So, I went to the ENT, Dr. Rashleigh, yesterday afternoon. The good news is I don't have a deviated septum or any other physical abnormalities that could cause my sinus issues. The bad news is that I apparently have, as he put it, "severe allergies." So I'm now on the generics of Allegra and Flonase, and am doing nasal rinses--a procedure that feels as though you are trying to drown yourself. Weird, but it seems to work. You just have to get over your natural tendency to NOT want water to get up your nose. Once you tackle that psychological hurdle, it's pretty easy to do and cleans out your nasal passages with a salt-and-baking-soda type rinse. I grew up with a former-nurse-mom (or is that once-a-nurse-always-a-nurse-mom?) who always made us do salt-water gargles for a sore throat, and this seems to work on the same principle. The ENT wants me to do all of this stuff for a month, then stop it all abruptly in order to see if these are seasonal allergies (to some sort of pollen) or general-year-round allergies to dust mites, mold, etc. To find out definitively I will probably have to go to an allergist and get tested--to see what things I should avoid or change in my environment.
Oh...one last thing...THANK GOD for generic prescriptions!
