I never got out of my pajamas yesterday. Actually, I did get out of my pajamas but only to take a shower and then put on new pajamas. Just because a girl is possibly dying from a sinus infection/cold/seasonal allergies doesn’t mean she shouldn’t practice proper hygiene. Plus I was hoping the steam from the shower would help me breathe.
And, also, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror while I was in the bathroom getting a new box of Kleenex and I was frightened.
Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow but in the meantime I’m just sitting here cuddling my box of Sudafed with a side of Bendadryl whispering, “You complete me”.
Also, I know someone is going to tell me that I need to use a neti pot. And I totally would except that every time I’ve tried to use one, I am certain that I am drowning. Am I doing something wrong? Is it supposed to feel like that?
Because, personally, I’ll take the Benadryl hangover over drowning by a plastic teapot.
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Sorry you’re not feeling well. Hope you can get well soon. I’m up with your blog in the middle of the night because my one week old won’t go back to sleep, so I will probably spend all day in my pajamas tomorrow even if I have to play in the sandbox with my 2 year old!
Never used a neti pot because ewww so can’t help with that. Hope you are feeling better today…my youngest is coming home from university for 2 days and bringing all her germs with her…she’s had a horrible cold/coughy thing since Saturday. We had some big shopping plans so I’m hoping she’s over the worst of it or we may be in our pjs all day tomorrow too. Take care!
Girl, I feel the same way. I have been ill since last Friday and spent ALL of Sunday in my pajamas. I’ve been strung out on all manner of cold medicine and am almost feeling human this morning. Sorry though, I have no experience with the Nedi pot. I saw it at Kmart and pondered the idea, but I am not one for forcing fluids up my nose. Hope you get to feeling better soon!
I don’t know what a neti pot is, so I can’t help you there. But I will say that whatever you’ve got, I think I have it too. I wish I could take that Sudafed/Benadryl cocktail you’ve got going on, but I’m stuck with only Tylenol cold since I’m pregnant. At least it helped me get some sleep which was nice – I can’t say the same about my husband who had to listen to me cough all night.
Head straight to Mucinex. It’s nastily named, and the commercials are off-putting, but trust me, the stuff works wonders.
Yes, I too feel like I am drowning with the Netipot. But it works! Try blowing your nose afterwards. See if that helps.
I am in the same boat in Austin. Only I DIDN’T take a shower yesterday, and my homeschooled daughter woke me up ten minutes before we had to leave for her choir class, so you can imagine how nice I looked.
Okay, I love the neti pot and I hate the neti pot. Use lukewarm water, and the drowning feeling shouldn’t be as bad. Also, if you use distilled water, it will burn less. Fun, huh? But it does work.
I was outside all Saturday with the allergens. Usually when I know they are bad, I come home, take a shower, and use the neti pot, and the allergens don’t attack me like they are right now. However, we had company Saturday night, though, and I couldn’t find a gracious way to excuse myself for an hour.
Hang in there. Thy Benadryl is thy friend.
Use the neti pot! There is a demo on how to do it on You Tube. Google it and you will see this teenager using it. Keep your mouth open to breathe and lean way over the basin, head tilted. I had to threaten Uncle Papa to make him try it, but finally he believed me and was AMAZED at the instant improvement. Much greater relief than with the meds, I promise. Listen to Aunt Granny, Child!! (And use non-iodized salt and add a half-teaspoon of baking soda.) Go NOW to your kitchen. GO!!
I think you may not be holding your head properly….bend your head over as far as
you can and tip the pot up…the water should go in one nostril and out the other. Blowing your nose after is a great suggestion. God Bless, Pam, South Bend
I second the Neti pot recommendations. It works wonders. Benadryl and Sudafed dry out your membranes, making you more suceptible to sinus infection. Mucinex will loosen it all up, and the neti pot will flush it out. Gross but true.
And also, never underestimate the power of rum. Anytime I have a cold (and am not pregnant)I have a nice large cocktail with rum before bed. Helps you sleep, and you wake up feeling better!
Okay, so I’ve been feeling like you for weeks. I hope yours doesn’t last this long! I think my congestion is moving into my ears because it has gotten so bad. I’m on a host of allergy meds, 2 nose sprays, an antibotic, and my doctor says to use the neti pot. I don’t know what it is & haven’t gone out looking yet. Now I’m going to have to educate myself by watching the youtube video. Hope you feel better!
Praying you will feel better soon.
Yuck! I just watched the videos! It looks like some kind of stupid human trick. I did see a video for a an alternative for the pot called Nasopure. It is a bottle that sprays and has a crooked neck that way you don’t have to position yourself so funny. It seems a little more humane to me. I am tempted to try it simply because so many people seem to get such relief from it despite the grossness of it. Wow. You wouldn’t believe how many people posted videos of themselves doing this!
For years my husband had weekly migraines. Now he has a three pronged approach – he takes Zyrtec daily and uses the NeilMed saline solution (Neti pot without the pot – just a bottle that you squeeze up your nose).
If all else fails though, and he feels a headache coming on, he uses the Mucinex Nasal Mist and blows it all out. Gross, but it’s the only thing that has worked. Even then, it’s not always averted, but lessened, definitely.
Tip – if you don’t have any packets of solution, you can use 1 tsp of table salt. Works the same way, but just be sure to dissolve it in the warm water.
Feel better!
Sometimes a day in your pj’s or a day in two pairs of pj’s is just what the doctor ordered! Hope you feel better…
By the way I do think it is amazing that under all that Benedryl and post nasal drip you still have wit oozing out your pores!!
xoxoxoxoxox
I hope you get to feeling better. Using the neti pot can be tricky. Just try leaning your head over farther. You will get the hang of it and will love it.
I am cuddling my sudafed and kleenexes on my couch, as well, today. Hope you are feeling better soon.
Oh man! Sorry BigMama! Hope you feel great again….soon!
Praying for ya!
oh, you poor drugged out thing! feel better soon!
I hope you are feeling better soon.
If you get drowned by a plastic tea pot, whose blog will I read in the mornings? Rest up and get well!
I do not think I can watch the neti pot video this early in the morning. I could never even imagine how you would pour a teapot of saline up your nose without drowning. My son’s ENT MD gave him the bottle thing people are referring to and it really helped him.
I almost spit out my coffee when you used the expression ‘death by teapot’!! God really blessed you with an amazing gift with your sense of humor.
I will say a prayer for you. And, as always, thank you for starting my day with a laugh.
I hope you feel better soon.
PS – don’t like the neti pots either
Try this instead of the neti pot:
http://www.amazon.com/Neilmed-Sinus-Rinse-1-kit/dp/B000A0S5KC
I have a lot more success with it.
Maybe someone already mentioned this, I don’t have time to read all the posts, but a nasopure works much better than those crazy pots. takes a little getting used to. My doc suggested it to me when I was pregnant to avoid taking allergy medicine, and they do help quite a bit. Don’t know how much it helps when you already have the sinus infection, but great for daily use to prevent sinus infections & curb allergies.
http://www.nasopure.com/
I second the Sinus Rinse comment. Much easier!!!
Also Sudacare Advanced plug-ins work wonders! My local Target didn’t sell the refills, but they ordered them for me. It emits eucalyptus, camphor and menthol (I think) vapors, and totally keeps my nose from stuffing up.
When I use the neti pot I make sure to tip all the way over the sink. And I am always so disappointed to see that the thing is just about full when I’m pretty sure I’ve been pouring enough water in my nose to alert the UN or something. Anyway, give it another go. It can’t hurt, might help!
Simpler solution than neti pot–and it REALLY makes you feel better! Get one of those nose sucker things they give you for your baby to perform chinese nose torture and suck out their mucus (you can get one at CVS–you know, they are baby blue usually). Get some warm water–as warm as you can manage it, and mix in salt with the water. Just lean over your sink, spray the salt water up your nose and let is just drain out…..do 2-3 times per side, and blow your nose. Does feel yucky and weird, but you will feel better!
Two things about the netipot…(1) if you have bad sinuses, and it sounds like you do, you really should use it regularly and not just when you get into trouble, like you obviously are now. It will PREVENT this. (2) it really does help relieve the pressure…don’t hold your breath and keep your mouth open. It feels really weird at first but when you get the hang of it, you will love the results. This is GROSS, but blow your nose afterward and you’ll be amazed at what is causing you to feel this way.
I don’t actually have a sinus issue so I don’t use it all the time but if I feel like there is going to be an issue, and in Arkansas there frequently is, I get it out and start using it. I get the Sinus Rinse packets to use with it just b/c I’m lazy and don’t want to make up my own formula. I just mix one with some warm water and use before bed and sometimes in the morning, too.
Oh, and holding your head over steam works wonders, too.
No snot pot for me, either. Though I have a cousin who swears by it.
Hope you’re feeling better soon!!
Hope you start feeling much better real soon.
Hope today is a better day.
Blessings always,
Kaye
Matthew 21:22
Gosh, I wish you were not sick. You could come up to Lubbock this weekend and go to the A&M v. TTU football game with me,,,,I have an extra ticket.
Feel better!
Susan
Love the netti pot! If you feel like you are drowning, then you need to adjust the angle of your head. Done correctly, it is actually a very soothing feeling. Good luck and I hope you feel better!
Usually if a Neti Pot feels that way then it means you aren’t leaning forward far enough. You really have to get the top of your head down low so that it just flows on through. I use one and it’s my cue to get antibiotics when I reach the point where no water will go through!
Kandi has it right – mouth OPEN at all times, breathe through your mouth, don’t hold your breath. Warm water mixed w/ the salt is best. It takes a time or 2 to get the hang of it, but it does help!! And definitely blow your nose afterwards….
Have you tried the shower tablets (I think Sudafed makes them)
You plop one down on the shower floor and let it dissolve as you shower and it does wonders. It does make your bathroom smell like a pot of Vicks Vapor rub so if you don’t like that medicated menthol smell, I don’t recommend them.
I don’t use the Neti pot, I use something I got at CVS that is a squeeze bottle that shoots it up your nose and out the other side. In the same aisle as the Neti pot. Which I can only use if I have a full on cold. It really hurts if I try to use it just for a sinus headache or allergry related congestion. Anyway, yes, you MUST keep breathing through your mouth the ENTIRE TIME and tilt your head to the side you want it to drain out of. Also, Costco makes some AMAZING nasal spray that works wonders.
The squeeze bottle is better than the neti pot. But if you’re really stuffed up you’re not supposed to use it. I’m not a big fan of squirting junk up my nose. So I’m all about the sudafed.
USE the Neti Pot!!!!!!!!! Please! You will not drown, I promise.
I’m afraid of the neti pot too. The last time I was sick everyone was trying to get me to use one. I can’t quite get over the gross factor.
Sue G, I’ll go with you!
The neti pot only works on one of my nostrils. I drown when I do the other nostril. So I’m with you.
Musinex helps.
Moaning and whining and saying, “Woe is me!” also helps.
Tilt your head to the left, like a cocker spaniel. Then look down, like you’re trying to touch the side of your chin to the left side of your neck (or, in my case, I’m showing off my numerous chins.) Put the neti pot in the right nostril, open your mouth and say “ahhhhhh.” Keep saying “ah” while you pour. That’s the trick. Saying ah keeps the water from going down your throat. Well, and tipping your head like a cocker spaniel. Repeat on the other side.
Also, start with the stuffiest side first. Otherwise, it doesn’t work as well. Oh, and use warm but not HOT water. And make it salty but not TOO salty.
And stand on your right leg, hop up and down, and turn around three times.
I had a cold that tried to kill me about three weeks ago. Since I’m pregnant, I wasn’t supposed to take anything. But I literally couldn’t breathe, and I had so much sinus congestion, it felt like a magnet was in my nose, pulling my face toward the ground if I dared to get off the couch.
Thus, I tried the Neti pot system. (I used salt water and the nose sucker that comes with newborn babies, but same idea.) And it didn’t work well for me. I tried and tried and tried, and while it loosened stuff up a little, so I could blow my nose, I never got relief.
Turns out, you can be TOO CONGESTED for the Neti system to work. If your sinuses are too full, the water won’t be able to get in there and break it up. It will just pour back out the same nostril and/or trickle out the other side.
So maybe that’s why you feel like you’re drowning. And if so, I feel your pain.
OOooh I hope you’re feeling better soon. A pajama day sounds like it is just what the doctor ordered. Nyquil makes me feel all fuzzy and nite nite, I have to hurry to lay down ’cause it takes 12 seconds for me to fall asleep! Ahhhhh better. You need some Chicken Soup! I wish I could send you some. It’s Jewish penicillin!
I had the same day as you yesterday, except I didn’t take a shower. hope you/we feel better today!
My husband has used both the neti pot and the squeeze bottle (his is by NeilMed – you can find it WalMart or Walgreens as well as a whole bunch of other places). He uses it every day to help with his allergies and he would agree that at times it does feel like he’s drowning. However, he says the results are worth the feeling. Coming from my husband that’s high praise!
Neti pots are from the devil.
Praying for you!
My husband takes the syringe-like object from the dentist he has from when he got his wisdom teeth out, fills it with salt water and shoots it through his sinuses. It’s disgusting. Give me an antihistamine any day. Feel better!
LOL, I had to laugh at the “you complete me”
I hope you get to feeling better, my friend!!!!
I think by the time you are that far gone, the neti pot can’t really help you anyway. So you just enjoy those cold meds and forget about drowing yourself with a nasal watering can.
yes, I feel like I’m drowning, but so worth it to get the relief.
Yesterday, I tried NeilMed for the first time. It’s the same people who make the neti pot, but it’s way easier. It’s @$10 at Walmart, and I was amazed at how UN-oh-help-me-I’m-drowning it felt, and it worked wonders. I would recommend using it for the first time about an hour after popping some sudafed (or Aleve-D – I love that stuff).
Try the neti pot again…or the neilmed bottle…
Also go to the pharmacy and get some Emergin-C! Get the tangerine flavor… Mix it with water and chug it. It comes with 30 packets…have P drink it too.. (my kids even drink it!) Do this a couple of times/day and you will be amazed at how much better you’ll feel!
you have to breathe deeply through your mouth when using the neti pot. have to. it does work and you know we want you to feel better!
It feels like that – I have a Neti pot, but I never feel desperate enough to use it. (Oooh, I just tempted fate, didn’t I?) My daughter has whatever you have right now. It’s awful. I told her to stay in her room and don’t come out.
It’s probably already been said, but w/ the neti pot, open your mouth and breathe through it. If it’s the right temperature, you may not even feel the water in your sinuses at all. If it’s too hot or too cold you’ll know exactly where the water is. If your mouth isn’t open and you’re not breathing it’ll go down your throat, though! Hope it helps!
I’m curious if you went to the doctor, did they automatically test you for Swine/H1 whatever it’s called flu? Because if I see one more news story about Swine flu in Texas I’m gonna scream.
isn’t “neti” just an old-fashioned word for waterboard?
here in houston, it’s heavy tree pollen & mold spores, and woo hoo…extremely heavy ragweed and grass pollen.
so, stay inside with filtered air as much as possible and feel better soon.
it’s not fun getting older (although the alternative is worse!) but i will tell you i’ve become less affected every year by the airborne gifts of fall, in the swamp houston is built on.
so you’ve got that going for you.
I’m afraid I nearly spewed my Swine Flu germs all over the keyboard when I read the “You complete me” part.
(gotta warn a girl.)
the neti pots do me the same way. so, drugging myself to no end is my only option also.
Mucinex… I (heart) Mucinex. I’m not sticking ANYTHING up my nose. I need that for breathing.
I second the Neilmed (the big huge squirt bottle) and the Costco Nasal decongestant spray. Have you been tested for allergies? The doctor can get you on some type of cocktail (mine is Allegra, Flonase, eyedrops and an allergy escalation serum combination) that will help you along. Also, he/she can kickstart the party with a steroid shot. I hope you feel better.
Hope you feel better soon!
Yes the neti makes you feel like you’re drowning but you get used to it. lol i swear by mine. When I lived in Houston I used it religiously b/c I always had sinus issues. Feel Better!!!
I am going to have to sing Neilmed praises. A few weeks ago I was going through all that you are. My niece works for an asthma and allergy specialist and she suggested the Neilmed system. When she told me how it works I thought….LAST RESORT. Well I got to the my last resort and I wish I had started it earlier.
I don’t know if it does anything for the cause of the problem but it definitly gives enormous relief to a congested head. We I first started it if felt just like when you are swimming and get water up your nose but I just continued to breath steady through my mouth and was able to get through it. It is not the most pleasent thing to do but it does help or it did me anyway.
I’ve found “Shower Soothers” in the cough drop aisle at WalMart and they are very helpful during a shower for congestion. It’s a big effervescent tab with basically Vicks VaporRub in it. It dissolves while you are showering and fills the air with the Vicks aroma. It helped for a little while!
I put neti pots right up there with suppositories in the “scary stuff we force in to our bodies” category. Both work, but I just can’t help feeling like they contradict nature’s intent for those particular orifices. With that said, God bless the neti pot. And suppositories too.
I haven’t read all the comments, so someone may have already answered your neti pot question. If they haven’t, you have the water too cool. Use warmer water and be sure to tilt your head to the side. It’s gross, but it works.
I tried breathing through my nose while using the netipot. Then I felt like I was going to drown. Once I finally figured out how to breathe only with my mouth, it worked a lot better.
There is a saline solution called Ocean that might help for dryness. I know Walmart has it for around $4.
I am sorry for you not feeling well, but your post made me snicker a few times. Thanks.
you poor think, hope you feel better soon. Try Simply Saline from CVS. It clears out and moisturizes the nasal passages.
Don’t use the NetiPot, use the Neilmed. The Neilmed is the one you squirt up your nose and you do get use to it. My ENT Dr. made me use the Neilmed everyday for 2 months before he would do any major sinus surgery. I was miserable and was sure it wouldn’t work but I, and I’m not making this up, am a different person. No more headaches and swollen eyes. And the best part is it made my dark circles under my eyes go away. And yes, vanity now gives me motivation to actually get off the couch and and use the thing every night…
My hubby uses the Neilmed too. He is a different person since starting to use it. IF you can bear the drowning sensation (which I can’t but I WISH I could) I think it would help a lot. If you can’t, you’re in good company. I love me some benadryl also.
According to this article on WebMD it sounds like yes, you should feel like you’re drowning. But why not just use saline spray? I think using hankies is gross, why would you want ot place a dirty-in-you-nose pot in your dishwasher? EEWW
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinus-pain-pressure-9/neti-pots
Oh, bless your heart. I’ve had to up my Sudafed/Zyrtec due to the mold in our area. I’m convinced I have a mold allergy. Hope you will be feeling better. Bless your heart.
I am right there with you. Just finished one round of antibiotics for bronchitis and finished two before that for sinus infections. I just started a new therapy for allergies called BAX 3000 by BioVeda Technologies – don’t know if you have one where you are, I’m in GA. Anyway, I’ve only had one treatment, but it it works, I’ll let you know. If you want to read about it, the website is http://www.biovedawellness.com.
Jennifer
Been there!! Here are my sinus relief tips, my instructions for building your own neti pot from a turkey baster (if you’re in a pinch) and other nonsense. Hope you find something of use and feel better soon! I’m snuggling in with some 24 hour Claritin this time of year — no hangover…
http://clowe-imhere.blogspot.com/2009/10/netie-pot-nonsense.html
If you just keep your mouth open and tilt your head so the water doesn’t go into your mouth (EW) and breathe lightly through your mouth then it should be better. It may burn or tickle a bit but if you breathe steadily through your mouth you should be fine. Try to blow your nose before and after. Don’t forget to use warm water, because cold water HURTS!! Also use about 1/4 tsp. of non-iodized salt in your water. Using the neti pot, if done often, becomes easy. It may be uncomfortable at first but you’ll get used to it!! Trust me its worth it. My 15 year old daughter finally gave in once and used it and she was able to breathe enough to lay down flat when she slept! It’s truly a miracle lol..
I spent $15 on netipot/saline solution and it didn’t really work for me. What worked better for me was turn on my Jiffy clothes steamer and breathe in the steam. So if you have a steamer (and are tired of standing in the shower while the water slowly turns cold), give it a try. Just don’t burn yourself!
Netti Pot!
I was a hard to convince but two years of CONSTANT sinus infections made me give in and I am now a covnert.
Lean over the sink..face down, then turn head sideways and keep mouth open to breath.Kepp your face over the sink,as if you were washing it, dont put your head down as if you were getting ready to stand on your head.It works.
Netti Pot!
I was a hard to convince but two years of CONSTANT sinus infections made me give in and I am now a convert.
Lean over the sink..face down, then turn head sideways and keep mouth open to breath.Kepp your face over the sink,as if you were washing it, dont put your head down as if you were getting ready to stand on your head.It works.
Girlfriend,
For real – get yourself some garlic vitamins (odorless so you don’t hurt the rest of the family … grin) and echinacea. They have helped me get over my fierce cold a lot sooner than I’d thought…I was down for the count.
Hope you feel better soon!
Hope you feel better soon!
My allergies are so bad that I am taking prednisone for the itching around my eyes.
I vote for the Sinu-Rinse, too. Breathe through your mouth and you will be finished in 10 seconds.
Um, isn’t it kind of important to actually see a doctor so you know whether it’s allergies or a cold or piggy flu?
My allergies are winning this week and I’m living on Benadryl, but I will not do that scary neti pot!
Yes, at first it feels like drowning (or what I imagine it to be….try to keep my mind out of those places!!) but after using it for awhile you can get past it and it goes really quickly and seems to help
yeah, it feels like drowning, so I’ve switched to the neti-spray bottle, which is like a humongous nasal spray. It chokes me too, but seems to help. What we’ll sacrifice to breathe. Also, I never lay down without Breathe Right strips. They are WONDERFUL
Please step into 2009 and take Claritin or Zyrtec. Both of which last 24 hours with very few side effects. Benedryl is so 1979.
You were a pharmaceutical rep, right?
I ditto all the comments on the NiellMed sinus rinse. We discovered this the last time my son had a sinus infection. He was not a afan at first, but then said his nose felt so much better after he used it!
I thought you weren’t supposed to use the netti pot if you have a sinus infection already because it could spread the infection… anyone know?
NielMed Sinus Rinse BOTTLE – all the way! We use it all the time and the “yuck factor” is greatly reduced – and Costco has them cheap. Between that a Mucinex, you might just make it. I also like to rub a little of Origin’s “Peace of Mind” peppermint right under my nose too – helps soothe the passages.
Oh, and my doctor said to use the “nasal lavage” as she calls it especially with a sinus infection to clear it out – twice a day.
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