Is it unusual to have a head cold for three months?

Yes, this is very unusual. What I think could be happening is that you started with a head cold affecting your sinuses and / or ears. This would have given you symptoms such as a blocked nose, feeling of pressure in one or more parts of your face and a general feeling of being ‘stuffed up’ with blocked ears. The reason for this is as that any inflammation in your nasal passages will cause blockage to the natural drainage channels your sinuses and ears rely on to keep healthy. This leads to an increase in pressure within these parts of your head and symptoms we would call sinusitis or otitis media.

The original viral infection will have cleared up – however, some people find that their sinuses and / or ears remain blocked and with this, inflammation and symptoms persist.

The best advice I can give you at this stage is to get the diagnosis confirmed by your doctors and to exclude other reasons for your symptoms. If they agree that it is your sinuses or ears which are responsible for your symptoms, you could start off treatment using a nasal decongestant. Ones based on herbal ingredients have the advantage that they can be used for longer periods of time compared to those containing synthetic chemicals. At the same time, there is some evidence to suggest that staying away from cow’s milk and dairy produce can help by reducing the amount of mucus you produce in your body.

Dr. Jen Tan