What’s the Difference Between Sinus Infection Symptoms and a Cold?
Are you thinking that you might have a sinus infection? There are certain ways that you can diagnose a sinus infection. Sinus infections come in different stages and you need to know whether you are at the earlier or the advanced stages of sinusitis.
Most people misinterpret a sinus infection as a cold since a lot of the symptoms are similar. The problem with this is a sinus infection needs to be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor may also prescribe a nasal spray to help you feel more comfortable until the infection is gone. Keep in mind that the longer you go without treating your sinus infection, the harder it will be to cure.
Here are some common ways to tell if you have a sinus infection:
• Yellowish discharge- if you feel some discharge at the back of your throat or you notice some yellowish discharge through your nose; then you might have sinusitis. If the discharge that comes out of your nose is not yellow then you might be in the early stages of sinusitis, so you must take control of the problem right away before it reaches its advanced stages.
• Headache- sinus headaches are certainly one of the many symptoms of sinusitis that are misdiagnosed. In most cases these headaches were mistaken for tension headaches and migraines. Sinus headaches either appear on one side of your head, the top of your head, or right across your forehead. Your sinus headache can make it hard for you to rotate or turn around if you don’t identify it early enough to treat it before you reach this stage. The headache cycle becomes hard to break as it gets into an automatic phase. The best way to get hold of this situation is to treat your sinus condition before it has a chance to worsen.
• Stuffy nose- Sinus congestion is one common symptom of sinusitis. When the sinus passages get blocked by dry mucous, everyday mucous continues to pack up and thus causing a stuffy nose. Do not take any sinus treatment that dries up the mucous or antihistamines as they will simply worsen the problem and even make your stuffy nose worse.
• Throat irritation – If you begin to feel some irritation in your throat, it may be caused by sinus discharge. Try to gargle with warm saltwater to relive this irritation. If it keeps coming back, then you may be getting a sinus infection.
• Coughing- Coughing from time to time during the day may be due to sinus drainage that irritates your cough reflex. The coughing helps to clear your throat but doesn’t help cure the problem. If the coughing continues for a couple weeks, you need to see your doctor.
You know your body better than anybody else. I’m also sure that you’ve had colds in the past. This means you should be familiar with the symptoms you experienced when you had a cold. If you notice symptoms out of the ordinary, then there’s a good chance you may have a sinus infection. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so go see a doctor as soon as you think there’s a possibility that you have a sinus infection rather than a cold.