Neti Pot Bad, Snot Good

It's difficult to describe exactly how. I can get the saline to exit via both the opposite nostril AND my mouth by unsealing the back of my nose and inclining my head a certain way. The saline then hits areas in the back of my throat that it normally wouldn't. It takes some practice, however, because if your head is inclined just wrong, the saline might provoke a gag reflex, or choke you by trying to enter your windpipe. It's a pain, so I only do this when those areas in the back of my throat are sore.

Cavallo wrote:The saline then hits areas in the back of my throat that it normally wouldn't. It takes some practice, however, because if your head is inclined just wrong, the saline might provoke a gag reflex, or choke you by trying to enter your windpipe. It's a pain, so I only do this when those areas in the back of my throat are sore.

You mean that is not normal? One of the reasons I hate doing it is that it always goes down my throat and I gag. I always do it before I eat because otherwise breakfast/dinner comes out too.

The first time I did a nasal rinse, & survived, I thought I understood Waterboarding.

Jan

If it's like waterboarding, you are doing it wrong. I use a nasalene as the last defense for a stuffed up nose.

True waterboarding is thinking you will die because you can't breath which is how I feel it will go, if I can't use the machine because I am stuffed up.

BlackSpinner wrote:You mean that is not normal? One of the reasons I hate doing it is that it always goes down my throat and I gag. I always do it before I eat because otherwise breakfast/dinner comes out too.

Well, I'm not omniscient, but no - I don't think it's normal. You may not have your head tilted forward enough. Getting it just right can be tricky. I've done it for years now, so it's not something I really think about.

I've only used the Neti if my nose was stuffed up. I don't like that "Nose Burn" feeling I get....it reminds me of those days as a kid when I'd jump into a pool and have the water go up my nose. But I'd rather deal with that than the 24 hours of pain and dryness I would get from using any Phenylephrine hydrochloride based nose drops, or the way my voice changed when I was using the Flonsase®- type steroids.
By the way, my Asthma and Reflux have fully disappear as of the first week in using my CPAP.

I've been ahoser now for 1 1/2 months.

RedBackFur wrote:I've only used the Neti if my nose was stuffed up. I don't like that "Nose Burn" feeling I get....it reminds me of those days as a kid when I'd jump into a pool and have the water go up my nose.

I really don't want to become some sort of neti-booster here, but RBF - if the solution burns, you're doing it wrong. It should be very comfortable and pain-free. Sounds like you're not getting enough salt in the mix.

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secret agent girl wrote:Cavallo, I've tried and tried and can't get more than a few drops of water to enter thru the back of my throat. Are you aware of tensing or shifting certain muscles? Sore throat is exactly the reason I want to be able to do this. I'm a many-year neti pot user and quite a fan.

It's tough to describe without more knowledge of the anatomy back there than I possess. My normal rinse is to incline my head, tilt to whichever side a bit, and cut off the airway to my nose - breathing only through my mouth. When I want to include my throat, I open that airway, trying to relax all those muscles, then adjust my head angle forward or back to regulate the flow into my throat. I forget whether forward is more or less - I'd have to go do it. Seems like it should be less. Perhaps I'll try it in the morning. Anyway, it's tricky getting it just right, and I find I have to expend considerable mental effort to suppress the urge to cough.

It's not something I was able to do when I first started. The friend who turned me onto the neti pot told me about this 'advanced technique' some time ago. I practiced quite a bit till I got it, and I'm still not certain I'm doing it correctly. I can definitely rinse my tonsils now, though!

BlackSpinner wrote:...always goes down my throat and I gag...

Like SLJan, I use the Grossan device. My head must be parallel to the sink to get the saline to exit via the other nostril. If my head is slightly raised, the saline is likely to hit my throat causing gagging. Might investigate and see if that is what is happening.

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secret agent girl wrote:With the in-nostril-out-mouth variation, do you hold your breathe during the flow? And do you hold your head with your nose pointing evenly down (rather than tilted to the side as I do for the nose-only version)?

You know, I meant to pay attention to my head tilt this morning, and completely spaced it. I'll try again tomorrow. You have to cut me a little slack - I've only been treated for four days.

Normally, I close off the back of my schnoz, and breathe only through my mouth, effectively confining the flow. When I let it run out my mouth, everything is wide open. If there were no saline flowing, air would be flowing through both my mouth and nose. I'm just not that well versed in the anatomy in there, or I'd be more precise with my description.

OK, so I finally paid attention this morning. I don't really incline my head differently at all. I use the same position either way. The only difference is whether I cut off the opening from my throat to my nose or not. If I open it, the saline trickles into the back of my throat and out my mouth. If not, it remains in my nose.

Ok what am I doing wrong? I have been using the neti for a few days as I have the flu and very stuffed up (making it impossible now to use my apap swift nasal mask)
EVERYTIME I use it, I do the mouth breathing advised on the instructions. A very trickly bit of the water comes out of my nose. The rest of it comes out of my mouth and the "enter" nostril....I end up soaking wet a mess all over my clothing, no matter how I position my head or the pot. I'm thinking there must be some trick w/the breathing. Please educate me!!!! Help!!!! Could it be the size of my nares? They are large. So the spout doesn't seal. Or my upturned nose? Yikes. Terry

If you can't walk and chew gum at the same time, you have no business messing with a neti pot.

Sorry about the flu and I hope it passes quickly.