Trying Out a Neti Pot for the First Time
So I’ve been blowing my nose a lot lately. Things were fine for a while, but then it sort of kicked into full gear maybe a week ago. What’s weird is: I can’t tell if what I have is a sinus/virus thing making the rounds at the office… or if it’s simply my allergies, starting up for Fall a bit early. Hard to tell.
My wife is an avid proponent of the Neti Pot. In a nutshell, they’re designed to flood the sinuses with a warm water/saline solution. You stick the thing in one nostril, tip your head over, tilt the Neti Pot up… and water does a little loop de loop through your sinuses. The water then exits out… your other nostril.
Finally, after several days of my wife insisting I try this thing out… I succombed to her demands. I really didn’t want to do this thing, but really wanted her to stop asking me about it all the time.
The Neti Pot. Dun dun duuuuuuun.
And here’s me, going through the process for the first time. I still get a kick out of referring to the process as “Waterboarding My Face.”
All in all, it wasn’t a terrible experience. Liz compared the initial sensation to “being underwater,” and I definitely see where that’s accurate. The water felt kind of weird at first, then nice as it trickled through. I did feel an increase in pressure along my sinuses… and felt fairly ok, once all the water was flushed out.
Not sure I feel any different or better, but I seemed to be blowing my nose a little less. Hard to know if it worked or not, but Liz tells me I need to do it a few more times, and wait a day or so, before I’d see any real effects.
In hindsight, I can’t believe I actually videotaped the process and posted it up here. Ah, me. Sharing gross video of myself online? All part of the rich tapestry of what I do here, on this blog.
Related:
Seeing A Side Of Me I’ve Never Seen Before: Visiting The Ear/Nose/Throat Doc, Northwestern
Felix! I tried this this weekend too. I’ve had success a couple of times in years past, but this time I tried and it was supremely uncomfortable. Not only did it not come out the other nostril, but it felt like when one accidentally inhales water at a swimming pool. Plus, I swear I felt water in my ear. It was enough to put the neti pot away for good. My technique must be very off. It sounds like it worked perfectly for you though, so yay!
Between your mention of the fever and the sinus stuff, I think you must have the office funk. Of course, I’ve also read that this summer’s weather in addition to the hurricane really whipped up the ragweed… so who knows. Maybe we all have a little of this and a little of that.
Bottom line, try to catch some ZZZZs if you can today… hope you are feeling better soon!
allison (September 12, 2011 at 10:21 am)I’m not just a farmer, I like to whet my beak in a little bit of everything, including medical practice. Me and Cathie are avid neti pot users. We both have allergies and sinus problems. They have been significantly less the past 10 years with the neti pot. I prefer the ceramic ones because the plastic ones can get moldy (extremely counterproductive). But Allison is right…the weather has made this one of the worst allergy seasons in years. If you don’t like neti pots, you should try a face steamer, they are equally effective, sometimes more effective. You can pick one up at Walgreens (I think they are by the women’s cosmetic area). Steam for about 10-15 minutes a day and you will feel much, much better…and it’s easier on your nasal passages than the neti pot.
Anthony (September 12, 2011 at 12:16 pm)