Hi, My Name is Michelle & I’m Afraid of Nasal Irrigation.

11 February 2011

Being sick when you are pregnant is a whole new level of suck.  Not quite the suckiest suck that ever sucked, but close. 

The worst part for me?  Not being able to make sweet sweet love to my Advil Cold & Sinus, with an evening chaser of Nyquil.  I maintain that it’s the only thing that works.  {Um, yes Advil, I would LOVE to be your spokes-blogger, but no they didn’t pay me to say any of this.}

So what are my pregnancy cold & sinus relief choices?  Sudafed.  Does a whole lot of nothing other than making EVERY part of me dry except my nasal passages.  And Tylenol cold stuff that never manages to make a dent either.

And then, everyone told me to get a neti pot or a sinus wash bottle.  Have you seen these things?  A whole new level of scary.

Basically, you take the pot or bottle, fill it with a solution of mild temperature water & salt, then shove it up one nostril, pour the water in and it drains out the other nostril.  Allegedly.  I’m pretty sure it just a way to drown yourself on perfectly good dry land.  Or end up in the hospital like Bobby from Cougar Town.

But after four consecutive days of complete sinus pluggage and emptying my second box of tissues I decided something HAD to be done.  Since the possibility of maiming the baby with my Advil/Nyquil option wasn’t the best choice, I went with the squeeze bottle.  I thought maybe the neti was a bit out of my realm of coordination level… trying not to spill a teapot of salt water while drowning myself probably wasn’t in the cards.  The squeeze bottle eliminated the spillage factor and for that I am grateful.

My fears were as follows: vomiting, swallowing snotty salt water THEN vomiting, drowning, drowning then Dave finding me drowned and covered in snot on the bathroom floor, the water going in but not coming out, water going into my ears via my sinus cavities and causing an ear infection, choking, coughing, asphyxiation, crying, ending up calling the ambulance, or otherwise making a total ass out of myself.

OK, so it takes some coordination, but I did it.  And it wasn’t a miracle worker by any stretch of the imagination, but it DID help.  The first couple times I did it in the shower because I felt like it was easier to work out the coordination piece of it before spilling water all over.  Basically, you look down into the sink with your neck bent, put the bottle in your nose, tilt your head to the side and squeeze.  One thing that is really helpful to remember is to remain bent forward and to keep your mouth open… you know that breathing thing is more important than you realize.  It takes a second but it’ll start coming out the other nostril.

I don’t really have allergy issues, but I’ve heard it is a kick ass solution for that.  I’m thinking about going to get one for Dave.

So tell me if I am the only freak who was deathly afraid?  Do you use one?  Is it a daily routine? 

23 comments:

Katie Olthoff said...

VICKS PLUG INS!

You HAVE to get some of these. We use them when Adam's congested or coughing, too, because vicks (even baby vicks) gives him a rash.

It's like a glade plug-in, but it's vicks. It is THE BEST! I swear by them.

I don't think anybody could ever convince me to squirt water up my nose. :)

Stephanie said...

Jeff swears by the neti pot but it freaks. me. out. I put it up there with using leeches for medicinal purposes :)

Sorry to hear the Sudafed isn't working for you. It's my go-to when I have nasal/sinus issues.

Stephanie said...

Oh, and I'm late to the Cougar Town party but late is better than never? Do you want to play penny can later?

the cape on the corner said...

i am so. scared. of the neti pot! your fears are my fears, and i'm not so sure this post helps. it was the whole "it comes out the other nostril" bit. like at what speed? blech!

Katie said...

Deathly.Afraid. I have the same fears, and I've been battling a cold for the last week and people keep suggesting that neti pot thing and all I could think of was Cougar Town and was all "hell no". I'm a wuss, I'd rather just tough it out.

@JessEsco said...

No because if I'm super clogged, it just makes my ears feel like they are exploding.

I have been popping (not regularly only when super crap allergies) Alavert D 12 hr. That stuff is my miracle drug and doesn't make me feel like I'm on crack (like Claritin does). Try it!

Anonymous said...

I am very afraid of using one, however since you used it and lived to write about it I might have to give it a try.

belles♥mom said...

Yeah, I haven't been good with dealing with anything involving salt water since my fourth grade teacher made me gargle some & it made me vomit in front of my whole class. Salt water & I never made up after that. Glad you finally found some relief though (even if you still miss your Advil/Nyquil combo!)

Amy said...

I'm a totally wuss about it too! Jack (who's 5) does it about once a week. It does help him...some. Glad you finally tried it! and it helped :0)

Meg said...

Not only am I afraid of waterboarding MYSELF with the neti pot, I'm afraid of the saline squirty-thing you used too. I'm also totally freaked out by putting anything in my eyes... I'll let them itch like crazy before I'll grab any of the hubs prized vizine.

Basically, I praise your bravery.

Emily said...

I've tried a neti pot before, but I'm pretty sure I'm not doing it right. The water never really seems to come out the other side...

Sara @ Russet Street Reno said...

I'm scared of it, too! I hate the thought, but if it's helpful I might have to try it.

Anonymous said...

I never did it, but I want to! Maybe you can host an instructional party for all of us that are too chicken!
Kelly T

Just A Normal Mom said...

I'm glad you started with the bottle. I started with a neti pot, but the bottle is much easier. I recommend it a lot (specifically the one made by Neil Med) AND I recommend the premixed salt packets. Because there's nothing worse than getting the solution wrong and having it burn like crazy. I don't do it every day, but I do it with allergies or a cold.

Jessica @ Wanting Adventure said...

I've heard that those things really work but I'm deathly afraid of drowning myself!

chiara said...

I've used it - I have one. It's really wasn't so bad and it did help out my sinuses quite a bit. Haven't used it since 2008 though (last time I had a cold - I'm no a scarily long no-sick streak).

Carrie said...

I don't use one. The fiance loves his and is always trying to talk me into it. It's probably the biggest point of contention in our relationship.

Stacey - Truly Custom Cakery, LLC said...

I used a bottle for the first time over the weekend. I'd tried EVERYTHING including Nyquil and Advil Cold and Sinus. Unfortunately for me, I had no snot to get out. Apparently my sinuses were swollen shut. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be though. Prednisone was the only thing that worked. But next time I'm all snotty and sniffly... I'll be using it. :)

seanymph said...

I was like you. I hate water in my nose and dont even swim in pools much cuz of it. But my allergies were killing me and I got tired of popping pills all the time. So I broke down and bought one.

What a difference it makes! I still dont like the feel of the water in my nose but I realized I didnt drown and have a lot of control over it so I really cant. The worst part is positioning your head right so it stays in your nose and doesnt go into your mouth.

I do it in the morning every day now. And if the allergies kick up bad I do it about an hr. before bed. I do that cuz of draining afterwards. If I do it right before bed I cough alot cuz of the draining. Sounds gross I know but it does work good!

And now I even use it if I get a cold, which I find I rarely get now cuz of using this. Guess it cleans out any potential buggies too.

Dont be afraid......warm water and the right head angle and you will be surprised how ez it really is.

Junk Drawer Kathy said...

I love my neti pot! After you get over the initial weird feeling, it's all good. My only recommendation is to keep your mouth open slightly. You cannot drown yourself. Your body has built-in survival triggers. Breathing is one of them. It will do what it needs to do to keep breathing. Take the pressure off yourself and give it a whirl. You won't be sorry!

Elizabeth @ My Life, Such as it is... said...

I'm in the deathly afraid catagory. I have friends who use them but I'm paranoid for all the reasons you listed - drowning, vomiting, etc. I'll stick with good old Vicks, drugs, or humidfier.

BeckyNeighbor said...

Your post was hilarious. I am also in the deathly afraid category. I think of it as voluntary water-boarding. I'll keep my Vicks, thanks.

Erin Mikulak said...

Ever since my mother made me use all sorts of crazy things the doctor said would help my snoring I refuse to put anything up my nose. Once she made me put this super rapidly spraying medicine up my nose that was similar to an inhaler but for your nose. Nope..never again. Nothin goes up this sniffer!!

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