The Second Life Rx

Please do not read this while eating potato soup, thanks.

I was thinking-- I've made it this far without going to the hospital, so why give in now? Wouldn't that just be throwing away all the hard work my body has done in fighting the infection? Okay, so maybe I have a death wish. Anyway--

So now I'm starting to think, "Let's have some fun with it." I figure there must be some medical experts on this forum (or at least some armchair specialists), so maybe you could
A. Diagnose me
B. Give me home remedies ()

So here we go.

Over a week ago (two Tuesdays ago) I had a sore throat and almost fainted at work, then went home and went to sleep. The next day I was sick and had so much sinus pressure that all of my teeth hurt. For the next three days I was bedridden with fever, coughing, and excessive mucosal drainage. The weird part was that all of my mucous was clear, indicating that there was no infection, but the pressure continued to build in my head. By last Saturday I had started to improve a lot, the fever had mostly gone away, but my cough had grown much worse and even coughed up a little blood that morning. By Sunday, I couldn't stand the sinus pressure anymore and snorted warm saltwater until the blockage was relieved. That's when I started expelling black blood and mucous from my sinuses for the next ten minutes (horror movie style!). Ahhhhh, release. After that, my phlegm and snot continued to be clear. A couple of days later, out of the blue, a giant slug of thick yellow mucous came out of my nose. A couple of days after that I coughed up a little blood again and then had the same yellow slug experience. All mucous in between has been clear. *Edit: I should add that I definitely have tracheitis as a symptom at this point, but probably not bronchitis yet (I've had both extensively when I was younger so I know what they feel like). I also have a really cool sounding deep chest cough that sounds like a distorted square wave mixed with some dog bark samples, all running through a compressor.

Now I'm starting to get a sinus headache again, so maybe someone can diagnose me for free and provide home remedies! If not, you can always pretend and if you can convince me that something really awful is a good idea, I just might do it.

Thanks, Dr. SL!

It sounds like Pharyngitis!!!!
The best bet is to drink applejuice from an old sock while standing on your head. Should clear up in 2-6 years.

I can't stand on my head because I'm not that talented.

How do I fight bacterial infections without antibiotics?

I'm looking for the poor man's solution to this problem (that's poor man WITHOUT any bullets in the house at the moment).

Since you asked for a SL Rx then there is only one remedy for your ailment.

Have sex 3 times a day and schedule a follow up appointment in 3 weeks.

Bacteria are tough little bastards. Besides antibiotics, the only two sure ways to kill them is to incinerate the site they've infected, or to bathe said site in a strong demulsifying acid. Consider sticking your head in a furnace and breathing in through your nose and mouth, or inhaling and swallowing several gallons of bleach.

CAUTION: Do not follow these instructions if you want to live.

Clear mucous can be indicative of viral infections and allergies. Infections sometimes cause the walls of your nasil (or sinus) passages to swell shut, giving you the clogged sensation. Viral infections often lead to a secondary bactera infection, which brings on the phlegm.

I'd say pop some ibuprofin to handle any pain fever or congestion (the drug is an anti-inflamatory and may clear passages swollen shut). Sinus sprays work for the short term, but tend to rebound so either use them sparingly or not at all.

If you get worse (or find you have to keep taking asperin or ibuprofin to feel better), see a doctor. I had strep throat for almost a month before I saw a doctor about "this sore throat and fever that never went away." Duh. I'd have saved myself weeks of irritation had I taken the trouble to get checked out sooner.

Please edit your post and put a disclaimer that reads....'Do not read this while eating potato soup'.

Thank you!!

Please edit your post and put a disclaimer that reads....'Do not read this while eating potato soup'.

Thank you!!

Ibu-what? I don't take pain-pills, not even after I had my wisdom teeth removed. Well, maybe that's not entirely true. When I used to take up to a box of caffeine pills a day, sometimes I'd get really weird heart problems after eating greasy food and I'd take some aspirin to calm down so I didn't feel like my heart was going to explode. But other than life or death situations, I don't trust the things.

Ibuprofen is generic for Advil, Motrin, etc., over the counter analgesic stuff.

Sounds to me like you have may a virus be coupled with a bacterial infection in your sinuses.

I used to get sinus infections often when I was a teen, sucked bad. Many times they were side effects of bad colds.

When you lean over, forward, and stay there for a bit, do you get clear fluid coming from your nose? If you can smell at all, do you get a funny smell when you get the nasal discharge? If so, I would say it's pretty certain you have at least a sinus infection.

If I were to guess, I would say you have a respiratory virus or something that may have caused your sinuses to fill up and infect. My GF is a RN, I will ask her in the morning what she thinks.

As far as remedies go, aspirin or ibuprofen would do for any aches or pains and can reduce fever. LOTS of fluids, and lots of rest, are a must.

Chicken soup helps too. Believe it or not, the old wive's tale about it may be true according to recent studies. It appears a chemical in chicken fat can bolster your immune system a bit.

I've read that before. However, I take those kind of reports with a grain of salt A few months ago I kept seeing ads for the news that said "Stay tuned to see how pizza might help reduce your risk of cancer!" Buried in the actual report (sandwiched in between all kinds of shots of people eating hot, juicy pizza) was one line about this is from a study that showed a chemical in tomatoes helps prevent cancer.
Corporate sponsorship I'm not saying it might not be true, just how true is the question.

Could be, the one report I remember most - a year or so ago was from a college in Nebraska. Maybe Tyson foods was gave them a kickback.

I did Google it just now, and got LOTS of hits, all claiming that the soup helps. I got results from Universities, doctor's associations, holistic medicine sites, and some just on personal websites. Bear in mind that I am not saying it's a cure, and most of the sites I perused are very clear on that too.

Most said that it wasn't just the chicken fat (which is claimed by many doctors and educational facilities to help quash the production of mucous), but that the vitamins and minerals in the mix of veggies also played a role.

Most also said to avoid dairy products, as they can trigger the production of mucous.

In any event, it's been claimed for a long time. Even the Egyptians claimed it helped people to recover from sickness.

At any rate, it does make you feel better (it does me anyway), even if just mentally, and with more and more evidence all the time that our mental state has a lot to do with how well we recover from sickness and injury, it's worth a try; no? Unless you don't like chicken soup, then i will zip it.