22 May 2012

Another trip to the doctor for allergy meds

It's been 2 weeks now since the birch trees have let their pollen into the wind and I am still suffereing! Most of the symptoms during the day are managable. In addition to my regular allergy pills and daily asthma med, I have another asthma medication for when my chest feels constricted from an acute asthma attack, I have eye drops for when I want to scratch my eyeballs out and I have nasal spray that sort of unblocks my nostrils, for a short while, sometimes. While none of these seem to fully relieve my symptoms, they do well enough that I can survive until it rains again and the birch, plus other pollens, lessen.

It's during the night that I'm having problems. I am not a mouth breather normally, so sleeping is difficult to do when you have to sleep with your mouth open. The reason for this is because one of my nostrils is usually fully blocked and the other one isn't fully open either. Although, which nostril it is seems to depend on which side I am sleeping on and they switch every couple of hours anyway.

So, after a particularly bad night last night for Mr Siili and myself, I called to our work nurse again to ask for another appointment with the doctor to see if there was anything else I can take to help with my nose. Our work doctor wouldn't be in the office until Thursday, so I was booked with a general doctor in the same building (still paid for by work).

This doctor was one I had seen last November for a throat infection when I was going through IVF #3. He was quite nice then and now. After asking what's the problem and me telling my symptoms, he started suggesting things I could use. I quickly interupted that I am pregnant. When I mentioned this little fact, he remembered that I had/we had been trying to get pregnant and congratulated me. Next the doctor spent probably 20 minutes looking through his medicine book to try to find something more or different I could take for my blocked nose. Unfortunately I am already taking at least one type of medication in each form that I can while pregnant.

The only thing I can really do is to try some other non-medicinal nose sprays or washes. Which, has brought me finally get up the courage and try the Sarvikuono (rhino horn), which is the Finnish version of the Neti Pot. So, this evening I'll be mixing up my solution of sea salt and warm water and rinsing out my sinuses. Wish me luck!