My First Time

Upon learning about sinus rinsing, I was hesitant. The thought of shooting water through my sinus made my stomach turn. Even though I knew it carried great health benefits, I was reluctant. Even after my first visit to an ENT and I was handed a rinse bottle, I didn’t want to do it.

My first attempt pre sinus surgery left me in tears. Once I readied the bottle for the rinse, I just stared at it. I brought it up to my nose a couple times, and then walked away from it. Finally, I mustered the courage to just do it. Since I already knew my left sinus had serious problems, I started on the right side. At the aforementioned first ENT appointment, the doctor was not able to put the scope in my left sinus at all. That was kind of a sign.

So, shooting water up my right nostril I go. From everything I had read about rinsing, I knew the water was supposed to go in on one side and out the other. I shot the water up and it came right back down. Not what I was expecting. I tried again and had the same result. I attempted rinsing on my left side and the water didn’t even seem like it could enter my nostril. Again I tried, and the water went everywhere except where it needed to.

I started bawling. That ENT appointment ended with a prescription for a CT scan and a referral for a surgeon. I was okay with the CT scan, but the idea of having surgery terrified me. The idea that I would never breathe correctly without it, terrified me even more. My epic failure at rinsing proved what I had known in my gut for quite some time. Something was truly with my nose.

My Sphenoid Saga

This year has not been kind to my sinus. Three times in six months, I was on antibiotics. A recent head cold began to morph into an infection and to avoid a repeat of what I went through in February.

The infection I was diagnosed with in February did not clear up until May, after two rounds of antibiotics. Due to my sensitivities, my ENT initially prescribed three weeks of Bactrim. During my follow up appointment in March, I was pleased to learn that my ENT found no pus. He still saw yellow mucus, but did not think the sinus was still infected. Unfortunately, the infection was not gone. By mid-April I was back on antibiotics. This time I was prescribed Augmentin, which finally solved the problem. I saw my ENT at the end of May and he said my sinus was completely clear. In between and during my courses of antibiotics I took guaifenesin  and sudafed as needed. I take the real sudafed from the pharmacy and not the over the counter version. It’s surprising how much relief can come from one small red pill.

By June I was more positive that my sphenoid saga was coming to a close, but by the middle of the month and in midst of the aforementioned head cold my doubt grew. I had my check in with my allergist a couple of weeks ago and he confirmed my suspicions. If it was so easy for my head cold to start displaying symptoms of a sinus infection, my infection was most likely not gone.

Now I wait. My ENT wanted to see me once I completed the antibiotics, but the first available appointment was on August sixth. Almost a month after I completed the antibiotics. I’m on a cancelation call list, but so far there have been no openings. For now this saga is to be continued…

Monday Motivation

1. The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You (Enhanced Edition)- I'm finally digging into Jessica Alba's book. So, far I'm intrigued. I had no clue she was plagued with allergies and asthma as a child.

2. How to Choose and Use an Exercise Ball - After a recent move, I finally have a place to store an exercise ball, after this article I have no excuses for not getting one.

3. Watch Out for Backyard Allergy Triggers - Some helpful tips for those with allergies that plan to enjoy these summer days outside.

Reinventing My Wellness

According to The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, in just five months’ time I have faced five life events that potentially contribute to stress related illnesses. With my already fragile immunity this is not a good thing.

From January to May of this year I have dealt with:

• Death of a close family member
• Personal injury or illness
• Change in health of family member
• Change to a different line of work
• Change in residence

Bringing my stress score to 216. Which according to the scale means, “you have a moderate to high chance of becoming ill in the near future.” Not something you want to read, especially after dealing with three out of the five in the month April alone.

Ideally, I would like to take the Mindy Kaling approach to stress, “I do not think stress is a legitimate topic of conversation, in public anyway. No one ever wants to hear how stressed out anyone else is, because most of the time everyone is stressed out. Going on and on in detail about how stressed out I am isn’t conversation. It’ll never lead anywhere. No one is going to say, “Wow, Mindy, you really have it especially bad. I have heard some stories of stress, but this just takes the cake.”

Unfortunately, the impact of this stress is undeniable in the current state of my health. Minus the heart disease, the list found here pretty much sums up the way I’ve been feeling. I can’t undo any of what has happened. However, how I cope is completely within my power. So, here today I am dedicating myself to reinventing my wellness. Won’t you join me on this new chapter of my allergy journey?

Monday Motivation

1. Constructive Advice for a Kitchen Renovation – Suffer from asthma and allergies? A good read before your home becomes a construction zone.

2. Food Allergies Prompt Volunteerism in Student – Inspiring read on how the younger generation is taking a stand on toward future of food allergies.

3. The Power of Dry Brushing – I had never heard a of dry brushing before reading this post. I was so inspired, I ordered a dry brush of my own.

What is motivating you for a healthy week ahead?

Whodunit

While catching up on last season's Games of Thrones over the weekend, a small patch of skin on the back of my left arm above my elbow began to burn. A feeling I'm quite familiar with, a hive was beginning to form. In the early stages of a hive I'm typically still in denial. Oh, I'm just itchy. Maybe my skin is dry? But when I actually look and see the little bump surrounded by red, I am in denial no longer.

My next step is to figure what to do. The time of day plays the biggest role here. If it is during the morning or afternoon, I choose to take a Benadryl. Once the evening hits it becomes a bit trickier. I typically take my Allegra any time after 9pm. Depending on the severity of the hive; I have to decide if the hour it takes for the Allegra to begin working is worth waiting out. For this particular hive, even though it was only slightly after 8pm I chose the Allegra. It didn’t feel too bad and there was only one.

Now that the hive has been addressed and assessed, comes the biggest step yet – figuring out what made it appear in the first place. I will be the first to admit, my dinner was not the healthiest. Did that bit of Cherry Coke rack up my histamines? I try not to have soda too often, and it’s never caused hives. So, no? Was it stress? I was not stressed at the present time, but my day had not been the smoothest. Did the shift in weather freak out the senses? Not a clue.

And that is probably one of the most frustrating parts to having allergies. Sometimes it’s just one big game of Clue, but there is no Miss Scarlet with the candlestick in the library to blame. There is just my own Mr. (actually, Miss.) Boddy to blame.

Prescription Protection

With allergies, come prescriptions. My latest is a generic version of Flonase. And with these prescriptions, often come side effects. And these side effects may not always be related to the actual medicine. Identity theft is not usually listed on the label, but every bit of your personal information is.

I fill my prescriptions at my local Target. As far as pharmacy experiences goes, this is the best I’ve had, but their packaging often leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I understand that they want to ensure their employees can easily access information to help ensure that you and only you are picking up your prescription, but if you’re not careful when throwing it away you might also be providing this same information easily to identify thieves.

The bag that prescriptions come in from Target contains a label. On this label is my full name, address, telephone, and birthdate. To ensure this information stays between me and my pharmacy, I take a Sharpie to it and block out all information as much as possible. Next is the packaging that the actual medicine is in, this usually contains my full name. And lastly, inside the bag are additional labels. These labels also contain my my name, address, telephone, and birthdate. I take a Sharpie to them all.

The next time you fill a prescription read all the labels to not only take as directed, but to also ensure you’re not allowing anyone else to do the same to you.

Happy Friday!

I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking. Mind over matter truly has an impact on our overall wellness. It has been proven that smiling increases positive impacts on our health. As this article suggest even fake ones help. In an effort to enjoy the present and reduce stress, every Friday I will take a look back at what made me smile each week. I would love to hear what lead you to have a happy Friday.

1. While my spring allergies have been wrecking all sorts of havoc this week, I feel a little bit better knowing that I am prepared to take them on.

2. A cloudless sky on a warm Sunday afternoon, pure bliss.

3. My birthday may have been several weeks ago, but my flowers are still going strong.

Happy Friday and here’s to an even happier weekend!

You Can't Always Get What You Want or What You Need

During my follow up appointment with ENT for this whole sphenoid debacle he gave me a couple samples of and also a prescription for Patanase. Per their website, Patanase is a “steroid-free prescription nasal spray that works to fight the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever.”

After my first use, I was in love. The spray opened my breathing passages and helped me clear out some of the residual infection. It was pure bliss. A few days into my use of the spray sample, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew in my heart there was no possible way this was covered by my insurance. I know I have sung the praises of Omnaris, but it's not a spray I use regularly because my insurance won't cover it. Sure, you can get a nifty $50 off coupon for you first few refills. First, in order for me to get the pleasure of using said coupon, I would have to fork over $130. I was devastated when I found out Omnaris was not covered by my insurance. It was the first nasal spray that truly worked for me.

So, when I tried to fill the Patanase prescription over the weekend I just knew in my gut a product this wonderful would not be covered. The pharmacist confirmed my suspicion. It was not covered and cost $199 for one bottle. Not really in my budget for something that would be gone in a months time.

For the time being, while my sphenoid heals I will see if I can obtain additional samples from my ENT and allergist, but I know that is not a long term solution. I really wish I had one of those.

Just Ask

After having sinus surgery and being in the midst of immunotherapy, it's not a secret around my office that my nose does not work the way it should. It is this fact that has made me the go to girl for all questions sinus, allergies, and asthma related at work. A task I do not mind in the least.

My mother was a health educator before I was born. The lady that came to school to about sex? That was her. Talking about health has always been a big part of my life and the biggest inspiration for this blog. After writing several how to sinus rinse guides and providing numerous allergy medication referrals to co-works, I figured it was time to start sharing what I have learned with others.

So, in the interest of sharing what I know, I have set up a Formspring account for anyone to ask any allergy related questions. I have added a link to the side bar.

Got a question? Just ask.

A Reminder

I am the worst at remembering to medication of any kind. Vitamins? Forget it. I have lost count of the number of times I have forgotten to take a vitamin even when it was sitting on the table right in front of me.
A big part of getting over my recent sinus infection has been making sure I take Mucinex and Sudafed consistently. The former only lasts four hours and the later six hours per dose. Now, I am aware that could save myself the headache of remembering to take the medications by using Mucinex D every twelve hours, but I have found that I need more Mucinex than I do Sudafed. I have less side effects from both by take the lower dosages at a time.

Plus, I worked out a way to eliminate the headache in remembering to take these on time. My iPhone has come in handy for many tasks, but I rely on it the most to remind me to take my medications. Every time I take a medication, I change the time of the reminder to the next schedule dosage time. And like clockwork every four and six hours, I can rely on my iPhone to remind me to take what I need.

Back On Track

Due to the not so lovely sphenoid infection of 2013, I have had a whopping total of one allergy shot in 2013. I guess that would not be too bad if I were on the once a month shot schedule, but I'm supposed to be receiving them every other week. A very important rule with immunotherapy injections is that you cannot receive the injection if you display severe allergy symptoms or if you are sick. So, with my infected sphenoid all shots were put on hold until I was better. Which in all honesty was really okay by me, I was too sick to even notice my allergies. They did not bother until a week ago, but I waited until I had my follow with my ENT before scheduling any shots.

The great thing about an ENT is that they can actually look in your nose with a scope to determine what is wrong. For years before I saw my ENT, I had plenty doctors just look at me with a confused look because there was nothing else that knew to do for my nose. Last Friday, my ENT gave me the all clear to begin my allergy shots again. He saw no pus and no infection in my sinus. The only cause for concern was my very allergic rhinitis. Now I am happy to report, I have had two allergy shots this year.

Ayr Saline Nasal Gel Review

What it does: Ayr gel is a cool and soothing gel designed to aid dry noses. It provides temporary relief by opening the airways and reducing sinus swelling.

How to use: Before using wash and dry hands thoroughly. Place a dab of the gel on your left index finger and rub half of the dab on your right index finger. With the gel now on both index fingers, rub inside the corresponding nostril.

Where to buy: I’m lucky that my local Target pharmacy carries quite few hard to sinus remedies. I’ve also seen it at independent pharmacies and my local Rite Aid.

Recommend: Absolutely. I love this gel. I was really skeptical prior to using it. Rubbing gel in your nose sounds gross and silly, but grossness and silliness aside it’s fabulous. I don’t go a day without using. I carry one in my purse to use on the extra rough allergy days. It brings immediate relief upon application.

My Night Routine

To ensure my allergies don’t prevent me from having a good night’s sleep, here is the routine I follow each night.

An hour before I do my nightly sinus rinse, I take an Allegra. I actually take the generic version by Target. I have taken both the generic and name brand without noticing a difference in effectiveness, so I choose the generic to cut down on costs. And now for a confession, the way I achieve this each night is due to my iPhone. At 8:45pm, 8:55pm, and 9:00pm, my phone kindly reminds me to take my Allerga. If I left it to chance each night, I guarantee my success rate in Allegra consumption would decrease significantly.

Then I rinse my nose. It’s the same process as in the morning. Consistency is key with rinsing. My biggest suggestion with nightly rinsing is the time which it is done. Ideally, an hour before sleep yields the best results. Any closer to bedtime and there is still quite a bit of water in the sinus. When lying down right after a rinse, that drowning sensation when the water rushes out of your nose? Not fun.

Right before bed, I finish off the evening with Ayr gel. Just a dab in each nostril is a very soothing way to fall asleep.

Good night!

Taking a Breather

The past month has been rough. An infection in the sphenoid sinus is the worst. I thought it was bad when I had mono or even when I had my sinus surgery, but those felt minor in comparison. With the infection being so close to the brain, my balance was completely off. I was dizzy off and on for a few weeks. The constant feeling of being on a boat grew old fairly quickly.

Now a week after completing my antibiotics, I can honestly say I am starting to feel better. I am taking it day by day. Breath by breath. I am filled with gratitude in the joy of being able to breathe again.

My Morning Routine

Good morning! Or more often for me, what is going on?! I am not a morning person. Waking up is often a daunting and confusing process. Along with my grogginess, waking up typically means a stuffing nose and a congestion filled throat. I am striving to change that. Here are the steps I take to prepare my sinus for a day of good breathing.

First up, is the sinus rinse. This is a morning must. In a NeilMed bottle, I combine warmed distilled water, a NeilMed sinus rinse packet, and a dash of Alkalol. Then it’s time to blow, so I keep plenty of tissues on hand.

Another step I take before brushing my teeth is using Flonase. As much as I enjoy Omnaris, my medical insurance refuses to cover it. I actually enjoy Flonase a lot more than I expected to, honestly it may even be inching past Omnaris. Two squirts in each nostril of the Flonase every morning for me it is.

Finally, just before I put on my make-up I rub Ayr Gel in each nostril. It’s extremely important to ensure you have clean hands prior to using the gel to avoid introducing any bacteria to your sinus.

I’m now set to start my day.

What’s a Sphenoid?

More about the sphenoid and image from here.

Four years after having sinus surgery, I considered myself pretty well versed in all things nasal. Over the last few days, I learned that wasn’t so. It started almost two weeks ago now, just a cold I was sure I could kick. I even saw my primary doctor and she agreed, just a cold.

As the days went by, I wasn’t able to kick it. It was the one doing all kicking and it was only getting worse. What started out as a sore throat moved up into my sinus and caused headaches like I hadn’t felt in years. I felt extremely dizzy and like I was on a continuous boat ride. A visit with my ENT confirmed I had a sinus infection in my sphenoid. At first when he took a look inside my nose he said it wasn’t too bad, which I didn’t understand because of how I felt. It wasn’t until he looked all the way into the back of my sinus with a scope did he see the infection. The sphenoid sinuses are in the bones behind the nasal cavity.

I am currently on antibiotics and steroids to fight off the infection. Since I am still feeling pretty awful, I am avoiding doing too much research on the sphenoid. From what I have read so far, infections can lead to some scary stuff. For now, I am taking it one day at a time and looking ahead to better health and even more to learn.

Immunotherapy

After four weeks of allergy testing it, the recommendation was immunotherapy. A treatment that was completely new to me. Even though it involved needles and being shot up with my own allergens, I was intrigued.

Immunotherapy is designed to build up your immunity by receiving injections of a serum especially designed with your own allergens. It’s potentially a three year long process, starting with receiving two injections a week, then one a week, next one every other week, every three weeks, and finally once a month. You are shifted through each phase over the course of the first year. All the while the dose is gradually increased with each shot.

The first year was great for me. I felt amazing. However as the shot dosages increased and their frequency decreased my allergies went haywire and I was back to where I started. With 2012 being the worst year for allergens ever and no respite expected in 2013, it was time to rethink how I was getting my shots.

For the last few months, I have gone back to receiving a shot once every other week at a much lower dose. This plan has helped immensely and I am finally feeling the benefits of the shots again. The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the last couple years of immunotherapy is that you have to listen to your body. It’s okay to deviate from the original plan if it means relief.

Four Years

This is a week to celebrate. Sunday marked the fourth anniversary of my Endoscopic Sinus Surgery. It has been quite a battle to get to this day, but with each year I am getting stronger.

I woke up the morning of February 3, 2009 terrified. I knew that by the time I returned to my bed that evening, I would be forever changed. The hours after my surgery are foggy, but the memory that stands out the most is waking up after surgery. I was just coming to after being out for four hours; I could hear the nurses talking amongst themselves as they waited for me to wake. In the moments before I opened my eyes, relief washed over me. It was the best feeling to wake and know the months of anxiety since first learning I would need surgery if I ever wanted to breathe normally again were over. I had made it through.

I thought that was the best feeling possible. It was, until the next week. After my splints were out, I took my first real breath. Fresh air flowed through my sinuses and filled my lungs. Now that was the best feeling possible. And it was here to stay.

The Asthma Plan

When my allergist first suggested that I had asthma, I was confused. Allergies? Sinus issues? Those were becoming old hat. Asthma is uncharted territory. It has not been smooth sailing since the diagnosis, but I'm learning navigate and now I have a plan.

At my last appointment with allergist, I brought up my future with asthma. At the time of the appointment, I was taking a full dose (2 puffs) twice daily of a Qvar inhaler. A few months earlier I had a bad reaction to an inhaler with albuterol and my primary physician came to the conclusion that Qvar (it doesn't have albuterol) twice daily was appropriate for the near future.

After a month of this of this regimen, I do feel like a new person. Though the thought of inhaling this level of steroids daily indefinitely concerns me, which was what I told my allergist. His line of treatment falls closer aligned to what I value in a doctor. Medication shouldn't be a crutch. I want to treat the problem, not continuously mask the symptoms. Hence, the asthma plan.

Until the end of January, I continued the Qvar, but with a dosage reduction of one puff only at night. This month I will use a rescue inhaler as needed. The definition of a rescue inhaler versus the preventive kind like Qvar, is that they contain albuterol. An ingredient I am very apprehensive about due to my sensitivity. The rescue inhaler my allergist prescribed contains a form of albuterol designed to be more pure and less side effects. I feel relieved to have a plan and am excited for the outcome.