Dear Doctor MOL...
Allergies can certainly cause the crusty eye and the sore throat (post-nasal drip), but I'd want further evaluation for shortness of breath + malaise.
Urgent care center.
Probably allergies. It's been a bad season. But if you still feel like crap you should see a doctor. I've been feeling similar but without the sore throat and cough which could mean you have something more than an allergy.
Feel better!
PS. I am not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one anywhere.
Pneumonia doesn't have to present too many symptoms apart from shortness of breath. Get your blood oxygen levels checked. Feel better.
You could have a virus with viral conjunctivitis, but infection needs to be ruled out so go to urgent care center
FWIW: There's a new Summit Medical Group urgent care center in Livingston.
My husband had/has a terrible cold that I also got. We both have had "a sore, swollen-feeling throat, a persistent cough, and general feelings of malaise." I have red, teary eyes from all of the coughing and I am getting very little sleep.
I am going to try and ride this out but if you really have shortness of breath you should be seen. There is such a thing as asthma caused by allergy or illness and it can be dangerous.
Go to the doctor asap. You'll likely end up being more productive over the next week if you get treated and the symptoms resolve.
If you go to Summit Medical Group's urgent care center, that will also start you on the way to connecting with a "real" doctor and they have huge network of same in a number of nearby locations.
http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/
I believe that they have urgent care at the Westfield location as well as Berkeley Heights and possibly other locations. Berkeley Heights is about a 15 minute drive out I-78 from most of SO/MA.
But SMG or otherwise, get thee to urgent care!
R.N. here, besides your other symptoms, you absolutely need to get the conjunctivitis checked out, to determine if it is viral or bacterial, if bacterial, you will be likely be given antibiotic eye drops. Agree with all, go to urgent care, before this gets ahead of you. good luck and feel better.
I have very similar symptoms right now and have been to my doctor. I wanted to ensure my lungs were clear (they are, thankfully). My throat doesn't feel swollen, but inflamed for sure from all the post nasal and coughing. Def get checked out, just to rule out anything major. I don't think it's pink eye for me as I had pink eye last month and my eyes are burning and crusty vs. the gritty weepiness of pink eye. Clear Eyes allergy drops have been helping me. I'm also taking Allegra. As for the shortness of breath, do you exercise outdoors? I started running last month and my doc told me the wheezing is likely from sucking in the allergens with rapid breathing. I can sort of wheez it out and get it to stop by focusing on deep breaths after running. Maybe you could try to see if that helps? Is it possible you're hyperfocused on your breathing? Bc you might start swallowing air and exacerbating the feeling of shortness. In any case, I agree with all others - get a checkup to be on the safe side. Wishing you relief soon. I generally don't get allergies, but this year, I've had them for almost 1 month 
BP - I've have the same exact symptoms - couldn't decide if it is a cold or allergies. So I've been taking an Allegra during the day and some Nyquil at night - used some visine AC for the eye once - and that seems to be better.
kmk said:
FWIW: There's a new Summit Medical Group urgent care center in Livingston.
I'm not sure that the urgent care is opened yet, so don't go without checking.
expect to be attacked on here...like I was for providing general info on various possible medications a person could use to when talking to a doc..the comments thought that meant i was actually suggesting that the person get the meds without a doc and take specific meds
there is a newer chain of urgent care. i think it is medexpress. the nearest is in the center of 22 near the 5 guys i think in springfield. they have more hours that a lot of places..especially on the weekends.
it is possible it is an allergy..but it is really bad and could be something else...it could be some allergen got in your eyes...the other day I had a bug get stuck in my eye, the dead body came out the next day...but in the middle of the night I got severe eye pain and almost went to the ER before it apparently shifted to a different area that didn't put pressure on my eye!
care station is also on 22
summit medical does have urgent care...even if livingston isn't open...they have other locations...i don't remember if they are nearby though
IamMe said:
summit medical does have urgent care...even if livingston isn't open...they have other locations...i don't remember if they are nearby though
Westfield and Berkeley Heights - both easy access from M/SO. The Berkeley Heights location is just a stone's throw from exit 43 on I-78 westbound and the Westfield location is not far after you cross over Route 22 on Springfield Avenue southbound (take Springfield Ave from Maplewood, then go straight across Morris Ave where it turns into Meisel, but then it becomes Springfield Avenue again farther down where it merges with the Springfield Ave that comes down from Morris Avenue a bit farther west. It sounds complicated but, if you ignore the signs with the street names, you really just stay on the same road all the way down. )
I (and my other family members) have only been to urgent care at the BH location, but I have given rides to the building in Westfield to another SMG patient. In each case, it only takes about 15 minutes from the middle of Maplewood. Maybe add 5-10 minutes if coming from farther north toward or in South Orange.
Two weeks ago, I had the sore throat and cough
Physician said I was about two days away from pneumonia
Two weeks ago, I had the sore throat and cough
Physician said I was about two days away from pneumonia
Similar symptoms a week ago with the eyes bothering me the most. (No shortness of breath though.) Went to a nurse practisioner and was prescribed antibiotic eye drops, and then went a few days later to an eye doc who swabbed the eye and within 10 minutes told me that there was a 95% certainty that I did not have a virus. It took a full 7 to 8 days from the time I started the drops for my eyes to be better. My cough went away at the same time. Have no idea if it was related. Feel better.
Could just be allergies (there is an allergy-related version of conjunctivitis, sad to say) but I'd go to a walk-in clinic and see someone right away.
I went to the Care Station on Rt 22 in Springfield because it was convenient to where I work. Diagnosis of pink eye, apparently unrelated to other symptoms. Have prescription eye drops for the pink eye and a Z pac for the other symptoms. Right now my eye is in bad shape - I look like Quasimodo. I hope it gets a little better by tomorrow, I'd really hate to have to wear my sunglasses in the office all day...
Good for you for getting over to one of those facilities to have your problem(s) checked out. Seems like you were farther along down a bumpy road than you may have thought. Here's hoping your treatments are the right choices straight away.
Dave makes a good point... unless it's bacterial in nature, in which case, the Z-pac should take care of any problem with contagion. Did the doctor say whether it's from a bacteria or a virus?
Apparently bacterial. I asked the PA yesterday if I could go to work today, and she said yes... but everyone here is so nervous about my presence that I'm about to just wrap it up and head home.
That works. You should not be contagious after 24 hours on the Z-Pac. Still, it's nice to be able to go home early, so milk it for all it's worth until you look less like Typhoid Mary. ;-)
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...but first, folks, please don't yell at me, I know I should go to a doctor for real evaluation and diagnosis... I just can't do that until a) I find a new doctor and b) I get past a very time consuming major work-related event.
I do suffer from seasonal allergies which I've always been able to control with OTC meds. But for the last few days I've had a sore, swollen-feeling throat, a persistent cough, and general feelings of malaise. This morning I woke up feeling short of breath and my eyes were kind of crusty; one of them is still very red and sort of oozy, as if I had pink eye (which I did have once before). I'm still coughing. I feel like crap and would absolutely have stayed home from work if we didn't have this major event happening next week. Does this eclectic assortment of symptoms ring a bell with anyone? Could it really all be allergy related? If so, I've never had an allergy season like this...