When will this stop?

On Sunday I thought I was coming down with a cold. Figuring it wasn't too bad I went to work and ended up coming home feeling like ****. I developed the typical clogged sinuses, sore throat, and cough I usually get. Here's the kicker: when I get a cold it starts out with a pretty weak case of the clogged sinuses and sore throat and then migrates into a nasty chest cold that takes a while to get over. I knew something was up when when the sore throat stuck and got pretty annoying - that and the clogged sinuses were here to stay as well. A quick trip to the doctor and I was told that I had some kind of nasty allergic reaction which clogged my sinuses, gave me a post nasal drip which in turn caused the sore throat and asthma to act up. She prescribed Astelin, a nasal spray antihistamine and described the allergic reaction as a sort of systemic thing and that the astelin should clear it all up. That was Wednesday. I've been using it as told since then and I've only really noticed a very very slight improvement. Sinuses still suck and the throat hurts unless I'm popping advil. I'm wondering if this is normal and it's gonna take a bit for this to clear up or what. Anyone have any idea how long it should take for this to start to wear off?

Aside from it not being like any kind of cold I've had before there were no fevers or chills or anything like that at any point so I'm kind of inclined to agree with the whole allergy diagnosis (I've always been pretty bad allergywise between asthma and allergies in general but these days they don't bother me so much and if they do 1 or 2 benadryl do the trick)

[Deeds]

I'd ride it out for a full 10-14 days.  As long as you have NO fever and no discolored dicharge from your nasal cavity (indicating infection) then...ride it out - I know - it stinks!

[jm4444]

well i have yellow mucus with traces of blood but the doc insisted it was because of the severe inflammation of the sinuses/nasal cavities due to the allergic reaction.  i've also been known to have easy nose bleeds due to allergies.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

You should continue using the nasal spray and reconsult with your doctor if your symptoms do not start to respond in 4-5 days.

You would then probably need a course of antibiotics and oral antihistamine medications too.

Try steam inhalation and do not blow your nose too vigorously.

If the symptoms still persist, you should talk to your doctor about getting a CT scan of the sinuses done.

Let us know if you have any questions and also keep us posted about how you are doing.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.