I am sick.
Humidifier, lozenges, Vaporub, Dayquil, Nyquil, lotion-infused Kleenexes sick.
The kind of sick for which, at your 35th hour of inability to breathe, you break down into sobs. It is the kind of situation in which you'd give up your left arm to be able to breathe normally again.
I hit that point late Friday night. Troubletron and Snowbird were tired of hearing me fruitlessly, though still disgustingly blow my nose, and then whine about it. Troubletron stopped at the store to get me some meds. Snowbird had a different agenda. She bought me a Neti Pot.
I have to assume most of you don't know about Neti Pots. I certainly didn't know about them before Friday night. If you search it on YouTube, you can see lots of people demonstrating how they work. Or, you can just look at my pictures and get the gist.
Neti Pots are little teapot-shaped vessels that a person uses to pour a saline solution into one nostril until the solution flows out the other nostril. They clean out sinuses.
Snowbird knows about Netti Pots because Oprah told her. She says Oprah did it on TV.
I was skeptical, to say the least. Still, I read the instructions.
They looked pretty simple. But, very scary.
Snowbird assured me that I wouldn't drown.
And, I did mention my extreme sickness discomfort, right?
I warmed some water to a lukewarm temperature.
I added the salt.
And, then, with nothing to lose but my dignity, I pressed the teapot nozzle to my nostril.
And out came the snottiest, most disgusting "water" you've ever seen.
Lucky for you, you can't see the snot in the photo.
But, yes, I did just post a picture of myself on the internet with water going in one nostril and out the other. If there was shame in it, Oprah wouldn't have done it.
Now, earlier this very evening, when Snowbird was telling us of the wonders of a Neti pot, Troubletron made the horrible mistake of remarking that he'd "try it if Sparklebot tries it"--of course thinking there was NO WAY I was going to do it. So, after I "irrigated" both nostrils, Troubletron was up.
He tried to make jokes to try to get out of it.
But, that's salt water. So, the joke was on him.
Gross.
He eventually tried it. Sloppily.
But his nose was clear.
I actually did it 5-6 times to try to clear out my sinuses. It worked for a while, but my mucus-producers were (are still) working overtime and I was congested again half an hour later. But, it did provide momentary relief.
Anyone looking to try this at home should expect a VERY weird feeling and the sensation that you might be drowning.
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That stuff is G-W-O-S-S!!
Ok, see, there are modern versions of the pot... I have a NeilMed squeeze bottle that I think works much easier and doesn't demand that head tilt required by the pot! But the old fashioned version makes for funnier pictures. I'll give you that.
Aren't those things crazy, weird and gross? My husband went and got one when I was in the midst of a horrible cold and MADE me use it. It worked, but I still feel like I'm drowning in the swimming pool when I use it. Ick.
But I can't say it's not worth doing!
Wow, that was awesome. The things one will do when sick.
When I did training in Boulder, one of my co-workers had a Neti pot. We were staying in the same hotel, and she used it for her allergies after also seeing it on Oprah. But one day she returned to her room, and discovered that the cleaning staff had taken her Neti pot. We think they thought it was a room service tea pot. She was too embarrassed to ask Housekeeping for her Neti pot back, so now there is likely some poor hotel guest drinking tea out of a nostril-ized Neti pot in Boulder, Colorado.
I have a very strict policy on certain orifices being designated as 'Exit only' The nose is one of them.
Those are very lovely pictures! Sorry you're sick.
NOW, I'm sick with that horrible cold you have....thanks for sharing, Sparlebot and Troubletron. I'll have to break out my Netipot
No thanks, I'll just die.
Once, I watched as an older Norwegian man scooped up a handful of water from the ocean, snorted it and let it drain out both nostrils. He then exclaimed about how great it makes you feel and how healthy it will keep you.
Maybe try it without the pot and mix in a little seaweed and ocean pollutants.
Ah, Cathy actually has a point. I know whenever I actually get to the ocean, one of the first things I do is go out fairly deep (I eat sharks for breakfast, and jellyfish for lunch ::serious about the jellyfish::), wait for a wave, then inhale through my nose the salt water. It stings terrible and gag like crazy (hence why I alone), but after a few times, I can breathe so much better it actually hurts my sinuses. I get so used to being clogged and stuffed, especially living in Cincinnati, but once I do that I can't believe the difference. Of course, it goes away the minute I hit closer to the Ohio Valley again.
I should have got one for my recent cold, and may still. I don't recall Oprah ever using a netipot on TV though. Dr. Oz and an audience member used one. I am pretty sure Oprah just watched them. Hope you get feeling better soon. We have had the same kind of garbage and it has made me crazy.
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