NeilMed and Me -- Good for a laugh!!

[sleepycarol]

A couple of weeks or so ago I purchased the NeilMed Neti-Pot at Walmart. Shortly after purchasing it, I found the NeilMed Sinus Rinse Bottle at Walgreens on sale so of course purchased it as well.

I figured this would give me a choice of which to use.

Well, I made my granddaughter's day!! She is six and grandma's buddy!!
My hubby was home yesterday and last night with a really nasty bad cold. He left around noon today (he is working out of state this week) for work.

I decided that it was time to break out the NeilMed Rinse and try to see if I could head off the "cold germs". I have had a slight runny nose and do not want to come down with a full blown cold.

I open the box, get the bottle out, add warm water to the bottle, then put in the little packet. I have read the directions thoroughly and bend way over the sink. I start gently squeezing the bottle -- only to have the solution run down the back of my throat and choke me.

Here I am coughing up a lung, water running out my nose, and feeling like a fool and who is standing over to the side giving commentary? Yep, the granddaughter!! Her reaction is "Hey grandma you ought to see yourself!!! You are funny!!! Do you know you have water running out your nose??? Why are you coughing like that??? Why is water running out your nose?? You are so funny grandma!!!" Here I am still gagging and coughing and she is laughing about it!! Now she says "Grandma are you okay? Grandma can you do it again?? I wanna see water come out your nose grandma!!!"

Well I try a another squirt up my nose and this time it felt as though my sinuses on the right side (the side I used) was going to explode!! How do you stand the pressure? At least none of it ran down the back of my throat!! She did get a kick out of the water running out.

I try the other nostril and the pressure was still almost unbearable. It felt really full and almost like it was going to burst!! By now the little darling is still about doubled over with laughter.

By then I am ready to quit and say phooey on it and empty the rest of the solution out into the sink.

Am I brave enough to try it again -- I am not sure as I can be a real weinie.

I am SOOOOO glad you guys are my friends -- cause with friends like you I would hate to see you when you want to get even with someone!!

[goose]

Wow Sleepycarol......
I've been looking at that solution myself, but after reading your post -- now I'm not so sure.

I was under the impression that there wasn't any pressure because the "pot" moved water by gravity, but it sounds like you were using that plastic "spray bottle" thingie that's like you'd have for Afrin or one of the other nasal sprays?? I wouldn't think a lot of pressure would be a good thing, but perhaps I'm misreading your post......

I love the reaction of granddaughter....Isn't it just like a kid to find humor in misery??? They really don't have any experience to relate it to, so water coming out of grandma's nose must be a funny image.....If you were using the pot and it was just draining through it would be even a funnier image.....

I'm still considering the option!!!!
(I don't have a 6 year old around to laugh at me though)

cheers
goose

[sleepycarol]

I had a deviated septum and my sinuses worked on 1990. I, also, have severe allergies.

I used the squeeze bottle and not the neti-pot (the one that looks like a little teapot). I don't know if I was squeezing too hard or too fast. I am thinking if I hadn't gotten choked it would have helped!! There are several factors going on at the same time during my little escapade that it makes it hard to tell.

I hate water "up" my nose and refuse to duck my head in our swimming pool for any reason!!! I think that is partly why I have never been able to learn to swim. I get water in my face and I panic big time!! When I was baptized (baptist religion and they dunk you three times) I told the minister that did it if he dunked my nose I would "bop him one". Needless to say I was immersed in the water to where my nose connects to my face. My nose was not dunked -- he believed me.

So part of what I was feeling might have been the "flight or fight syndrome". Don't know!! It didn't help having granddaughter laughing her rear-end off at me either.

[Guest]

A couple of weeks or so ago I purchased the NeilMed Neti-Pot at Walmart. Shortly after purchasing it, I found the NeilMed Sinus Rinse Bottle at Walgreens on sale so of course purchased it as well.

I figured this would give me a choice of which to use.

Well, I made my granddaughter's day!! She is six and grandma's buddy!!
My hubby was home yesterday and last night with a really nasty bad cold. He left around noon today (he is working out of state this week) for work.

I decided that it was time to break out the NeilMed Rinse and try to see if I could head off the "cold germs". I have had a slight runny nose and do not want to come down with a full blown cold.

I open the box, get the bottle out, add warm water to the bottle, then put in the little packet. I have read the directions thoroughly and bend way over the sink. I start gently squeezing the bottle -- only to have the solution run down the back of my throat and choke me.

Here I am coughing up a lung, water running out my nose, and feeling like a fool and who is standing over to the side giving commentary? Yep, the granddaughter!! Her reaction is "Hey grandma you ought to see yourself!!! You are funny!!! Do you know you have water running out your nose??? Why are you coughing like that??? Why is water running out your nose?? You are so funny grandma!!!" Here I am still gagging and coughing and she is laughing about it!! Now she says "Grandma are you okay? Grandma can you do it again?? I wanna see water come out your nose grandma!!!"

Well I try a another squirt up my nose and this time it felt as though my sinuses on the right side (the side I used) was going to explode!! How do you stand the pressure? At least none of it ran down the back of my throat!! She did get a kick out of the water running out.

I try the other nostril and the pressure was still almost unbearable. It felt really full and almost like it was going to burst!! By now the little darling is still about doubled over with laughter.

By then I am ready to quit and say phooey on it and empty the rest of the solution out into the sink.

Am I brave enough to try it again -- I am not sure as I can be a real weinie.

I am SOOOOO glad you guys are my friends -- cause with friends like you I would hate to see you when you want to get even with someone!!

OH Carol, I am so sorry that you went through that.! But... I can just see you, because it reminded me of me when I first tried to figure it out...
At least now me and Jerry know what happened when we "twisted" your arm to admit having them...

Lean your head forward and sorta downward and breathe through your mouth to close the nasal airway. Very gently, squeeze the bottle according to how you feel comfortable with it until you get used to it, dont just SQUEEZE it or you will drown! I still have a little drain into my mouth, but just spit it out. Of course I dont have a little one beside of me laughing at me either...lolol...Now,, I would probably be the same way about trying to use the neti pot..I can just see me now doing exactly the same thing you did... When I first used the bottle, I started snortin water everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE ! I finally got the idea of how to use it.. now I just love it.

I also cant stand water in my face. Not even in the shower.(Cant swim either!) I guess that is why I was so surprised at myself at getting used to the mask so quickly....

Don't give up, give it another try. You will love it when you get used to it. Also another thing, it will not work so well if you have a stopped up nose. The passages need to be clear for it to work.

[jsmythe]

A couple of weeks or so ago I purchased the NeilMed Neti-Pot at Walmart. Shortly after purchasing it, I found the NeilMed Sinus Rinse Bottle at Walgreens on sale so of course purchased it as well.

I figured this would give me a choice of which to use.

Well, I made my granddaughter's day!! She is six and grandma's buddy!!
My hubby was home yesterday and last night with a really nasty bad cold. He left around noon today (he is working out of state this week) for work.

I decided that it was time to break out the NeilMed Rinse and try to see if I could head off the "cold germs". I have had a slight runny nose and do not want to come down with a full blown cold.

I open the box, get the bottle out, add warm water to the bottle, then put in the little packet. I have read the directions thoroughly and bend way over the sink. I start gently squeezing the bottle -- only to have the solution run down the back of my throat and choke me.

Here I am coughing up a lung, water running out my nose, and feeling like a fool and who is standing over to the side giving commentary? Yep, the granddaughter!! Her reaction is "Hey grandma you ought to see yourself!!! You are funny!!! Do you know you have water running out your nose??? Why are you coughing like that??? Why is water running out your nose?? You are so funny grandma!!!" Here I am still gagging and coughing and she is laughing about it!! Now she says "Grandma are you okay? Grandma can you do it again?? I wanna see water come out your nose grandma!!!"

Well I try a another squirt up my nose and this time it felt as though my sinuses on the right side (the side I used) was going to explode!! How do you stand the pressure? At least none of it ran down the back of my throat!! She did get a kick out of the water running out.

I try the other nostril and the pressure was still almost unbearable. It felt really full and almost like it was going to burst!! By now the little darling is still about doubled over with laughter.

By then I am ready to quit and say phooey on it and empty the rest of the solution out into the sink.

Am I brave enough to try it again -- I am not sure as I can be a real weinie.

I am SOOOOO glad you guys are my friends -- cause with friends like you I would hate to see you when you want to get even with someone!!

OH Carol, I am so sorry that you went through that.! But... I can just see you, because it reminded me of me when I first tried to figure it out...
At least now me and Jerry know what happened when we "twisted" your arm to admit having them...

Lean your head forward and sorta downward and breathe through your mouth to close the nasal airway. Very gently, squeeze the bottle according to how you feel comfortable with it until you get used to it, dont just SQUEEZE it or you will drown! I still have a little drain into my mouth, but just spit it out. Of course I dont have a little one beside of me laughing at me either...lolol...Now,, I would probably be the same way about trying to use the neti pot..I can just see me now doing exactly the same thing you did... When I first used the bottle, I started snortin water everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE ! I finally got the idea of how to use it.. now I just love it.

I also cant stand water in my face. Not even in the shower.(Cant swim either!) I guess that is why I was so surprised at myself at getting used to the mask so quickly....

Don't give up, give it another try. You will love it when you get used to it. Also another thing, it will not work so well if you have a stopped up nose. The passages need to be clear for it to work.

Sorry , I forgot to log in,... this was mine...

[Pilot_Ron]

I just started using it on Friday. It is important that you breath through your mouth or that happens. You may want to give it another try, cause it does work great.


Goodluck.

[gasparama]

I do understand your problem. The first two times that I used the little bottle, by ears stopped up. Then I read somewhere (possibly on this list) to angle the bottle tip toward the outer walls of your nostrils. That produced much less pressure and yet the solution still did it's job.

Good luck,
Jane

[tuna]

Just don't blow your nose afterwards, or you will be in a whole lot of pain! And yes always breath with mouth open or it will go down throat..

[Treesap]

I use a neti pot, and I HAVE to blow my nose afterward. If I don't, I feel salt water running down the back of my throat or out my nose again (if I am bending over).

[snork1]

I use a sqeeze bulb instead of a neti pot.
I couldn't even stand to use a nose spray before I started. HATED stuff up my nose. Probably a good thing back in the '80's.

START GENTLY. Don't try to do a "thorough" job at first. Figure you are just getting used to it. I started by barely getting it into my nose, and let it pour out as I did it, and GRADUALLY got it to go in deeper as I got more control and got used to it.

Once you start getting it deeper, then you do have to clear out the solution that pools up in there. AFTER blowing out all the water in the sink or shower. I hang my head down and then "swoop" it up a few times. I actually do this by doing slow knee lunges to keep my knees flexible, with arching my back up and hanging my head down between the lunges (basic yoga stuff) OVER a towel. Amazing how much water can still be in there, then I blow my nose and yes sometimes my ears plug up for a few seconds.

The key is to GRADUALLY work into it. Don't try to fill your head with water the first time!

Don't give up! It can really pay off and is easy after you get used to it.

[sleepycarol]

For a couple hours after I used it I had it running out of my nose occassionally and a few times down the back of my throat.

How do you get it all out without it taking hours? I gently blew my nose a few times thinking it would get it all, but still had it running.

I haven't tried it since. If I can find an evening where I don't have grandkids (not doing it in front of them again ) I might become brave enough to give it another shot.

[snork1]

For a couple hours after I used it I had it running out of my nose occassionally and a few times down the back of my throat.

How do you get it all out without it taking hours? I gently blew my nose a few times thinking it would get it all, but still had it running.

I haven't tried it since. If I can find an evening where I don't have grandkids (not doing it in front of them again ) I might become brave enough to give it another shot.

Blow out the water alternating pinching off the other nostril while still in the "rinse position".
THEN try the hanging your head upside down(i.e. lean way over as if picking something off the floor) and maybe move your head a bit while in that position and when swooping your head (slowly) up and back until your head is actually tipped back. Then blow your nose again.

This is NOT a delicate procedure that you would want to share with ANYONE. I shut the bathroom door and my wife doesn't even want me to hint as to what is going on in the bathroom with all that snorting and nose blowing.

I also make sure I don't do this JUST before bedtime or JUST before I go out, because occasionally a couple of drips do escape a few minutes later when I lean over or something.

But yikes! I would much rather have all that stuff coming OUT of my head than staying IN my head!

Work up to it gradually though. You WILL get better with practice.

I find IF it HURTS my sinuses, I am using water that is too cold or I don't have enough salt in the water. Too hot...well that is very evident VERY quickly.

[6PtStar]

I find that heating the water is better than trying to get the water the correct temperture. My ENT and NeilMed says to use distilled water. Since I keep it for my humidifier I use it. Some heat the water in a microwave. I use one of those little coil heaters they sell for heating water for instant coffee while traveling. Just plug it in and drop it in a cup of water and 2 minites and 40 seconds later it is just the righr temperture, no guessing and I don't have to run from the kitchen to the bath. Just don't forget to put the salt in. Using just water will make your eyes cross and nose run for a while. It smarts too. Don't ask how I know (twice).

Jerry