Thursday, February 19, 2009

One Sleepless Night

Last night I was miserable. My runny nose (which I now believe to be allergy- and not Plague-induced) was out of control. So, in desperation, I popped a couple more antihistamines and went to WebMD.com to see if there was anything else I could do.

Sadly, there was not. I mean, how unhelpful is it that the "prevention" of allergy symptoms is to "avoid the allergen" ... duh. If I knew how to avoid the allergen don't they think I would have done that?

Anyway, while scouring for relief I discovered a very disturbing thing. Do you know what the medical term for a runny nose is? It's

rhinorrhea

Yes, seriously.

I don't know about you, but I think that's one of the most disgusting words I've ever seen. How will I ever blow my nose again without making that unappealing connection. I'm forever corrupted.

That'll teach me to go Googling at 2:30am.

In other news, I switched from Benadryl to Zyrtec today and my rhinorrhea stopped! Hooray! Maybe tomorrow I can get back to a normal day.

Hugs,
TLC

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Ohmygod, I'm actually laughing out loud. How did I not know the word rhinorrhea? I mean, I've written articles about allergic rhinitis (what you have) and infectious rhinitis (a cold)--but never did I come across a runny nose referred to as rhinorrhea. That is SO going to be the title of my next book! :) Hope you're feeling better. I highly recommend NyQuil, even if it's allergy-related. It really clears the rhinorrhea up. XO

Me said...

Well, I guess you, uh, learn something every day? I don't particularly like the word rhinitis either... And where were you and your NyQuil a week ago when I really needed you?

Unknown said...

Um...getting a rhinoplasty? (I wish!)

Anonymous said...

I just started (and finished) Oh. My. Gods. and loved it, and immediately came to your website, which I have also really enjoyed. What I think is particularly funny is that, just about a year ago, I developed some nasal allergies and looked up runny noses on WebMD and was similarly disgusted by it being called rhinorrhea, so much so that I told my fellow graduate students the word and definition in the middle of a presenation with a tissue up my nose. With this in common, maybe I should try to be an author, too!

Me said...

Thanks, Anonymous! (Can I call you Nony?) I'm so glad you enjoyed OMG and my website. That is so funny about your very similar rhinorrhea experience!!! Why not try being an author? =)