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I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division, the makers of SUDAFED®. I received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

A woman holding a tissue over her nose with text around her.

Mickey has had seasonal congestion for as long as I can remember, as well as those itchy watery eyes that accompany it.  He actually jokes with me that I’m not sympathetic enough.   I guess its hard to relate to something that you don’t have, but today I am going to try because so many of you are going through this and I wanted to help.  He was actually so stuffy for this picture, but hides it well.♥
I am going to give you some ways to try to reduce your symptoms.  To prepare for this post, I talked to my husband, our allergist and our ENT.   I asked them questions and was pretty surprised by the answers.   Mickey and Becky MansfieldI first really noticed Mickey’s allergies when we would go my grandma’s.   My grandparents lived on Hilton Head Island (my favorite place in the whole world!).  Soon after arriving, Mickey would have the most red, itchy, watery eyes that I’d ever seen!  I hated for him to be uncomfortable… because then he couldn’t enjoy the beach:

walk on the beach - yourmodernfamily
The first time that we went, I remember thinking that maybe he was getting really sick, but it didn’t stop until we left.    I started noticing it more: around my family’s dog when we were in high school (my husband and I are high school sweethearts), around the cat that we got when we first got married (that we kept for two days and had to give away because he was so sick around our cat), around any sort of dust, in the springtime, etc…)

So~ how can you tell if it is a cold or something else?

I found this on WebMd.com and I really thought that it was helpful… difference between cold & allergies

If you have a cold, nasal secretions tend to be, but aren’t always, discolored.  You may have chills and body aches, as well.  Symptoms for a cold last about 7-10 days.   (I would always tell my husband, when he would have a cold, “You don’t need to take medicine.  It will be gone in 7-10 days with our without medicine.”   (maybe this pushed him towards the “You aren’t very sympathetic” comment.  He has known me since I was 13, so he knew this going into our marriage! haha!)

Anyways,  if you aren’t sure if it is a cold, getting to the root of a the illness is important.   It costs money and time to continue going to the Doctor’s office over and over again.   This is time that you really don’t want to have when you are dealing with sinus pain- you want to feel better quickly. So, after seeing how miserable he was this time around, I went home and did a bunch of research to find simple ways (not including medication) to help them… and it all starts IN THE HOME.

Here are my favorite tips for helping to reduce things that could cause congestion in your home.

  1. This first one is a no-brainer (and my Dad and husband’s best tip to help keep our home energy efficient).  Replace your house filter often.
  2. Washing bedding once a week.
  3. Keeping soiled clothes in a designated area for frequent washes.
  4. Shower when you come indoors.
  5. Don’t let people wear their shoes inside.  Keep a basket on your porch and have them put their shoes outside.
  6. Wet-dust.  Don’t just push the dirt around, use a wet rag or cleaner to help get rid of it.
  7. Don’t forget to clean those areas that we often DO forget:  Near pet beds, stuffed animals, under the refrigerator, around the shower heads, etc…)   You can clean the shower heads by just filling up a baggie with vinegar, tie it around the shower head with a twist tie and let it sit overnight. clean a shower head with vinegar
  8.  Use a neti pot with a saline nasal rinse (you can make it yourself).  I saw Dr. Oz introduce this on Oprah a few years ago and now so many of my friends and family members swear by it!
  9. Eat local honey – this one is something that I only learned about last year, but eating local honey is a great way to keep your family healthy.
  10. Try SUDAFED® products – they help relieve sinus pain, pressure and congestion so you can get back to feeling like yourself.

 

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Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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5 Comments

  1. My allergies have been horrible this season. Ended up with massive hives after BE. I’ve been on like 8 different meds this month. Your tips are good ones. Neti pots are so useful, I love mine.

  2. I can only tell my allergies from a sinus infection based on how swelled up my face gets if I can’t see my cheekbones it’s a cold.

  3. I have not tried Sudafed yet, I have only noticed allergy symptoms in the last couple of years.

  4. I agree with Lorenzo (on Facebook page), sinus pain feels like a car being crushed.