Rinsing My Nose With Saline Caused Even More Swelling and Stuffiness?

First of all, I am not a medic or any kind of a medical expert. I am just sharing my own experience here. Please let me know in the comments if you have better solutions so that other people can try that as well. Every body is different, and the bodily problems and reactions can be triggered by many different causes. Make sure to contact the doctor first in case of any problems.

Permanent nasal problems might be dangerous! Let's hear three stories. One of my friends had a stuffy nose for a long time. One of his nostrils was totally blocked permanently. One doctor told him that it was caused by nasal polyps - swollen pieces of tissue in the sinuses. Well, after several examinations and screenings it turned out to be a cancer! Fortunately, it was not too late, and he got the tumor removed. Be it a few months later, he could have died according to the doctor! Visiting a doctor might be really important even if the problem doesn't seem serious. This story made me and the other guy I will talk about right now visit the doctor too and solve our issues. The second story is from another friend who had severe headaches and a pus-like secretion from his nose. It was a small inflamed cyst in the nasal cavity. He also had it surgically removed!

The third story is mine. I've had a spring pollen allergy since I was a child. Irritated eyes, runny nose, mild asthma. And then one year, my nose was more and more stuffy till it got completely clogged. I couldn't breathe with my nose at all! I went to the allergology, and the doctor told me that I might have nasal polyps. I got some corticosteroid - mometasone nose drops which kinda helped but you know, I didn't want to be addicted to them like having to get them every day! Excessive applying can also cause serious problems later. Well, after several other examinations it turned out that I also had a deviated septum. Probably was born like that or got it in my karate dojo (yea I got a puch in my nose a few times :D). Anyway, I went to a surgery to have the septum fixed, and it really helped a lot. I can breathe much more easily now, I'd totally recommend this surgery! It was in a general anesthesia (sleeping), a few days in the hospital. Just had a bit swollen face for a week.

After that, my sinuses sometimes still get swollen. I sometimes use the nose drops, but I mostly replaced it by the saline rinses. People use often the neti pots to rinse their nose. I used a simple syringe without needle. It took me some time to actually polish the technique. When applied in a wrong way, the condition might get worse!!! Always start gently! Many times my sinuses got even more swollen after the rinse. There are saline drops that can be bought in a pharmacy but even those were not ideal for me always. I found out that there were three most important things that affected the result of my rinse. After that I got a neti pot and I have to say that using that is much more comfortable. The water flows in more naturally.

First, the temperature of the water. The optimal temperature for me is to have the water of the same temperature as the body so that the water doesn't feel hot nor cold in the nose. The ideal case is when I don't feel the water at all! Second, the amount of salt. This can differ a lot! The best thing for me was to start with very diluted saline with only a bit of salt and trying to add more and more. Sometimes, the saline can be very unpleasant in the nose. Too much of salt can cause even pain or burning sensation coming up to the eyes. It is always better to put less at first! The amount of salt can even differ in time. Sometimes I feel like adding more, sometimes less. My golden rule is to taste it. It should not be too salty like a seawater or chips, just mild so that I would be able to drink it without disgust or making weird faces. Third, the application. What caused me more nasal irritation was intentional pulling of the saline through the nose by breathing in and then intentional pushing it out like when blowing one's nose. The best way for me is being gentle. Just positioning the head horizontally, almost diagonally, at the basin so that the applied water doesn't flow out and slowly pouring the saline to one nostril. It's OK if the water flows out from the second one or to the mouth or neck. After that I sometimes pluck both nostrils, get by head up and let the saline be there for a minute. Then just release the nostrils and let the saline flow naturally out. Sometimes breathing gently out to help it a bit. I use classic cheapest salt for cooking and clean tap water.

I noticed that doing this every day might be too much so it's good not to overdo it. Also the maximal amount for me is maximum of 3 times per day with one small syringe per nostril. Sometimes when the nose is too swollen, I gently try to pull the saline in or plug my nose before the rinsing, press an air inside to dilate the nostrils and open them a bit and then rinse them. I also do this when I feel like getting cold or after being around sick people to clean my nose from bacteria and believe it or not, I haven't seen any snot in my nose for a few years now.

One more tip. If you suffer from swollen nasal passages during night and feel like you can actually open them with your fingers and feel a relief, look for nasal dilators. They are simple small plastic tools that you can put inside your nose to widen the nostrils. I have tried them too and the change of the airflow is significant. My worries about having my nose irritated by them were also not necessary. The materials are often made to be as comfortable as possible and I got used to it after one night.

Keywords: health,natural,remedy,treatment
#alternativemedicine #homeremedies #health #naturalremedy #naturalmedicine