, so unfortunately my basis of comparison is accurrate).

Mom to the Rescue

Mom and I have to vote today (PA primaries — ugh) and so I have to leave the house eventually to do my civic duty. Mom had allergy medication — not sinus medication , one specifically for allergies — and urged me to take a pill. (I’d like to tell you the name of the stuff, but there is no name on the prescription label except PSE 120/MSC 2.5). I ran it through Drugs.com, but they said it’s probably a generic not in their directory.)

In less than an hour, about 90% of the pain was gone. This leads me to assume that my current head misery is caused by allergies and not sinuses.

But aren’t they the same thing? I mean, if you have allergies, doesn’t that mean you will automatically have sinus problems? And perhaps I shouldn’t be taking this stuff even though it works because I can’t identify it?

Yup

Basically, a sinus headache and an allergy headache are the same thing. However, if you can cure the pain with sinus medication, it’s a sinus headache and if you can cure it with your Mom’s allergy medication, then it’s an allergy headache.

Now, some doctors or nuerologists define an allergy headache as a reaction to a food you are allergic to. If you don’t have the post nasal drip, sore throat, stuffy nose or nausea, itchy eyes or sore eyes, than it’s probably a food allergy headache. You really need to see a doctor about that.

I’m not sure what I’m allergic to. I have all of the signs of a sinus infection, yet the sinus medication did zip on my pain.

I know I’m allergic to mowed lawns. When I lived in England, I lived mostly in the woods where the grass, nettles, snapdragons and other greenery grew to well over six feet tall. I never had any allergy problems. Now, I return to America with it’s constantly mowed lawns and my face feels like it’s been on the recieving end of a phone pole.

Oh, time to go vote. I have to go now so in the future people can blame me for the choice of Democratic presidential canidate for 2008. Can’t let all of you down.