Because, of course.
I went to the doctor yesterday for what I rightly assumed was a sinus infection (you know, by the Sloth-like way my left eye was bulging) and during the exam, she took a step back and looked at me in this very kindly, motherly way.
“Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Not good sleep, no. I have… dreams. And I wake up a lot.”
Sometimes I wake up because the dog is pacing our bedroom, bumbling through the patio blinds. Sometimes, because my One True Love snores like One Really Big Kodiak Bear. And sometimes, it’s because I have a dream that surprise! See this baby over here? It’s yours! And you forgot to feed it! And then I wake up covered in sweat.
My doctor suggested that having such a rich nocturnal life may be bad for my health. What? Say it isn’t so! She’s a very lovely doctor but, duh.
(Tangent: I’m gonna start a medical drama called Diagnosis: Obvious. The premise is, a patient goes in to see the doctor, knowing what’s wrong, and then the clever doctors tell the patient that yes, that’s what’s wrong, but only after taking blood and three hours of their time. It will be riveting.)
Later, she would underline the words, “Go home and REST” on my discharge papers and prescribe a painkiller that would dull the throbbing behind my Sloth eye and get me restin’ whether I liked it or not. And… enter the dream about marrying my fiance/cousin. Thanks, Darvocet!
(She also prescribed an antibiotic for the infection. You know, just for the record. Even though the point of the story was bad dreams and painkillers and more bad dreams, but I wouldn’t want anyone to get the idea that I was raising everybody’s insurance premiums for a headache. God no. Not that.)
How about a show where it’s Diagnosis: Obvious Hypocondriac? Where the patient has a whole slew of problems, and knows it’s due to not getting enough sleep, yet still goes to the doctor, racks up a a whole lot of charges due to the doctor having to run blood work so that the doctor doesn’t have to worry about a malpractice lawsuit, and the end result is that everyone’s premiums go up, because the insurance companies have to cover these wasteful tests because someone’s eye hurts because they aren’t getting enough sleep. Which the patient knew to begin with. Phew!
Oh, aren’t you snide.
It’s a sinus infection.
Alyssa, do you need to borrow a tampon?
Fish, love your blog. Just sayin’.
Wow, Alyssa, maybe you need some more sleep too.
Just want to point out, that first poster is a DIFFERENT Alyssa! I’m going to have to start differentiating between the two of us now because the other Alyssa is MEAN!!!!
Gee, going to the doctor for a sinus infection? How COMPLETELY unheard of! Especially since the only way to cure an infection sometimes is to get an antibiotic, for which one needs a prescription. And how does one get said prescription? Oh, yeah, by going to see one’s DOCTOR!!!!!
Yes, I’m being snarky, but this kind of attitude really pi**es me off! Next you’ll tell ME that I’m a drain on the economy because I had the gall to give birth to 2 kids who have Autism! How DARE I?!?!?! Maybe I should be thankful my dad is dead from his cancer, otherwise he would have drained even more resources!
Fish? These are anxiety dreams. You certainly have A LOT going on in your life. Is there someone you can talk to? It might help. Also, know that MOST of us here have got your back!
Hope you’re feeling better soon, Fish. I thought that once spring came around we were out of the woods for getting sick, but no such luck!
Can I just point out the obvious? FISH DIDN’T HAVE A SINUS INFECTION!!! AND SHE DIDN’T GET ANTIBIOTICS, YOU FOOLIOS!!! SHE WAS GIVEN A PAINKILLER (which incidentally, is just a tad bit stronger than taking a few advils).
You’re welcome.
The comment about the tampon — well, Renee, if you’d like to take feminsim back a few decades, I think you’ve done a great job. Let’s call all women “hysterical” and blame everything on their mestrual cycles.
If you’re wondering why I wrote the comment, it’s because Fish seems to have a lot of contempt for the doctor, b/c Fish had tio sit there for 3 whole hours while the doctor did due dilgence to make sure Fish was fine. And she was.
40 y/o Alyssa, sorry you’re bitter. My mom has cancer too. And I’m glad she went to the doctor and had a thorough exam when she had symptoms. Because that’s how they caught it. Thank goodness for doctors who do their due diligence.
Yes, I did get an Rx for antibiotic. Z pak, to be specific. I do have a sinus infection. Good lord, you’re trying.
I went to the doctor 3 times with an extremely sore throat that had lasted 10 days. Each time, he took my money, did a strep test, told me I didn’t have strep, and sent me home. I already knew I didn’t have strep. I found that out the first time. tell me what I do have. I didn’t get good grades in school for telling the teacher what the answers weren’t.
On the 4th try, I finally got a different doctor who looked at my throat, suspected I had mono, did a mono test, told me I had mono, and sent me home. I really wish the first doctor would have done that additional test. would have saved me several trips, copays, and tests. I have a pretty good doctor now who listens to me, tries to figure things out, and gives me what I need, be it sleep aids, or by simply telling me that the pain in my wrist is because I’m getting old.
Mmmmm,Darvocet.
Your blog makes me happy. (And I totally just typed “you’re” first instead of “your”. One of those days!)
Where in the holy blue hell did that outburst come from?? She said she “rightly assumed” she had a sinus infection, implying that yes, she did get confirmation. Reading fail.
Yes, thank you. I wondered why she was so bent on me NOT having a sinus infection even though I said I did. Maybe she requires a more See Dick Run style read?
Don’t you just love when you pay your $25 copay for the Doctor to tell you to “drink fluids and get rest”. Thanks a lot for the help, Doc! haha
I think we should look at the other medical problem in this blog. If the Dork Lord is snoring that loud and has a small or think frame, he could be experiencing sleep apnea.
If you notice he stops breathing when he sleeps, that would be an early warning sign.
I’m mostly just upset with you, Fish, because I almost spewed out my cold diet coke in a fit of unexpected laughter when I read your Diagnosis: Obvious idea. And we all know that to waste cold diet coke is a much bigger problem than wasting your time at the doctor.
See Fish.
See Fish Snot.
Snot Fish Snot!
See Doc.
See Doc Stop Snot.
Yay!
Okay, it really needs to be 5 already *headdesk*
You should try a neti pot. Do you use one? My husband and I both get severe year round allergies and sinus infections. Neither of us has had one since December when we started doing the neti pot twice a year. Both my allergist and my ENT recommended I use one because it apparently reduces the bacterial load in your nasal cavity. A lot of people say they don’t get colds as much when they start using a neti pot too, and I know you tend to get sick a lot. It’s kind of like washing your sinus – like you would wash your hands. A little weird, but it has worked for me for 6 months. Hope it helps. Feel better Fish.
P.S. Don’t let that mean Alyssa lady poison your day!
Alyssa, I’m GLAD your mom is doing well, and I will hold a good thought that she continues to do so.
Yes, I get bitter when people complain about others who are a “drain” on the healthcare system. Fish has a sinus infection. She went to the doctor. She was there for a long time while not feeling well. This is HER blog, and she has the right to complain about it. Calling her a hypochondriac is NOT helpful, AT. ALL. Your going out of your way to insult her is not helpful.
And maybe you should spend a day in my shoes, advocating for my kids, fighting to get funding for their therapies so that they can learn to do the things most kids and their parents take for granted, before you judge me.
I thought it was a great post – so much to love about sinus infections AND doctor visits. However, I had a bad run-in with totally-stressed-can’t-sleep approximately 9 months ago and my doctor gave me a low dose of Ativan to take just before bed. Not a miracle-worker exactly, but made a huge difference until I was able to deal with a few of the actual problems. Thought I’d pass that on since for me, bad sleep always = get sick. Good luck to you.
Who gets enough sleep? No one I know over the age of 12.
But, I must agree with Laurel. Not sleeping well wreaks all kinds of havoc on your immune system.
I had two, (yes two!) antibiotic resistant sinus infections this year. And a horrible skin strep infection which the doctor thinks is the reason for the antibiotic resistant blah blah blah. But, point being, my doctor knows me, know I know my body and we are both quite familiar with my sinuses (though they do behave better since I started neti-ing two years ago.) so the first time it came on I just called him and said “I have a sinus infection!” And I got meds! Then it went all haywire and I couldn’t eat or go out in public due to pain and intense swelling and had to go see him. I’m babbling. What I am trying to say is my doc is not available for your new, fantastic television series. The hospital however? Totally qualifies!
Also, I started having migraines when I was 8 and the quack who was my doctor then prescribed me darvocet. I had some seriously messed up dreams as a child. DARVOCET for an 8 year old! It’s still my migraine drug of choice.
I had a CT of my sinus’ this morning… could be suffering from Sleep Apnea too, maybe something else. I’m in the process now of figuring it out as I’m not sleeping properly and apparently, I’ve become more of a cranky bitch than usual. (Oops.)
I’m hoping you’re feeling better soon, Fish.
Also… (Fish I gotta say this and I hope I’m not overstepping your boundaries) Ladies (and Gentlemen), I’d hate to see this comment section turn into a battling groud for words. I see it all the time on every other site and it’s depressing, childish and unnecessary. I’m hoping against all hope that today’s example is a one time thing. (Alyssa…)
We do not battle each other on Fish’s site.
Offer opinion, make a comment (funny or not), express feelings, offer comfort, maybe even share some constructive advice but, this knit-picking, back and forth babbling, I’m-better-than-you-BS is not a welcome sight for this Blog.
And thank you, again, Ms. Fish, for so graciously sharing your life’s ups and downs, putting smiles on our faces and a chuckle of laughter in our hearts. I appreciate you…everday.
CaliGal, I apologize if you thought I was trying to one-up anyone or came off as holier-than-thou, that was truly NOT my intention! This is the second time in recent memory that someone has commented here in a way that felt like an attack against Fish, and I suppose I felt the need to defend. I also truly believe that judging people and calling them names when you don’t know them (which I felt the poster was doing) is wrong. I have no desire to get into any kind of shouting match with anyone, but I also don’t like seeing people being attacked.
So again, I apologize if I came off as trying to one-up anyone. It was not my intention to do so.
Raw garlic is also good for sinuses. I use the chopped kind in the jar. (Be careful of some chopped stem that’s harder than the rest though. Next you’ll be in the dentist’s.)
Put it on bread with mayo, or your condiment of choice, & eat it. Then have a mint or 4.
I haven’t tried the nose teapot, it sounds like a good idea. But I could feel it draining away in there after the sandwich.
I had to try something, the last antibiotic the doctor gave me had all kinds of warnings about rupturing tendons! I was afraid to keep taking it. By the end I was getting hand pains.
I don’t mean to get all crazy homeopathy lady on you, but z-pack taken for sinus infections is the leading cause of antibiotic resistant strains of staph! In most cases, a sinus infection will go away without it.
My fiancee just got a neti pot. He swears he feels better afterwards.I’m not sure I could pour a teapot of water up my nose though. Good luck sinus infection do suck, like I need to tell you that.
Get well soon.
Oh and I’m right there with you on the weird wedding dreams. Both me and my fiancee are now having them. We compare to see who has the weirdest. I’m winning…not so sure that’s a good thing…
The neti pot is good, but a squeeze bottle works even better for me. http://www.amazon.com/Neilmed-Sinus-Rinse-Kit-Pack/dp/B001H54VP2
It seems as though it would hurt, but if you use warm water and the salt-soda solution in the packets, it’s not painful at all. Really.
Heather – because I want to ignore the mean-spirits above – maybe you’ll laugh at this:
One summer job was answering phones for a law-related non-profit. One day a caller asked if there were states where you could marry your first cousin. Off the top of my head, I said, “Uhhh, I don’t know – Arkansas, maybe?”
Apparently, there are states where you CAN marry your first cousin. (At least there were 13 years ago!)
So you and the Dork Lord in your dream? Totally safe.
Hope the Z-Pack kicks in for the sinus infection!
Oh my look at the comments! I, too, have exceptionally vivid dreams. I’m not going to be a dream hog where as soon as one person mentions their dream, they have to cut in with their dream.
But, anyway, I wish I knew what to do to get rid of them. I have been sleeping more thanks to some ups in the anti-depressants, but the dreams continue… just throughout the sleepiness.
If you find a way to get rid of them, let me know!
You live in the Big D… I think sinus infections live in this part of the country and take residence in our heads. They love us. It must be the sweetness.
FYI Kimberlee, you CAN’T get married to your first cousin in Arkansas (I live here, and have had to look it up so I can prove I’m not a hick), but you CAN in Tennessee.
You crack me up. I hope the sinus infection and sleeplessness pass soon.
A reminder, in case no fewer than seventeen people have already mentioned it: antibiotics often make birth control ineffective.
Just in case you weren’t having enough nightmares.
Get well soon.
Actually, scientists apparently studied filial marriage (what we call in-breedin’) in the Adirondacks or somewhere and determined that children born from first cousins don’t have any higher risk of retardation or birth defects (don’t freak out on me now, retardation is the actual clinical term).
Now, if he were your second cousin, or your brother, you’d be in trouble
Also, my dreams have gone extra haywire lately too. I blame it on the full moon. Seriously. Worked in a psychiatric hospital and saw higher than average symptomology every full moon (realized it was full moon after the fact, so don’t go calling me on the self-fulfilling prophecy!). The moon is strong enough to move the oceans…and we’re 80% water. It definitely affects us.
Hope the Darvos kick in soon and the snot diminishes ASAP
Sounds like you’ve got some anxiety there sister. That may be what’s causing the fitfull sleep. (I should know, I’m in the same place frequently.)
Make sure you’re not doping up on caffiene because that will exasterbate the light sleeping (same with alcohol), and make sure you’re doing some good self-care stuff- soothing things, like baths or yoga or running, or whatever gets you feeling good and at ease.
Here’s to better sleep for both of us! (clinks the nyquil cups!)