A man holds bridge of his nose due sinus-related pain. PHOTO | FILE
From the time I was very young (in primary school) I have always had these terrible migraines that would go on for days on end.
It was not long before my parents became troubled over my constant request for pain killers almost every other day. I remember being dragged to doctors as my parents and I sought to find the root cause of the problem.
First stop was the medical doctor in the neighbouring clinic to rule out that I had malaria and even though I tested negative, I was placed on anti-malarial drugs just as a precautionary measure in case it was nascent.
The headaches persisted even after the dose and the ophthalmologist was where I landed next.
It was the most logical place to go since I wore a pair of spectacles and there was concern that the migraines might point to an underlying eye problem.
Ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists were not as common back then so I knocked on the doors of many more doctors before one recommended that I go for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to show what was really going on in my head.
Fortunately, fears that the cause of the headaches might have been a brain tumour were quelled when the results of the test came out after a weeklong apprehensive wait. It was uncovered that my sinuses — the hollow cavities in the skull — were really inflamed causing my head to pain between the eyes right above the nose.
The doctors proposed I go for surgery to have the blockages repaired but that was not an option for my parents who considered me too young to go under the knife. So I was put on a series of medications, including some anti-histamines and decongestants which provided the much needed relief.
The air-filled spaces are normally located around the forehead, cheekbones, and along the bridge of the nose.
They usually get inflamed due to allergies or when one has an infection. When this happens they end up producing a lot of mucus which leaves one with the feeling of a stuffy nose which does not drain to the nose like when you have a cold.
One thing that I find uncomfortable are the moments of nasal drips which one has no control over.
Forcefully blowing the nose helps to decongest the cavities at such times. To counter that I take a lot of water to ensure that the nasal cavities are seldom dry and that the extra mucus produced thins to be able to drain down.
I have found that placing a hot water bottle over my forehead actually helps to relieve the pain, I always walk around with some decongestants in my bag which provide almost instant relief.
Before I hit the pharmacy or call the doctor I always fall back on the remedy that worked well for me growing up.
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