Lazyass

Two years ago to the month I woke up one morning with my nasal passages swelled shut. Ever since that day I've been living a nightmare (since I hate doctors so much I refuse to see one even though I have Tri Care). I wake up in the middle of the night unable to breathe through my nose, I carry nasal spray with me at all times since it will swell shut at any given moment, days when my nose will not stop running and every ride I constantly blow snot rockets. Like every five minutes. I also carry Afrin on rides and have to use it at least a couple of times. Sometimes it doesn't even work and I have to breathe out of my mouth the whole ride. Like I said, a nightmare.

First I figured I suddenly developed allergies. I bought all the OTC stuff and Claritn worked the best but nothing lasted long. Then I thought I had a nasal infection and tried all kinds of medicine for that. Then last week I read about doing a nasal flush. So I bought a spray can of nasal saline wash. So much gunk went into the sink I was shocked. That day I used the entire can. I slept the entire night with a clear nose for the first time in two years. The next morning I could feel it swelling up again so I went out and bought a neti pot with saline packets for $10 and it worked. I've been using that once a day for the heck of it, but since last week I have not sprayed that damn Afrin in my nose one time. The last two mornings I rode my bike in the cold and not one single snot rocket. I purposely kept my mouth closed just because I could haha. I feel like a brand new person.

K.Katso

Afrin is actually addictive. If you use it too long you will have to continue to use it to breath normally. I got addicted to it after a severe head cold about 10 years ago, and it took me almost 2 months to wean myself off of it. Horrible stuff. Good thing you could stop using it.

Yendor72

A neti pot can be worth is full weight in gold. I have been using one for years. This year I actually got sick, head cold with a sore throat. I had not used my neti pot, as soon as I did I was home free. I missed 1 day of work, but that was it.

PhotoJoe 

I had similar results. I'm very prone to sinus infections. Can't burn wood in the fireplace or I'm guaranteed a sinus infection. Always have to stay upwind around the campfire. Tried the wash and it really does work wonders. Use distilled water and DO NOT heat the water too much . It's an odd sensation at first, but once you get used to it, it's really no big deal.

https://www.amazon.com/NeilMed-Sinus-...+rinse+bottles

Lazyass

Yeah, but without it my nose would be swelled completely shut. Sleeping at night was the worst because I cannot sleep at all having to breathe out of my mouth. And half the time I couldn't even get back to sleep. Words cannot describe how happy I am right now. Serious sinus problems change your life.

PhotoJoe 

Make sure you're prepared for secondary drainage. I have found that after using the bottle, about half hour later, the sinuses shrink and it's like Niagara Falls all of a sudden. I've learned to be prepared.

Lazyass

I spent $10 and it came with 30 saline packets, but if I had known what it would do for me I would have paid $100.

Yendor72

Even after a ride it is a good idea to flush, the icky stuff you inhale while riding needs to get flushed out. I find that when the pollen count is high a neti pot flush of the sinuses is necessary every day myself. And I truly believe that it has helped me not miss a day of work (until this year) for over 3 years as I am a regular user.

TrojanHorse

Not to belabor the obvious, but if you can over come your dislike of doctors it's possible you could have saved yourself a ton of misery. My wife had sinus issues, went to the doc and came home with a netipot. Problem solved.

By the way, there is a shocking amount of material on youtube about netipots.

topflightpro

The Afrin you were using regularly actually can lead to your nose swelling shut. That's one of the side effects of becoming addicted to it. The more you use it, the more your sinuses need it. And if you don't use it, they swell shut.

And I second the Neilmed, though I use warm tap water.

indyfabz

Heh. You are not kidding. My GF flushes at least once/day and has, on several occasions, dripped on me a while after flushing.

svtmike

Just keep that neti pot clean.

Wanderer

You were using so much of that stuff, that it was actually making it worse. Never, never, never use that nose stuff for more than a week.

Shimagnolo

I used to know an ENT Dr that swore by nasal flushes and declared it was more effective than most available allergy drugs.
I use one just because my nose seems like to produce more mucous than I can deal with, and I sometimes need to wake up at 0300 just to try to clear it out. If I use a Neti pot just before going to bed, I can sleep soundly until dawn.

A word of warning: *Boil* tap water before using it in a Neti pot, to kill microorganisms in the water.
Heck there was even an episode of "House M.D.", in which that was the cause of an illness.

FLvector

I've promised myself to never use Afrin again. It works extremely well in shrinking the tissues within the nasal passages so you can breath, but the rebound effect when it wears off makes it worse than before using it. As mentioned, very addictive. My wife had to have surgery to open up the passages (turbinates ?) between the sinuses due to repeated sinus infections. It solved her problem.

caloso

I am a huge believer in sinus irrigation. I prefer the squeeze bottle and I'll just do it in the shower in the morning. Also a drop or two of vinegar helps to lower the ph in there and inhibits the nasties. Stings a little at first, but you get over it.

531Aussie

Yes, but I figure they understated the severity of it, because the character seemed to be 'simply' cured with antibiotics.
From what I've read, although the brain infection is extremely rare, the death rate is 95%+

Some articles say that the water needs to be boiled for 3 minutes to kill everything!!

PhotoJoe 

My ENT told me to use distilled water. So I have.

melloveloyellow

Congratulations! As a fellow sinus sufferer, I can surely relate. My issues were such that I use once-a-day netipot rinses combined w/a once daily Zyrtec and twice daily Flonase spray. Works great. I can smell things again, too!

I bought some NON-iodized salt (at the grocery) and some bicarb (baking soda). Add ¼ tsp of each to the warm water in the neti-pot, stir and wait for the solution to clear (about 30-60 sec), then use. Cheaper than the premix, if that matters.

Flonase (fluticasone) spray is cheap ($11) by Rx if you've insurance. It's generic. It's a topical steroid, and the use of one of these plus an oral antihistamine has proven the best for allergic rhinitis. Combined w/the netipot, it's been terrific for me. I wait at least 15 min after the netipot to use the flonase - so all the salt water is drained.

Afrin causes rebound swelling of the nasal/sinus mucosa - it's a potent vasoconstrictor, like Cocaine. Use it more than twice at your own risk.

Isn't it remarkable that I can enter "Cocaine" but not "g u n" in a post?

Phil_gretz

+1 on Neti pot. This was a good, practical thread. Thanks.

rideBjj

I don't have any problems with my sinuses generally, *except* when I exercise, and especially if it's at all cold out. My nose then runs like crazy. When I ride, that means blasting snot from each nostril at least every 10 minutes. I probably will never be able to ride with a group for this reason. Unless I stay at the back (which would probably happen regardless... me not fast).

rpenmanparker 

There is a fairly new nasal spray for allergy and sinus sufferers called Dymista. It is fairly expensive but is, in fact, just a blend of fluticasone (Flonase, steroid) and azelastine (Astelin, antihistamine) both at their generic dosages (NOT Astlin Pro which is still under patent and at a higher dosage). So you can get inexpensive prescriptions for each ingredient and just use them together. I do that with my allergist's and ENT's blessings. It works better for allergy and sinus congestion than any other product I have ever tried. And of course, it does not have the rebound effect frequently experienced with Afrin.

Sprays like Dymista or its ingredients, especially the steroid sprays, are often used to wean folks OFF Afrin when they are addicted. In fact I do get addicted to Afrin (since it was new on the market back in the 1950s) and find that I can use it once every 48 hours WHEN I AM USING THE DYMISTA BLEND without any fear of rebound.

The saline spray twice a day is also a very good prophylactic measure to keep the nasal and sinus passages moist and clear.

Good luck with this Lazyass. In no way to antagonize you, but I would suggest that visits to both an ENT and an allergist might be in order. Conditions such as yours can have serious underlying causes such as nasal polyps. At the very least allergy injections, when indicated, can provide tremendous improvement.

Lazyass

Well, I threw the Afrin away. I also had bottles of three other brands, gone.

motorthings

i was hoping something like a huge bug (or a space alien) crawled out of your nose, and that was the solution...reality can be so mundane.

FLvector

Or this???
??