This post is not recommended for the easily grossed-out. Read at your own risk. And don't say I didn't warn ya!
2006 will also be the year in which I completely alleviate all my sinus problems.
For the past several months, I have been doing an incredible amount of research on how to stop my suffering of what I believe is chronic sinusitis. I have never been formally diagnosed, but I have a very strong intuition, and I feel confident that chronic sinusitis is my main health problem.
As a smoker, I had had breathing problems for years. My main problem was my permanent stuffiness of the nose as well totally debilitating headaches caused by sinus pressure. When I got these headaches, my life literally came screeching to a halt. I could not tolerate any kind of bright light or loud noise. I felt dizzy, nauseated and exhausted. The only way I knew to stop it was to lie down in a quiet, dark room and go to sleep with the hope that perhaps it would be over upon my awakening.
My former primary care physician diagnosed me with migraines, but after years of taking migraine medication and getting no relief, I started paying more attention to my body. I learned that I am especially vulnerable to headaches from a drop in barometric pressure, which happens frequently before any kind of precipitation: snow, sleet, or rain. My family thinks I am the human Doppler for weather forecasts, because I can accurately predict a storm before it comes...even if it's presently sunny with no clouds in sight. So by the time the barometer dips below 30, I am usually in agony. Also, I felt stuffy ALL the time. I'd blow my nose repeatedly and nothing would come out. So frustrating. It was quite difficult to breathe through my nose at all, really. I quit smoking in July 2001, but my sinus problems continued.
In November 2004, I decided that I'd had enough. I went to an ear/nose/throat surgeon and consulted with him. He tested me for allergies (and I have none, surprisingly) and he recommended endoscopic sinus surgery. I thought about it for....ohhh...about a minute, then consented. During the procedure, he removed several nasal polyps and corrected my deviated septum. He told me afterwards that I should have an easier time breathing through my nose, and that my headaches would be less frequent, or at least less agonizing.
For a while after my surgery, things were better. But then, my headaches returned and were not any less painful than before. Since then, I have been researching sinusitis and ways to treat and prevent it. I believe that I had a sinus infection at some point after my surgery when I came down with a cold, but never treated it, so it decided to settle in and stay.
I am currently taking an OTC nasal decongestant (Sudafed) once or twice a day. I recently began taking Mucinex, which thins out the gunk, and I have found it extremely helpful. I set up an ultrasonic warm mist humidifier in our bedroom to run all night while I sleep. And lastly, just a few days ago, I began performing a sinus lavage (irrigation) using a Neti pot and an isotonic saline mixture.
The Neti pot is what I think (hope!) will make the biggest difference. The Neti pot has been used for centuries by Indian yogi to cleanse the nose and sinuses. They're available at health food stores, but I bought the SinuCleanse system at my local CVS drugstore for about $12. It's all-natural and has no side effects or risk of dependency. It can be used as frequently as once every two or three hours, or as little as needed.
The Neti pot resembles Aladdin's lamp. I fill it with lukewarm water and mix in the saline powder until dissolved. The next part is where things get kind of gross: standing over my bathroom sink, I insert the long nozzle (where the genie would come out if it were a magic lamp) into my right nostril, until it forms a seal. Then I bend my head down to look directly at the sink under me. Finally, I tilt my head to the left, still bent, so that my left ear is almost touching my shoulder, and my right ear is directly above it. This is where things start to get a little nasty: gravity then moves the saline solution from the Neti pot into my right nostril, and it all comes gushing out of my left nostril, into the sink.
After the Neti pot is completely emptied, I bring my head back up, remove the nozzle from my right nostril, and gently blow my nose. Then I repeat the procedure in my left nostril. The amount of gunk that comes out amazes me. My nose runs intermittently for a good ten or fifteen minutes after the lavage, and afterwards I feel great! The first time I used it, I admit it felt totally bizarre. I got the sense that I was about to drown! The most important thing is to remember to keep breathing slowly and deeply through the mouth so that you don't choke on the saline solution. It is relaxing once you get the hang of it, though.
ANOTHER GROSS ALERT: The other good thing is that I've been on Levaquin, an antibiotic, to treat my strep throat for the past week. The first couple of days I took it, there was quite a bit of nasty, dark yellow, pudding-like gunk coming out of my nose. In fact, I called my friend PJ, who also knows all too well the agony of sinus issues, and exclaimed, "I had no idea there was enough room in my head for all this crap! Where is it all coming from?" (Aside: I love PJ. I can talk about any health issue and she's never grossed out). So I'm thinking that the antibiotic was also a major player in helping my battle against my chronic sinusitis.
I am going to follow this program once a day for a couple of weeks to see if it makes a difference. At this point, I am willing to try anything.
Kisses!
In My Head
