Lyeta1_1 t1_j9olt3n wrote on February 23, 2023 at 1:51 PM

Reply to comment by PassyunkHoagie in Can anyone else just not breathe? by worriedaboutlove

Preface: not a doctor. Just someone with fucked up sinus anatomy.

Your sinuses, the empty-ish spaces in your head have release valves (it's not really a valve, but an opening with membranes lining it, but anyway). On some people these openings are functional, they don't get swollen, their anatomy is proper so they they aren't blocked by other parts of your nasal anatomy, they don't have polyps or a deviated septum. Those folks probably rarely feel changes from pressure maybe other than in an airplane because the system is pretty open and pressure can't build because air is 'stuck'.

For those of us with shitty sinus anatomy, deviated septums, allergies, this closes those release valves. So there's just air trapped in your sinuses. The pressure changes, the amount of space that air takes up feels different. And since it's pressing on tissue, bone, face stuff, it hurts. This causes irritation, which causes swelling, which puts you in a horrible feedback loop of stuffiness and pain.

I cannot currently hear out of my right ear because there is so much pressure built up in there.

newmanification t1_j9otu1j wrote on February 23, 2023 at 2:51 PM

Explains why my tinnitus was going crazy the last few days.

mistersausage t1_j9pr63t wrote on February 23, 2023 at 6:23 PM

Endoscopic sinus surgery is life changing fwiw

Lyeta1_1 t1_j9pvldc wrote on February 23, 2023 at 6:50 PM

Had it twice! Its great! really does make an astonishing difference and I’d be much worse off if I haven’t had them. But. Apparently the right side of my face anatomy is all smushed up so there’s only so much space they can free up.

The ear is probably looking at tubes, unfortunately…

apathetic_panda t1_j9pg4ga wrote on February 23, 2023 at 5:15 PM

Anatomy isn't immune from physics. This is a different flavor of the ideal gas|real gas 🚸🎈🎈 laws.

Putting peeps [the CANDY 🍬 snack] in the microwave is a pretty safe demo- or pet a frog 🐸 😉 Your call.

Thanks, I probably need somebody to check out my sternum-- it's probably still just gingivitis, but I wouldn't normally think about what indigestion actually is.