The After-Effects of a Cold

[PuddinPop]

Okay, so I never write obs. Ever. Even less so self-obs but this is so annoyingly infuriating I had to get it out, so to speak.

I started with a cold like, 9-10 days ago. It wasn't my typical start to a cold - I usually start with a fuck ton of sneezing which in turn leads to stuffiness, headaches, etc. This time, however, it started with a horrific sore throat. This has happened before and if I start with a sore throat, it doesn't usually manifest into a cold, but I digress.

It was so painful, even talking hurt. I couldn't eat, couldn't drink, nothing. This was the only symptom, though so I chalked it up to either tonsillitis or just a bitch of a virus that would be short lived. I guess I wasn't wrong?

The next day, my throat felt a lot better but it seemed to have shifted to my ear. I had a strange feeling in my right ear, not dissimilar to when you're on an airplane and you can feel the pressure building inside until it pops and then feels much better. This didn't happen. Towards the end of the day, I was in such horrific pain that I wanted to cry. Luckily, the pain was short lived, but the pressure wasn't.

After that, I started exhibiting more cliché cold symptoms - my nose felt a bit stuffed but nothing too extreme. I sneezed a couple more times than normal for this time of year but nothing worth writing country music about. That persistent pressure in my ear relented and nothing I did seemed to shift it.

This continued for a day or two until I woke up one morning and knew it was a nightmare of a cold. Up until this point, I was still in that limbo stage where I wasn't sure if it was actually a cold or not or whether it was just my body being a jerk - it does that sometimes. Well, my nose was now completely stuffed, it seemed to have moved to my chest so I was coughing like a bitch and just felt that lethargic grogginess that usually accompanies a cold. What was worse was that the congestion meant that my ear was now well and truly blocked. I could/can barely hear anything at all out of my right ear, that uncomfortable pressure still driving me insane.

I refused to go to the doctor about it because it was clearly just a cold. I knew I didn't have any infections because I had no pain, neither in my ear or my throat, just that awful pressure.

Today was the worst. I literally cannot hear a thing out of my right ear and it's not exactly painful but it's making my jaw ache down one side. The stuffiness is still present, as is the ever-increasing cough that now seems to have made residence in my lungs.

I dragged my ass to the doctor this afternoon, if only for some advice on how to make this damn bubble in my ear pop without doing permanent damage.

Turns out it isn't just a cold. The doctor said I have eustachian tube dysfunction - in English, that basically means that the tube that connects your nose to your ear isn't working properly, usually due to inflammation and congestion. It's treatable, but it could take up to two weeks to clear.

Two friggin' weeks of feeling like I'm going deaf and being congested to hell.

What the actual fuck. I have never had a simple cold turn into something as menacing as this before they usually just linger for like, five days maximum? I have never had this for over a week and then be told it could be another 14 days before it's gone.

What really sucx balz is the fact that there is little-to-no sneezing. Like, at all. The entire time I've had this, I've sneezed like maybe... six times? In 9-10 days. What the actual-..

WELP. That was awkward to type. I guess I'll just go and crawl into bed now and hope that someone takes pity on me

[honkmaster]

Sorry to hear that you're feeling awful, but thanks for sharing your obs Puddinpop. I hope you feel better.

[Juto]

Awww gosh! Sounds horrible!! I hope you feel better soon

[norcal tinkfan]

That sounds awful!! Hope you feel better soon!