How To Rinse Your Sinus

Sinus rinsing has changed my life. What once seemed terrifying, has now become part of my daily routine. I rinse twice a day. As soon as I get up and an hour before bed. Here is how I do it.

You will need:
NeilMed Sinus Rinse
Alkalol
a glass measuring cup
8oz of distilled water.

1. Pour slightly less than 8oz of distilled water into a glass measuring cup.



2. Microwave the water on high for 35 to 42 seconds (depending on strength of microwave, newer ones only need 35).



3. Fill the (clean) sinus rinse bottle with the warmed distilled water. Make sure it is slightly below the fill line.



4. Add a full rinse packet into the bottle.



5. Add Alkalol until it reaches the fill line. If it’s a light/medium yellow color you have a good amount. If it’s hardly yellow you might not have enough and it won’t be helpful.



6. Put the top on the bottle.



7. Cover the hole with your index finger and shake to mix the water, rinse packet, and alkalol together.

8. Tilt your head to the left with your nose facing down over the sink.

9. Put the top of the bottle in your right nostril and squeeze the bottle gently forcing the water up in the sinus. Stop at the half way point indicated on the bottle.

10. Tilt your head to right with your nose facing down over the sink.

11. Put the top of the bottle in your left nostril and squeeze the bottle gently forcing the water up in the sinus. Stop when the bottle is empty.



Now blow your nose and until there is no congestion left.

Whodunit

While catching up on last season's Games of Thrones over the weekend, a small patch of skin on the back of my left arm above my elbow began to burn. A feeling I'm quite familiar with, a hive was beginning to form. In the early stages of a hive I'm typically still in denial. Oh, I'm just itchy. Maybe my skin is dry? But when I actually look and see the little bump surrounded by red, I am in denial no longer.

My next step is to figure what to do. The time of day plays the biggest role here. If it is during the morning or afternoon, I choose to take a Benadryl. Once the evening hits it becomes a bit trickier. I typically take my Allegra any time after 9pm. Depending on the severity of the hive; I have to decide if the hour it takes for the Allegra to begin working is worth waiting out. For this particular hive, even though it was only slightly after 8pm I chose the Allegra. It didn’t feel too bad and there was only one.

Now that the hive has been addressed and assessed, comes the biggest step yet – figuring out what made it appear in the first place. I will be the first to admit, my dinner was not the healthiest. Did that bit of Cherry Coke rack up my histamines? I try not to have soda too often, and it’s never caused hives. So, no? Was it stress? I was not stressed at the present time, but my day had not been the smoothest. Did the shift in weather freak out the senses? Not a clue.

And that is probably one of the most frustrating parts to having allergies. Sometimes it’s just one big game of Clue, but there is no Miss Scarlet with the candlestick in the library to blame. There is just my own Mr. (actually, Miss.) Boddy to blame.