Sickly. But Now With Handy Advice
April 2nd, 2006
I’ve got one of the worst colds of my life. Likely brought upon by Leta having a cold and the SXSW comedown. Matched with chaotic weather: cold/warm/cold/warm. Normally, I’m a big believer in the Zicam swabs, but I just couldn’t be bothered this time. I’ve learned my lesson. Also, I’ve been thinking about the Neti pot (see image of woman on left) or as doctors like to call it, that crazy thing that you pour salt water through your nose with. It’s pretty dry here, and I’m wondering if a daily shot of saline through the nasal passages would avoid the problems I’ve been having. Plus, the shock value of walking around the house with a blue piece of plastic rammed up my left nostril and water pouring out my right nostril is near priceless.
And now, Handy Advice Corner™!
If you live in an older home where the construction isn’t drywall and studs, but lathe and plaster over studs, you can’t go wrong with the duct tape of screws, the drywall “grabber” screw that is 2 or more inches long. Drill a pilot hole that is one-quarter the diameter of the grabber (one of the smallest bits in a drill bit kit, like 1/32 or so) and you’re set. I hung pictures using toggle bolts and/or nails and it sucked. Had to drill massive holes and then the toggle hangs out at a crazy angle. With nails, the sumbitches cause cracking and chipping.
When we installed curtains in the front room and in Leta’s room, I used 2.5 inch grabbers, with starter holes and it was like butter. On the outer walls, we have bricks, so I had to fight a few of them, but they go in smoother than anything else I’ve tried. On the inner walls, it makes for less of a headache when trying to hang pictures, and less damage to patch if you change your mind about where you want to hang what. o
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Did you watch the Neti Pot demo? The woman has a cultish stare…and it’s scary.
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:23 pm
The last time I got sick my Mom handed me one of those neti pots. It was definitely not fun to use but it worked like a charm. Used it 3-4 times a day while I was sick and I was better in about a week. It also helps a lot when your sinuses are clogged like bricks.
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Hey! don’t knock it till you try it. I started out with a Neti Pot. Then I moved to an actual NASAL IRRIGATOR! It’s like a water-pic. For your nose. Since I started using it I haven’t had a sinus infection - in over 3 years. I’m not religious about it. Initially I used the neti pot 2-3x a day. Then the irrigator 1-2x a day. I now have those that I don’t use much and a can of Entsol (which, if you are relucant to pour saline water in your nostril or shoot it up with a gun is a nice compromise). The Entsol has saved my elderly MIL sinus infections for 2 years (she used to have 3 a year).
So I’m recommending you start with Entsol and see how it goes. I LOVE my irrgator and the best part is that insurance paid for it since we had so many sinus infections.
crazy the things you’ll do to keep from having green and brown goo hanging out in your head
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:54 pm
neti pots rule. the trick is getting the “mix” of salt and baking soda right. it is kind of gross to have snot pouring out of your nose, but it is worth the price of admission.
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:25 pm
i have a feeling you were either high and/or drunk and/or both when you wrote this.
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:27 pm
And I thought ear candles were odd…
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:35 pm
In our house, we live and breathe by Vicks Vabo-Rub. That stuff goes everywhere.
Yeah, we play it old-style.
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Sadly, neither drunk nor high. Just clogged up like a mouse on government cheese. And I’m definitely looking into nasal irrigation of some kind, neti or otherwise.
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:37 pm
I had a roommate who would snort saltwater up her nose every morning, just thinking about the sounds she made makes my toes curl. But if the Neti Pot works, then why not..
April 2nd, 2006 at 6:26 pm
I’ve got a cold now but not sure your doohickey will be on my shopping list… in fact can’t say I’ve ever seen one.
Thanks for the lahte-and-plaster hanging tip though; definitely going to use that one, once the current nose goo situation solves itself.
April 2nd, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Ouch! that looks painful! Is it not like breathing in water?? And it’s amazing how the girl is trying to pull a seductive look whilst having water stream out of her left nostril.
April 2nd, 2006 at 7:14 pm
I got a nasal irrigator back when I was getting sinus infections every other month, and it still did not work for me. Then my yoga teacher turned me on to the neti pot. I only use it when I feel like I’m coming down with something, and it is all kinds of fabulous. Spend the $15.
April 2nd, 2006 at 7:15 pm
Neti pots rock. I don’t even have sinus problems, but occasionally my nose holes get really dirty and I REALLY want to REALLY clean ‘em out. I agree about the part about getting the water-salt-whatever recipe ‘just right.’ Anyone have a solution?
This neti pot reminds me of something an ICU nurse shared with me about nasal trumpets (an airway tube that goes in the nose) yesterday. Apparently when he “plays” the nasal trumpet like a horn it is some universal ICU nurse language for “I’m about to use this nasal trumpet as a temporary rectal tube — I need your help putting it in this patient’s butt now.” Who knew?
Finally, ear candles are balogne. Try burning one in an open glass jar - you’ll still have a ball of wax inside afterwards. Neti pots, on the other hand, work.
April 2nd, 2006 at 7:19 pm
We totally rock the neti pot in our house…It really works! Plus, it’s fun and weird.
I prefer the white ceramic neti pot to the plastic - and use warm water and salt (can’t recall the right kind, we use one made for neti) I try to do this every morning. I’m sure Heather will LOVE it!
April 2nd, 2006 at 7:38 pm
You should check out http://starsandgarters.blogs.com/ and talk to Joolie. She LOVES neti pots and has been talking about them forever. She’s even making neti pot buttons, which I find to be WICKED fun.
If anyone wants to talk neti knowledge, she’s the one to go to.
April 2nd, 2006 at 10:19 pm
I got great relief from chronic allergy problems with nasal irrigation so I’d highly recommend it. But I’m a big cheapskate, so rather than the neti pot or the scary water-pik-looking device, I bought one of those squeezable blue bulbs that you use to suction snot out of babies’ noses. You just fill it up like an eyedropper, and squirt away. And rather than buy expensive solution, I got a recipe from an allergist for a solution that can be made simply with tap water, sea salt, baking soda, and white Karo syrup. It’s a strange brew, and an even stranger sensation the first time you do it, but it’s all worth it when you can actually breathe again (and you have that DIY, no medication satisfaction).
Good luck, and i hope you’re better soon.
April 2nd, 2006 at 11:08 pm
Not so independant Jon…not so independant.
April 2nd, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Oh yeah. And how about that model?
How would you like to be her agent and make THAT phone call. “Hey I got you this gig…well, there is one thing…yeah…well, you have to have this apparatus blow snot out of your nose. Be there at 10am.”
I didn’t think that you could get much lower on the modeling rung than the SkyMall breathing bag thingie, but now apparently there is.
April 3rd, 2006 at 12:08 am
The blue, bulb shaped, baby ear/nose goo suckers (I don’t know what else to call them!) work well for sinus irrigation. It takes a bit of practice to let the saline drizzle through your sinuses and down the back of your throat (wonder how many people I just grossed out?). What ever you do donít honk down on the bulb. I use my contact lens solution, rather than mixing up home brew saline. And now you know far more about me then you ever wanted to know.
Sinus irrigation is about the only thing that works when your really plugged up.
April 3rd, 2006 at 12:34 am
It’s too late now. But get some airborne from Tarder Joes. When you feel the tickling sensation in your throat, knowing a cold is about to come down, have yourself some airborne. You cold will not even start. It works really well.
April 3rd, 2006 at 6:53 am
The neti pot. I watched a friend do this once, and yes, the memory of her engraved in my mind’s eye is priceless. Also, gross.
She did it over the sink, and I kept expecting gigantic globs of snot to come out with the water, but I never saw any.
That was kind of disappointing.
April 3rd, 2006 at 7:24 am
love the neti pot. if your nose is particularly dry you might want to use a little bit less salt cause it can kinda sting. and lean forward- swallowing salty snotty water sucks.
April 3rd, 2006 at 7:58 am
It is very interesting, there have been two posts about neti pots today…………
http://starsandgarters.blogs.com/neti/
April 3rd, 2006 at 8:00 am
Whats with all this neti pot talk today?…..
http://tinyurl.com/rj3zh
April 3rd, 2006 at 8:19 am
Dude.
I SWEAR by the neti pot! I was gifted one last Christmas by some of Paddy’s hippie friends in Madison, WI…. it is magical!
I am allergic to the cat and this has changed my life, I sway-uh.
It is definitely something to do with the bathroon door closed, it’s pretty gross. It is magical though.
Good luck,
Kahli