Not Tonight, Dear, I Have a Headache

I've been having severe headaches since mid-December. The doctor thought it was a sinus infection, but after two bouts of antibiotics with no relief, he sent me for a CT scan. No infection, so he sent me to an ENT. The specialist said I have a deviated septum and he thinks the headaches are caused by the sinus membrane touching the septum triggering the headache. The sinus medicine helps only because it shrinks the membrane, not because I really have sinus congestion.

I've always had problems with sinus headaches, but this has really gotten to be a major issue for me. I think it has as much to do with the deviated septum as it does with my thyroid levels. I had my thyroid taken out in high school. Took the same dose of replacement hormone until a few months ago when my doctor lowered my dosage. Now, I am in the low range of normal, but I'm having symptoms like really dry skin. During my research on the deviated septum, I found internet reports that lower levels of thyroid hormone can cause swelling in the sinus tissues. Now, I'm thinking that my past sinus problems were due to the deviated septum, but the recent long-running bout of headaches is really caused by my thryoid level. So far my doctor is resistent to increasing my dosage. Have another appointment with him tomorrow so am planning on pushing the issue further.

Surgery is scheduled for Feb 25 and I plan on going ahead with it. But, unlike all those other celebrities who have a new nose after their surgery for a "deviated septum", my surgeon says the outside of the nose looks unchanged after this type of surgery.

Great news is that my sister and her boyfriend narrowly escaped a tornado in the rash of tornado strikes this weekend. They were shopping at a Walmart and went home when the sirens went off. The tornado hit the Walmart, but her neighborhood and her house were not within its path. She doesn't have power or her phone, but she's safe and her family is safe!