Now that’s just weird

In ongoing nose news, today I tried a new product as part of post-op maintenance; Nasal Irrigation.  While I’m healing the Surgeon advised me to use saline sprays and rinses to keep my nose clean and moist while I heal, and I’ve followed his instructions.  Well sort of.

The saline sprays I’ve used religiously, they’re easy.  It’s a pressurised can that releases a fine mist of saline into your nasal cavity that drains back out.  Easy enough, and it works.

The saline rinse is a little more involved.  Firstly you have a bottle that you need to put between one to three sachets of the special salt mix into, before topping the bottle up with either distilled, or boiled and cooled water.  You shake the bottle until the contents is dissolved, pop the cap, insert it into one nostril, open your mouth, lean over the sink and squeeze.

The saline mix then shoots up your nose and drains either via your mouth or the opposite nostril.  Now, if you’ve ever had water shoot up your nose when swimming, you’ll know it’s not a pleasant experience.  Hence my putting off the nasal rinse for the last week or so.  But today I faced my demons.

I followed the instructions, put my head over the sink, opened my mouth, inserted the nozzle in my right nostril, and gently squeezed the bottle.  The experience itself is bizarre.  You can feel the solution shoot up your nose, and it feels like it’s swirling around behind and above your palate (through your sinuses) before rushing out the opposite nostril in a stream.  It wasn’t as unpleasant as I expected, although I did choke.  It was so strange, I started laughing mid process, sniffed up some saline, and started coughing.  Very funny!
It was amusing enough I called Mark into watch the next nostril.

I’ll save you the gruesome details, but let’s just say that my nasal passages haven’t been so clean, and whereas my nose was dry and blocked a little earlier this afternoon, now it’s squeaky saline clean and moist again.  *laugh*

There’s never a dull moment.

I believe this is not an uncommon practice and some people do this daily as it can help with allergies, clear congestion and pressure in the sinuses and nasal passages.  Prior to the mass marketed rinses and sprays, a Neti pot was used.  It looks just like a teapot, you insert one end in your nose, and lean over a sink and pour.
I wouldn’t try this with a normal teapot though, but be my guest.  Just make sure you at least either boil and cool the water you’re going to use, or use distilled water, with a proper saline mix.  I’d not suggest table salt.  But hey, it’s your nose, you do whatever you like with your own, just accept responsibility for it.  I’m not accountable for anything you try based on what you read here. 🙂

Hooroo!