Do You Have a Sinus Infection or COVID?

Every single December I get a horrid sinus infection. It wreaks havoc on my life. My voice is completely different, it feels like my head is about to explode due to the sinus pressure, my nose won't stop running, gross I know. Simply put it's the absolute worst.

I thought this year was no different. I went to bed not feeling the best and woke up with what I thought was for sure a sinus infection shaping up to be pretty bad. I went to work and took my lunch early in hopes of receiving a Celestone shot or getting some type of meds to kill this infection.

I sat in front of a doctor and she took one look at me and said, "Well, from the looks of your eyes I think you have COVID, so let's get you tested." Wait, what? Me? You can tell by looking at my eyes? I have worn a mask, every store I go into, every restaurant I visit, I have been responsible and worn a mask. There's no way I can have COVID.

My heart sank when the COVID-19 test came back positive, I was shocked and so upset. How could I have gotten COVID? I was sure it was just a bad sinus infection. How could I confuse these symptoms? I found out sinus infections and COVID-19 share a lot of similar symptoms.

Here are the different Sinus Infection/Acute Sinusitis Symptoms according to Web MD:

• Facial pain or pressure
• "Stuffed-up" nose
• Runny nose
• Loss of smell
• Cough or congestion
• Mild Fever
• Bad breath
• Fatigue

Here are the most common COVID-19 Symptoms according to the CDC:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

You can see the similarities in these however the one thing that no one told me about when they tested positive for COVID-19 is that your eyes burn. My eyes were glossy and it looked like I had been hanging out with Cheech and Chong if you know what I mean. My doctor instantly knew I had COVID-19 just by looking at my eyes. I thought my eyes were burning because of my "sinus infection". I was dead wrong. I had "COVID eye". If you think you have a sinus infection, you may have COVID-19. Make sure you talk to your doctor and if you can get tested for COVID-19.

If you have had COVID-19 or know someone who did, did they have a "COVID eye"?