So those of you that have the pleasure of knowing me in real life, you are aware of my sinus issues that never seem to really go away. For a period of time the symptoms subside, although I constantly sneeze (allergies? All year long? I don't know). Then it flares up. The first way I know is that my glasses always seem to be super heavy on my nose bridge. No matter how I adjustment them, it weighs like a tonne on my nose. So much pressure along my orbit. Annoying really, especially when I'm supposed to be studying.
Recently, I got sick and not only do I have a sore throat/cough to deal with, but my sinus condition decided to exacerbate the situation. So all day today while working, I had to deal with a constant pressure along my inferior orbital floor.
Now one of my classmates had mentioned last week that she does nasal irrigation to prevent colds/nasal symptoms. But I was still hesitant. Then today going through my current pain- my fear was dampened a bit, curiosity piqued more. I started a discussion at work with my attending and the OT, they hadn't had experience with it. I asked the driver of our mobile van what he thought of it, and surprisingly his was a positive one. He had recently had a bout of a sinus infection that would come and go frequently. After his primary care physician had exhausted her medical knowledge over this, she recommended he try irrigation. His residual sinus infection was resolved through it. Wow. I then asked over twitter what other individuals' experiences were with it. Another girl had tried it, and she had a sensation of drowning. Overall, she felt that it did help clear her nasal passages.
I decided to do some final research and do it for myself... So I got the necessary saline solution and a thick syringe (there are neti pots and other interesting contraptions to help with it).
Must say- it is a weird sensation. A half drowning, half almost about to sneeze feeling. Took me approximately 5 attempts before I got my head position and nose position over the sink right. The right saline solution is a must, don't want too much salt or it will burn your nasal passages, and not enough won't really be helpful. A recommendation I came across was to add a half a tsp of baking soda to the solution, which helps to liquefy mucous. After the initial struggle and finally once the sneezing stopped, my breathing ability definitely improved. And slowly over 5 mins I realized that the pressure on the left side had definitely eased up. SCORE!
It is only day one, and this is something that probably has to be done more regularly to fully understand the benefits. I am enjoying day one, and hoping that it helps me with the sleeping tonight. Shall keep you all posted on how this experiment works. Any questions on my progress- ask through comments or tweet @ me.
Cheers!
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