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Nasal Congestion, a Seasonal Meditation

I am currently taking Singulair (to treat allergy and asthma symptoms), Nasacort (a synthetic steroid to reduce inflammation), Astepro (an antihistamine for combating chronic rhinitis) , Allegra (another antihistamine) , and Omnicef (an antibiotic for treating the ear and sinus infection that I got despite regular use of the first three drugs). I’m using the neti pot every morning. I am still congested and fairly miserable. I find myself wondering if other animals have this much trouble simply breathing, or if respiratory problems are the result of some complex evolutionary tradeoffs we made on the way to becoming human. The only sniffly, snotty dogs I have ever known have been purebreds. What does this mean?

I am also pondering, as I have before, what I have perceived as a significant overlap between those who can’t breathe and the nerdy. My perception of this convergence might, of course, just be the product of the nerdy being overrepresented among my friends and acquaintances. But, if there is a statistical correlation, which comes first, the nerdiness or the respiratory distress? Is it that those born wheezy gravitate towards sedentary, cerebral pursuits rather than activities that require running a lot of laps? Or is it that hours spent leafing through dusty books or rolling twelve-sided dice in damp basements compromises healthy lungs to the point that joining the basketball team is absolutely contraindicated?

I don’t know the answers to any of these questions. What I do know is that need to get myself a fresh box of Kleenex, having exhausted the one I opened two days ago.

October 12, 2010 | Permalink

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