inland (nasal) passages

nummy

I have pretty lousy cold, caught from the manfriend (“are you sure it’s not a cold?” “no, it’s just allergies!” “are you sure?” “yes, now let’s exchange saliva!”*)

*blogger’s artistic license taken while writing this dialog

Even though I’m in the worst of it, lying in bed atop a stereotypical nest made of tissue, cough drops, heating pad, etc., I am happy that I am past a migraine that roared up on me last night. Migraine, you are a monster.

When I thought this thing was “just allergies,” I broke down and bought a neti pot. I hesitated getting one, not because I doubted its potentially helpful properties, but because I was highly annoyed by all the neti cult members masquerading as my friends. Lord, one cannot mention the slightest stuffy nose on Facebook without getting dozens of “OMG YOU NEED A NETI POT!!!!1” comments.

I am no stranger to nasal irrigation (don’t ask,) so I didn’t fear the pot. For the two people out there who have not joined the NetiCult, let me dispel some myths.

  • It is not like waterboarding — you breathe through your mouth the whole time
  • There is only momentary weirdness as you let your nasal cavity fill up
  • You don’t need to inhale or force anything. Gravity does it all
  • You do not need anything but the cheapest pot and some salt (I know some people swear by pH balancing the solution — your call)

Does it work? I suppose so. Since I have a virus raging through my system, the pot’s not going to do anything to speed that up, but I do experience some clearness and relief for a while.

Not that this whole subject isn’t gross, but you may not want to read this grossest bit coming up.

The first time I used the pot, I had forgotten I had been sucking on a cherry cough drop earlier. I finished the irrigation then spat into the sink. Of course, it was bright red thanks to the cough drop. I almost fainted.

 

4 Comments

  1. Carol on June 8, 2011 at 8:49 am

    This is snot nice to read before lunch.

  2. Cloudy on June 8, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    I think you probably enjoyed your method of cold catching more than how I got mine: via 3 year old wiping snot on my face.

  3. Dan Wilson on June 9, 2011 at 10:37 am

    I’ve done the netti pot thing, and for me, it didn’t do crap. I found it very unpleasant, and I had clear nasal passages for … oh… three seconds.

    So, “your milage may vary.”

    (not saying that it isn’t GOLD for some people, just that one should be prepared for the possibility that your sinuses are netti resistant)

  4. Dan Wilson on June 9, 2011 at 10:54 am

    for allergies, and I don’t want to be another cultist, but you want local unfiltered honey. Start eating it now. The body reacts less severely to the pollens, since you’re consuming it as food. My allergies haven’t gone away, but they’re at about 10-20% of what they used to be.

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