# Half Sick

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460 "2009-01-15T18:06:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![amanatee27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@amanatee27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanatee27)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460/1 "2009-01-15T18:06:54Z")

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This morning I woke up discovering that I was sick. Then I realized I was actually only half sick; while the right side of my nose was running or stuffed up, and my right eye continuously teared up, the left half was normal. Is there an explanation for this? How did I catch half a cold? Has anyone else had this happen to them?

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460/2 "2009-01-15T18:17:19Z")

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When I have a cold, I almost always have congestion on one side at a time.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460/3 "2009-01-15T18:34:47Z")

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If you’re still in bed, try lying on your left side for a while, and see what happens.

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**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460/4 "2009-01-15T19:14:35Z")

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I have a nasty cold right now, and that’s sort of the way it’s working. Each side takes turns making me miserable: first I couldn’t breathe out of the right, then that would clear, and then it was the left.

> [@panache45](#):
>
> If you’re still in bed, try lying on your left side for a while, and see what happens.

Yeah, that’s pretty much the only amusement there is with a cold. You let the congestion migrate to the other side, or as I did this morning, attempt to get up while the congestion is in transition so you can (oh so briefly) breathe clearly.

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**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460/5 "2009-01-17T00:34:28Z")

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You don’t suffer from migraines, do you? Sometimes I have one start with cold symptoms on one side of my head.

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-sick/481460/6 "2009-01-17T03:33:10Z")

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It could also be a sinus infection. I’ll often get those where just one side of my face hurts. It feels like I got punched in the jaw (it’s normally my right maxillary sinus that get’s infected)