I always they were just colds. Since I was a little boy, I've been plagued by them, several a year, coughing for weeks on end.

Finally, at about 40, I got an allergy test and confirmed hay fever. That helped. Got treatment. But the "colds" still attacked, and were getting consistently worse.

The last couple years, it has really escalated. Some really violent illnesses, sometimes whole body infections. Thanksgiving to mid January were awful. I didn't even realize something was really wrong in December--I'm so used to coughs hanging on indefinitely, I just tried to ignored it. A doctor friend had dinner with me just before Christmas and he asked if I'd been feeling weak, rundown. "Yeah, since Thanksgiving."

"Dude, You've got a sinus infection."

Oh. I didn't even know what that meant, really. Had no idea it could attack your whole body. He put me on antibiotics, which were great until about two days after they were over. I relapsed bad, much worse, fever, violent shakes, dizzy, aching, total crap.

SO sick of being sick all the time. I used to be such a healthy, energetic person, aside from the colds. I still was, in between these episodes, but they were hitting once a season, and lasting half a season. Was really starting to think something was wrong with me.

It was. Turns out it's all due to constricted sinus openings. It's a vicious cycle, where each infection the underlying situation worse, bringing on the next one sooner and more severe, making it worse . . .

I was advised to go to a lung doctor last year when it got really bad, which I did, and he got me out of that horrible situation with prednisone and (Levaquin?) But nothing for the cause.

Another doctor advised me this month that lung docs don't know shit about the nasal passages where the problem starts--I needed an ENT. So I got an appointment, he took one look at my CT scan and my history and assured me it was easily solved.

God. I am actually a little pissed that several different family doctors just kept telling me to suck it up until it got out of hand every time, and never even tried to direct me to a long-term solution. I had to find my way to the specialist via a friend in the field. And it was sitting right there, the whole time.

Anyway, I'm having the surgery tomorrow. Outpatient, general anesthetic. Very low risk. He's just going to scrape out the inside of my face. Clear out a whole lot of tissue, even bone--hopefully I won't need any of that stuff down the road.

Will set my writing back a week or two, and look like the elephant man a couple weeks.

I don't care. SO ready to be healthy again. Can't wait to get on another writing roll without wondering when it's going to be interrupted with my health. Finished my second course of antibiotics a few days ago, feeling strong and vital again, like I haven't since Thanksgiving, and it feels so good. Can't wait to stay this way all the time. He says it's likely to cure me indefinitely, hopefully for life.

Ahhhhhhhhh.

I'll let you know.