This post was co-published at talanhorne.com
If you've ever been hospitalized, you are probably aware of a wonderful game that doctors and nurses play with hospitalized people, as a way of keeping their morale up.
The game is called "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"
It is an entirely subjective, completely unscientific way to diagnose illness. That is how we know it is actually a game. And though the game isn't exactly fun, it is, at the very least, easy.
All you have to do to win is think of the absolute worst pain you have ever been through...on top of whatever pain you are currently feeling, and see how it measures up. Because the one thing you really need, when you are so severely out of whack that you need to be hospitalized, is to be reminded of how much worse it can be.
And for each person, that comparison is going to be different. Some people (including women) will use the pain of childbirth as their point of comparison. Others will think back upon the kidney stones they have passed, or various ruptures, lesions, impalements, phantom limbs, and other such goodies.
But, for me, there is a special kind of ailment that has become my standard---my own personal ten on the pain scale. It embodies not only the worst pain I've ever had, but also the worst that I can imagine.
This ailment is called a sinus headache. And it's been on my mind a lot lately, because I have been having one almost every night for the last two-and-a-half weeks.
What is a Sinus Headache?
IT'S PROOF THAT HELL EXISTS!
Ahem...
Or rather, a sinus headache is a sharp and persistent pain in a patient's facial region, caused by inflammation of one or more sinuses.
Okay...so What are Sinuses?
Sinuses are hollows found in the human skull behind or around the eye and nose cavities.
These hollows serve as chambers that help the sensitive human head endure changes in atmospheric pressure without cracking like an egg or popping like a balloon.
And sinuses are also lined with tissue that helps in the production of nasal mucus. This tissue, however, can sometimes get inflamed, compressing the sensitive sinus chamber until IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE IS STABBING YOU IN THE EYE, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!!!
That Sounds Awful. What Causes It?
The same things that cause all the other kinds of inflammation: allergies, infections, alien probes, as well as more exotic causes such as polyps and tumors.
Or sometimes, there is no explanation, which is where I find myself right now. It's not allergy season for me. There's a little bit of smoke in the air from all the wildfires, but I've lived through many fire seasons without getting sinus headaches. And it's probably not polyps or tumors since I am only getting the headaches at night.
It's said that stress can also cause inflammation, yet "stress" is such a vague and unquantifiable term that it's a wonder medical science gives it any recognition at all.
So How do You Stop It?
Stop it? STOP IT?! What makes you think it can be stopped?
Sinus headaches are like the Juggernaut, from Marvel comics.
Once they get started, they are theoretically impossible to stop. They only really stop when they decide to.
My current batch of sinus headaches choose to stop themselves about an hour after dawn each morning, though they can start as early as 11pm the previous evening.
That's somewhere between six and eight hours of being stabbed in the eye.
So you'll understand why, back in 2010 when I was hospitalized with a broken ankle, and the doctors had me playing the Pain Scale game, they were surprised when I listed my broken bone as a mere five or six out of ten. They were so surprised, in fact, that until they saw the x-ray, they doubted that I even had a broken bone.
It's not that I wasn't in pain. It's that the pain of a broken bone was that much smaller than my personal number ten (and back then I was treating the Pain Scale as a logarithmic scale, rather than a linear one).
That said, I have developed a few tricks, particularly recently, for dealing with my sinus pain. And I want to share my story with the entire internet.
Fighting the Pain
Let me begin by saying I am not a doctor. Nothing I state in this post, or any comments, or any other supplementary material, is to be taken as prescriptive medical advice. I am not telling you how to fix your sinus pain. I am simply describing how I have dealt with mine.
Lesson #1: Anti-inflammatory Pain Medication
NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen/Advil have worked well for me...until they didn't. In any case, they relieve pain by fighting inflammation, which is exactly what my sinuses need. With a doctor's permission, I have taken as many as four Advil pills at a time.
They have not always finished the job, but I have always been glad to have them around.
Of course, some people can't take NSAIDs. I am glad to not be one of those people.
Lesson #2: Pseudoephedrine
It's still possible to get your hands on Original Recipe Sudafed (as opposed to the "Extra Crispy" Sudafed that has replaced it on store shelves). In the United States, you have to go to the pharmacy counter and specifically request it, but they will give it to you without a prescription, as long as you can prove you are over 18 and sign a affidavit stating that you will not use it for evil.
I need the real stuff to keep Norman Bates out of my eye socket. I'm sure the colonel never meant for people to turn it into methamphetamines when he came up with it, but if you have to keep it behind the pharmacy counter in order to feel better about that, then I won't stop you.
Lesson #3: Use an Air Humidifier (Depending on Where You Live)
It's a small thing that can make a big difference. If you live in a desert (as I do), then one cause of your sinus inflammation could be dryness.
A small air humidifier in my bedroom has sometimes helped in a big way.
Lesson #4: Make Sure the Medicine Goes to the Right Place
Alright, so after I take all my medication, the problem should be solved, right?
Heh, heh. Nope.
See, the thing about these medications is that they work by being circulated in your blood stream. And the thing about inflamed sinuses is that they are cut off from the bloodstream. That's how they get inflamed in the first place. The outgoing blood vessels are closed, and the ingoing blood vessels get backed up until no new blood can get in.
Meaning that the medications I take cannot start working until my sinus inflammation is already stopped.
It's wildly self-defeating. But there are some ways I get around it.
For example, powdered cayenne pepper has helped me...sometimes. The spice is a natural, fast-acting anti-inflammatory substance that, on one occasion, opened up my sinus just enough for the other medication to get a toehold.
But I haven't had a lot of luck with it since then.
The other thing, which has proven a little more reliable, is massage. When I place my fingers on my forehead, I can easily find out which of the blood vessels there is connected to the sinus (because those blood vessels flare up with pain as soon as I touch them).
Once I find a good vessel, I gently push it along its length, forcing the blood upstream into the sinus. It's painful, but it forces the blood gates open, allowing new blood to flow into the sinus. If that new blood is carrying medicine, my sinus will open up---sometimes instantly. For me, it has been the discovery of a lifetime.
Conclusion
I would not wish this pain on my worst enemy. Not even when I am in the foulest of moods. Hopefully, you will never experience it. But if you do, then you should examine your options about how to deal with it (with a qualified doctor's assistance, of course).
For some people, the best way forward is corrective surgery. And I have considered that for myself, as well, though I have not yet committed to it.
Perhaps this post has given you insight into a world you never knew. Or perhaps it has confirmed experiences that you've already had. In either case, I hope we can soon live in a world where sinus headaches are completely cured.
Because no one should ever have to go through that. Not even once.
It's better I am telling you write a valuable article which can help us in any mode of headache! I don't know that I had this type of Sinus Agony before! But I wish I will not get that pain rest of my life!@talanhorne,
Cheers~
I hope you can find something to solve it, i don't have something like that but i have irritable bowel and i can't eat nothing with milk and many kinds of foods too, so i think i understand how you feel now hehehe. Regards
smart wark my dear freind...
cheers....wonderful and interesting information by @talanhorne sir...
Really my dear you published most valuable blog post about Sinus Headache. Your writing skills are very good and Very good information my dear friend
@talanhorne - Sir I think we all experience this health issue before... But it can be at any level... Good article Sir... Nice you decided to share it...
+W+
Hello @talanhorne,
Extraordinary good writing it the different topic. It's your born talent & very much professional. Incredible work & useful for all Steemians.
~@mywhale
Oh, unfortunate to hear about this headache and that picture literally reflecting your pain and i hope that now you are fine, and literally speaking when we have headache then our daily life becomes really painful because our thinking process shrinks.
But how you've described all these, it's truly reflecting that you've prepared well to get over from it and now educating others in deep aspect and in my opinion that's really appreciable.
Wishing you an great day and stay blessed. 🙂
That’s very interesting. I think in many cases it helps psychologically. Fortunately for me, I’ve never had this sinus headache 🤕. I didn’t even know it could be such as pain. To go through this for so long it’s painful just reading about it. I hope you are better now or you will get better soon.
Very beautiful health life pain news post to you for thank you very much, and post a lot like and like post vote and comments and post share, I like this post a total of all see and this post to everyone can vote
@talanhorne, You published most valuable blog post about Sinus Headache. Everything entered here. It's long reading letter and you compare using your life experience. Everyone don't like to feel pain. I wish you everything you ok and get well soon.
get well soon & hope you can find the right cure. nice post @talanhorne
reteemed & upvoted@resteemia
The first time it happened to me was eleven years ago. The pain was so sever that I actually was feverish because of the pain and not infection. I have a deviated nasal septum and that compounds the problem when my sinuses get flamed.
The doctor was actually afraid of the infection spreading to my brain and I had an emergency CT scan but thankfully it was not the case. Nevertheless the pain pretty much f***ed me up for good.
Great and amazing post @talanhorne sir. This is the grest topic to discuss about and it is really very important to know about this. I really appreciate your work.
Thanks for sharing this post. ☺💚
Have a wonderful day!
You provided options which can help you if we ever experience this heath problem. Valuable post & thank you
@talanhorne I’m so sorry for going through such a pain. My friend from childhood had actualy surgery of his sinuses and I’m pretty sure the pain was gone immediately after the surgery. It’s your choice, but I hope you make the right decision soon. At some point people get used to this pain, it becomes part of their life. But why go through such a pain if you can get rid of it?
I'm really sorry to hearing you bad pain feeling. I wish you'll get better healthy soon. Your thoughts wanna valuable to another peoples for control their pain feelings.
Congratulations
Now you are in the MinnowsPower Loyalty Member List...!!! @talanhorne
Exceptional article & good article for the health...!!!
100% Upvoted by @MinnowsPower
It's a good guidance, we all can face this situation. Hope we must not forget what you wrote today. Nice writing & useful post.
This would be helpful healthy article @talanhorne. I never experience like these. But I think in future, better contexts included for preserve it. Thanks and wishing you never happen again t you.
This is professional writing experience and your post is great.
Resteem@talanhorne
Well O have never seen someone explaining a problem in this great way
while I liked this 2 lines he most ;)
Stop it? STOP IT?! What makes you think it can be stopped?
Sinus headaches are like the Juggernaut, from Marvel comics.
Such a important post and valuable.
Sinus Agony is a great problem now a days,and i am so glad sir that you have came up with solution,thanks a lot sir as a fan i always loves your blog posts.
Excellent article..... I know sinus and I suffer from this types pain... not only sinus pain... all kinds of pain really disgusting to tolerate.....
wonferful and useful information for our healthy life...
thanks sir...smart work again by @talanhorne sir...
G’day mate! and I Upvoted you :) !
:
“To many people chess is an extreme sport. It requires thinking.” ====> Ljupka Cvetanova
Really you are geving a very good news sharing with us " thank you for this post D:) @talanhorne
Thank you so much my dear sir.. upvote and resteemit done sir...
IMPREESIVE.CREATIVE WRITING.
helpful post.keep it up sir
This is great article and great writing experience.
Resteem @talanhorne
Wow this is really awesome content u r doing outstanding jobs appreciate u r work
I have some experience about Sinus Headache eight years ago. I felt I was burn those days. If your contexts important to otherone, but sad to hear your Sinus Headache. Get well very soon @talanhorne.
Something that is revealed about the doctor and its stuff, surely they can behave like this one.
That is valuable article of healthily information.
Have a great day Thanks @talanhorne
Most esthesia , feeling and signs are performed like this green and red .
The sinus is very torturous, besides being sensitive to dust and causing headaches as well as outgoing snot continuously
Didn't know about the sinus headache.
And I think no pain will be that hard to be compared with the hell.
Good save everyone from the hellfire.
Thanks for educating though.
100% like and resteemVery interesting and great information . @talanhorne
Amazing blog post sir you come with gem of articles thanks for your love and support sir.I too have feel this pain thanks for the solution sir.
"Make Sure the Medicine Goes to the Right Place" This is the most important point i love it sir.You have described real time sutiations.
Informative blog post sir love your blogs a lot,have a great day @talanhorne.
ice information sir hope this message will reach to lot of members @talanhorne.
that pain is just can't be described in words and doctors really play with it
Upvoted and Resteemed sir.
Wonderful blog post sir,upvoted.
For your post propagation. Upvote/ResteemGood writing new blog .so just shared.Writing is very hard.@talanhorne
Wonderful post thanks for sharing:)