I have a runny nose
Feb. 17th, 2022 07:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamsharkThis is confusing because I always have a runny nose, and it's been particularly bad this winter. But it's been worse the last 2 or 3 days, with lots of sneezing. Am I sick? I did go grocery shopping on Monday (in an N-95 mask, but still...). Other than that, haven't seen anybody outside my household for a week and that was just one fully vaccinated person. So technically I COULD have COVID but it doesn't seem very likely.
Usually the way I tell the difference between allergies and a cold is that with a cold my first symptom is invariably a sore throat. No sore throat. In fact, I feel just fine except that my nose won't stop running. It seems to get better when I leave the first floor, so maybe there's something down there that I'm allergic to. 2 months ago it was the Christmas tree, but that's been gone for 6 weeks now. I made Richard vacuum under the radiators and behind the furniture just in case there was still Christmas tree dust under there. Then my nose felt worse. But I guess that's what would happen if somebody moved all the furniture and stirred up the allergenic dust, right? Now I'm up in the computer room and breathing easier.
If I don't feel better tomorrow I guess I'll use up one of our precious home COVID tests. I'm not sure what to do if it's positive, though. Call a doctor, I guess, and see if I'm eligible for one of those courses of Paxlovid that are apparently just sitting and gathering dust on pharmacy shelves right now because doctors aren't sure when to prescribe them and nobody knows which pharmacies have them.
ETA: just to see how hard it was to schedule a PCR test with Health Partners I logged in and started the process. One of the first questions is a list of symptoms that you might or might not have. Runny nose / congestion is not even listed, despite the fact that it is the NUMBER ONE SYMPTOM of an early Omicron infection. However, the fact that I do not have a single one of their out-of-date list of symptoms did not stop them from offering me a test slot at a drive-in Bloomington clinic tomorrow morning. Which I did not take - I just wanted to see what was possible. Actually as I type this my nose feels much better. I may have to just stay out of the living room. Could there be a cat hiding down there somewhere?
Usually the way I tell the difference between allergies and a cold is that with a cold my first symptom is invariably a sore throat. No sore throat. In fact, I feel just fine except that my nose won't stop running. It seems to get better when I leave the first floor, so maybe there's something down there that I'm allergic to. 2 months ago it was the Christmas tree, but that's been gone for 6 weeks now. I made Richard vacuum under the radiators and behind the furniture just in case there was still Christmas tree dust under there. Then my nose felt worse. But I guess that's what would happen if somebody moved all the furniture and stirred up the allergenic dust, right? Now I'm up in the computer room and breathing easier.
If I don't feel better tomorrow I guess I'll use up one of our precious home COVID tests. I'm not sure what to do if it's positive, though. Call a doctor, I guess, and see if I'm eligible for one of those courses of Paxlovid that are apparently just sitting and gathering dust on pharmacy shelves right now because doctors aren't sure when to prescribe them and nobody knows which pharmacies have them.
ETA: just to see how hard it was to schedule a PCR test with Health Partners I logged in and started the process. One of the first questions is a list of symptoms that you might or might not have. Runny nose / congestion is not even listed, despite the fact that it is the NUMBER ONE SYMPTOM of an early Omicron infection. However, the fact that I do not have a single one of their out-of-date list of symptoms did not stop them from offering me a test slot at a drive-in Bloomington clinic tomorrow morning. Which I did not take - I just wanted to see what was possible. Actually as I type this my nose feels much better. I may have to just stay out of the living room. Could there be a cat hiding down there somewhere?
