This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Tracking PixelThis is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sudafed.

My husband is the king of allergies.  He actually jokes with me that I’m not sympathetic enough when it comes to his allergies.  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.  Is it a cold or Allergies?

When we used to go to my grandma’s house, on Hilton Head Island (my favorite place in the whole world!), my husband would have the most red, itchy, watery eyes that I’d ever seen!  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 of his allergies), around any sort of dust, in the springtime, etc…

Our nephew has allergies, too.  Poor sweet boy!  He is just sneezing and coughing when he goes outside in the spring at all (and that little boy loves to play outside!)

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

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


Allergies usually come with nasal secretions that are watery and clear, itchy eyes and throat and symptoms persist for weeks.   You will have sinus pain and pressure (Sudafed is a great resource for this!)  Click the picture to be taken to their page for info on this.
sudafed

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 cold or allergies, 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.


your modern family - allergies according to my husband

When I asked my husband this:
 “Babe, how does sinus pain & pressure make you feel?”


His answer was… 

“You want to know?  It feels like someone has just punched me in the face.  It hurts in my eyes, my cheeks, I have a headache that I can’t get rid of.  It feels like someone is just pushing against your face.  It hurts to breathe through your nose and everything.” 

There you have it!

 

 

 

 

 

 



Ok- So now that I know, I decided to have a little fun with it.   Sudafed has an tool on their Facebook page – the  Sudafed OPEN UP™ application – and it lets you sketch how you are feeling.   Let me warn you that I am a terrible artist in real life, so if you give me a computer & tell me to draw on there, yep… even worse.  Here are 2 pictures that I made, using this app, of my husband when he has allergies…   (these are my screenshots from my computer)
dealing with allergies   #SudafedOpenUp

 

 

How allergies make you feel…  #SudafedOpenUp

 

Ok- and just for fun… I made this picture!    My Family…

allergies vs. cold #SudafedOpenUp

You should go to Sudafed OPEN UP™ application & make a picture.  
Share it with me on Facebook ~ @Yourmodernfamily 

Sudafed_OpenUp_Infographic_MECH

Pin It!

Sudafed knows that suffering from sinus pressure and pain can leave individuals feeling crushed, beat down, congested and even squeezed, desperately looking for a way to OPEN UP. Serious sinus sufferers are invited to creatively share how their sinus pain and pressure looks and feels to them by using Sudafed’s OPEN UP™ application on Facebook.

Then, beginning on December 2, the Sudafed Facebook community will vote for one of five finalist sketches that best illustrates the pains of sinus pressure. The winner will receive $5,000 and a chance to have their work included in a Sudafed advertising campaign. For more information, visit the Sudafed Facebook page

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sudafed.

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.

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

27 Comments

  1. This is a great post. I often find it hard to determine whether or not I have a cold of allergies.

  2. This year I really think I am allergic to our cats. We have always let them sleep with us in our bed and i had never had a problem. This year however whenever they do sleep with us, when I wake up in the morning my eyes feel swollen and are really watery. I have eben sneezing a lot more at home, but I am fine at work. OTC allergy eye drops seem to work, but i would love to get tested to see for sure what I am allergic too. Two of my moms siblings are highly allergic to cats (they get hives) but the one had cats for many years, and would get allergy shots so he could keep his kittys!

    1. My husband gets allergy shots, too. 🙂 I am so glad to not have any allergies. I hope you feel better. 🙁 I LOVE cats, so that would be hard!

  3. This post couldn’t have come at a more perfect time Becky! My son has been struggling with Allergies since birth, and it was always so hard to tell if it was a cold or just his allergies again! My poor little man always has a runny nose, is always sick! I just hate it! We just had allergy testing ran on him last week so I am hoping we can finally get this under control and my little man can lead a normal life! Free from constant coughing,not being able to breath, runny nose, itchy eyes etc! Thanks for sharing! ~Leah~

    1. Leah, message me anytime. Our 5 year old had to have allergy testing, too (he was allergic to ALL foods when he was a baby, so they keep testing him). Allergies are terrible, from what I hear. Let me know if you need any advice from a mom that has been through the the allergy testing too many times to count! lol!

  4. My husband has the worst allergies but refuses to take anything to help. That means he gets no sympathy from me. I take Sudafed at the first sign of issues and it works quickly.

  5. Love this post! My brother is similar to your husband. My husband and I rarely feel sick and hardly ever have allergy symptoms.

  6. I’ve suffered from allergies my entire life and it wasn’t until the past few years that I really learned the difference between a cold and allergies. This is really important because too many people are taking the wrong medication! Thanks for posting this!

  7. I really need to try Sudafed this year. Everyone always tells me how amazing they are! I could definitely use it!

  8. This is so awesome. My hubby is sitting next to me right now. We both agree 100% with the relationship findings. We may draw out our cold symptoms later… when we are feeling better. What a hoot!

  9. I am willing to compete with your hubby for the allergy KING title! I hate allergies. They knock you down and LAST FOREVER! I have never tried sudifed so I might check this out!

    1. He just saw the post & said “Really babe? Really?” and then he followed it up w/ a joke… “So I”m just a clown to you?” haha! 🙂

      I’m so glad I don’t have them, but hate that you do!

  10. First off, I’m so sorry for your husband! His allergies and sinus headaches sound absolutely awful! But, you made a great post for him and other allergy sufferers out there. I love the chart and the sinus sketcher is hilarious!

  11. I woke up this morning with a stuffy nose and it was only 3 in the morning. It’s going to be a long day for me today.

  12. I suffer from allergies and it is tough. A lot of people don’t understand how bad allergies and sinus congestion can be.

  13. Sudafed is the best out there. In our personal experience, the generics never work as well as original Sudafed. (I realize that others may have a different experience.)

    1. I know- I feel like that w/ a lot of generic things. Just stick w/ the original. 🙂