Fall. My favourite season. The weather takes a turn for the colder side of things without being too cold, the air is crisp, and there’s pumpkin spiced EVERYTHING. I often find myself longing for fall during the hot summer months and the cold winter days. But, there’s one thing I always forget about fall during these periods of idealization…

My sinuses actively make me miserable.

Yep. You read that right. Every year at the beginning of fall, for as long as I can remember, I’ve always had sinus problems that usually escalated into a full-blown sinus infection. This would necessitate a doctor’s visit and a prescription for amoxicillin. Every. Single. Year.

Although, an interesting side note here, I had my wisdom teeth removed a few years ago and didn’t really have sinus issues again for a while. No yearly infection. Now, you may be wondering why this was. Well, my wisdom teeth were impacted — they were blocked by other teeth from coming down — and guess what? The system of nerves and things for sinuses reach back that far! So, I’m assuming, without the pressure of the teeth, my sinus issues were less severe.

This year, though? I am currently writing this with a box of tissues nestled by my side. That’s right! I’m sick! What started out as a simple sore throat has morphed into a stuffy nose and waves of sinus pressure headaches — especially when I bend down. Needless to say, the past week hasn’t exactly been fun. I’ve been going to bed as early as eight pm, downing some Tylenol Cold Max beforehand so I can sleep without waking up in the middle of the night because my sinuses decided to make it so I couldn't breathe.

I wouldn’t say that I have a full-blown sinus infection. It’s probably just a cold that I picked up from work or from being out and about. It seems to be going away, in any case, so I think I should be fine without a visit to Urgent Care or the doctor. If anything, this will just put a slight damper on my birthday (which will have already passed by the time this article is published). And, even then, I don’t have extensive plans for my birthday. I’m just going to hang out with a friend at my house and watch movies all day.

At the end of the day, getting sick every fall doesn’t put a damper on the season for me. I usually only get sick once and then I’m done. I’m not one to really get sick — save for 24- or 48-hour bugs. In fact, this is the longest lasting sickness I’ve had in awhile. Why let one thing so small that I forget about it every year (until it happens) ruin an entire season? Sure, it’s never fun to be sick, but does that really stop me from enjoying all of the pumpkin spiced goodness that abounds once September hits? No.

Sure, I may forget that my sinuses make my life miserable every year, but I see that as a sign of it not being that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.