Saturday, July 24, 2010

Neti Pot and Other Reasons I Hate My Allergies

So for the last few weeks I've been getting sick.  I started to think I was becoming a hypochondriac because the symptoms were vague and went away after a couple of days.  They would come back again and again with just fever, loss of appetite, and general blahs.  After discussing it with my mother, (I don't have any  health insurance right now so Mom is what I can afford) we came to the conclusion that it might be a low grade sinus infection.

With my terrible allergies I really didn't take into account the fact that I couldn't breath through my nose.

So JP (fiance and all around awesome dude) went and got me a Neti Pot so that I could do the "sinus irrigation" thing and hopefully kick the sick.  I read the instructions carefully and used the pot properly.  Which brings me to the reason for this post.

Using the Neti Pot has got to be the most uncomfortable thing I have EVER done to myself on purpose.  Do you know how this thing works?  Basically it kind of looks like Aladdin's magic lamp and a teapot had a baby.  You fill it with lukewarm water and salt, then put your head over the sink and stick the spout into your nostril and pour the saltwater into your nose so it washes up into your sinuses then drains out of the other side.  Crazy right??  But it's suppose to help.

Remember when you were a kid and you'd go to the pool, and at some point get the pool water up your nose?  That's what it feels like.  So you have to fight the urge to stop and blow it all out of your nose immediately.  My sinuses are all clogged if you'll remember so this isn't a quick thing either.  It just dribbles out slowly.  The whole time I just have to keep breathing through my mouth so it doesn't go down my throat which it's constantly threatening to do in which case I'd probably gag and that might not be a good thing in that situation.

When the pot is empty the saline solution is still draining out of the other side of your nose so you have to stay in that awkward position for a while and when the solution is done draining then there's a few minutes of runny snot and snot bubbles that have never made me feel sexier.  So once I've finished making snot tea, then it's nose blowing and coughing for yet a few more minutes.  That's followed by coughing through the night and coughing when I wake up.

If this turns out not to be a sinus infection I'm going to run over that pot with my car.

7 comments:

  1. I guess there was a silver lining for working at Teavana, you're now a pro at poring liquid...even if it is up your nose!

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  2. I have had a dr recommend this and I just chicken out everytime. You're brave.

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  3. ha ha that sounds like the grossest thing ever!
    very nice new blog layout though, i love the dandelions :D

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  4. Yeah, my allergist recommended this as well. But it literally sounds like waterboarding yourself. Yay.

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  5. You hit the nail on the head! God I whish I had thought of that. Good news is it seems to be working, slow as all get out though.

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  6. Blech. Gross and totally on target description. I love my neti-pot. Altho it is completely nasty.

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  7. I have also this type of expeirence for the netipot using, its very fastly irrigate my nasal.

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    Neti Pot

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I am up, all night, waiting breathlessly for your comments, and I know where you live.