Ugh! If I blow my nose one more time, it might just fall off! Who knew such a little appendage (does a nose count as an appendage?) could produce so much snot?!? Sorry if that grosses you out, but you should know by now that I'm a pretty open person...and being in nursing school and preparing for childbirth/raising kids has made my discussion of bodily functions and fluids even more candid!
So I've been battling a nasty cold for about three weeks by now. Pregnancy opens up your capillaries and sinuses, making a runny nose even more of a nuisance than normal! After a week, I finally asked my doctor what I could take, and she gave me a list of safe over the counter meds. Since Tylenol Cold was both on the list and under my bathroom sink, I tried that option first. After two days, it was pretty clear that Tylenol wasn't going to cut it. So I switched to Benadryl, even though I knew it'd make me sleepy...but fighting fatigue during my last few weeks of clinicals sounded a whole lot better than rubbing my nose clear off my face!
Well, two weeks later, the Benadryl is helping, but it hasn't finished the job just yet. And I'm miserable. And my nose is raw. And I've run out of Kleenex twice already. So when I went for my 20-week check the other day, I asked the doctor again what I could take. She suggested switching to Sudafed, but that really just makes me too tired, and I don't want to have to go buy more pills if I can help it. But she also recommended Neil Med's SinuFlo Ready Rinse which is honestly a lot like a douche for your sinuses. Sorry if that is too graphic a mental picture, but it's the truth!
The kit is available at Walgreens, near the NetiPots (made by the same company) and includes a bottle with a pre-mixed solution, as well as two packets that can be mixed with warm water for follow-up treatments. While leaning over the sink (a much more comfortable and natural position than the NetiPot requires), you simply squeeze the bottle into your nostril, letting the solution come out the other side, blowing your nose, and then repeating on the opposite side. I'll warn you, a small amount may get to the back of your throat and therefore come out your mouth (the instructions tell you to leave your mouth open and not hold your breath), but the clean feeling you have when you're done is well worth the few minutes of strange sensation of squirting saline up your nose! I bought the initial kit for about $12 and a box of 120 refill packets (again, that I simply mix with warm, not hot, water) for about $12.
Not only is the NasalRinse totally natural (and safe for preggos like me), but it's a great addition to give a little extra oomph to any medications you might take without feeling likea druggie pill-popper!! I'd heard of the NetiPot before, but tilting my head to the side while pouring a "kettle" of solution into my nose seemed a little gross and uncomfortable...this kit is easy to follow and a more natural position, making it a much less gross process!
And that's my PR promo for the day! Enjoy...and let me know if you have any questions!!
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