Friday, December 16, 2011

it's raining, it's pouring.....mucus, that is

I bought a Neti Pot yesterday. Oh, you have no idea what the heck a Neti Pot is? Neither did I. Until I went to the doctor and they suggested that I tried one because I probably had allergies. Huh? Allergies? I don't know about that...

What I do know is that whatever I've got JUST. WON'T. QUIT.


Anyway, to keep panic attacks at bay, I've had to use nosespray. I panic when I can't breathe through my nose. And you can read here  why I never want to have to use nosespray again. A better alternative to Afrin is the Neti Pot.


This is pretty much what mine looks like. A plastic blue "teapot". You fill it with water, mix in a super pure soduim chloride, then pour it in one nostril while it drains out the other nostril. Sexy, right? I also thought it would feel terrible. But it feels good. And I can breathe so well now. I am so happy.

"Nasal irrigation is a practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses. It promotes good nasal health, and patients with chronic sinusitis including symptoms of facial pain, headache, halitosis, cough, watery discharge and nasal congestion often find nasal irrigation to provide effective relief." - Wikipedia

The only draw back so far happened this morning at the gym. When I woke up, I used my handy dandy Neti Pot, and was breathing beautifully. When I got to the gym, I started my workout with a bench press. After a round of those, I got up, bent over the bench and a solid stream of liquid poured out of my nose. Poured....like a faucet. I ran to get a wad of tissues to wipe it up, praying that no one saw what just happened. And I basically spent the remainder of my workout with tissue crammed up my nose so it wouldn't happen again. Hot.

Must have been a lot of water trapped up in there somewhere. It was the weirdest thing. And maybe the grossest also.

But it won't scare me from using it again. I am very satisfied with the relief it has given me. I slept like a baby last night and full of energy today. Isn't it strange how people say "sleep like a baby" in reference to a good night sleep, when babies generally wake up every couple hours? Anway, if you have sinus congestion, I suggest trying the Neti Pot. Best $11 or so I've ever spent (not counting your Christmas gift, honey. teehee)

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

I hear neti pots are awesome. But don't use tap water, okay? Have you seen this article? http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/19/143960631/second-neti-pot-death-from-amoeba-prompts-tap-water-warning?sc=fb&cc=fp

Unknown said...

Jamieson has found these to be very helpful, although he switched to a simple squirt bottle with the same solution. (No tap water!) I've tried it, too, and find it helpful for the odd nighttime stuffiness that I get from time to time. Good luck!