Why is my nose numb after the flu?

March 27, 2008 1:15 PM

I've had the flu for a few days, but woke up with something totally new to me: my nose is numb. Should I be worried?

Since Sunday, I've had a mix of common flu symptoms (fever, cough, headaches, exhaustion). I was starting to recover but woke up this morning with my nose numb on both sides, radiating down to my upper lip and the roof of my mouth.

If I touch the nostrils on either side, it feels like it's been anesthetized. Any sort of firmer touch is painful, and it hurts too much to close the nostrils to blow my nose. It feels like it's all gotten harder in there.

Any amateur diagnoses? I've been looking online all morning and I'm stumped.

posted by waxpancake to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

Yes. Please see a doctor. It could be as simple as a nerve being compressed by congestion, but a lot of diseases, from what I understand, manifest some flu symptoms you describe and you should get checked out.
posted by agregoli at 1:21 PM on March 27, 2008

Get thee to an ED. Might be nothing, but you need to find out.
posted by brevator at 1:55 PM on March 27, 2008

Doctor. Facial numbness could be a bunch of different things, some innocuous, some bad enough to make getting to a doctor very soon very advisable. An MD can tell you very quickly which it is.
posted by jennyjenny at 3:44 PM on March 27, 2008