Nothing but neti

So I was complaining about my horrible sinus infection on one of the online forums I visit (yes, I am as compelling over there as I am on my blog), and one of the other women suggested I try a neti pot. I made a mental note to google it, but as she lives in Hong Kong, I figured I wouldn't be able to find whatever it was in the States and didn't really think too much more about it. But when my good friend from college mentioned it as well, I decided to learn more. I read about the product and its reviews (very positive) on Amazon.com, and a quick search of Walgreen's awesome web site confirmed my local store had them in stock. I ran out and returned with this:


I wasn't really sure I could go though with it. The neti pot touches on a specific fear of dying that I have, which is accidentally drowning myself in my bathroom by pouring warm saltwater up my nose with a plastic teapot that has a phallic-shaped spout. (In case you are unenlightened like I was, this product was apparently featured on Oprah by Dr. Oz. You make a mixture of warm water and salt, lean your head over the sink, tilt to one side, make a seal on one nostril with the spout, tilt the pot up, and allow the water to flow up and out the other nostril. Result: clear sinuses. Great!) I purchased it last Wednesday, and as DH wouldn't return from his business trip until Friday, I wondered about Bean's chance of survival if my death was not discovered until he came home. I mean, I would hope DH would call the local police if he couldn't reach me on the phone before then, but I didn't want to get too caught up in those sorts of details.

When DH called that Wednesday to check in, I told him about how my sinus problems would soon be cured by my brand new neti pot. When I told him how it works, he responded, "What if you accidentally drown yourself? Bean would be in rough shape by the time I get home."

I laughed. "I had the same exact thought! Too funny."

He was silent for a minute. "I was actually kinda serious."

To spare DH the constant worry that his wife was taking her final breaths sprawled out on the bathroom rug (still suffering from stuffed sinuses, too, no doubt), I decided to use his time away to slowly work up the courage to use the neti pot.

Wednesday, I opened the box. I arranged the neti pot and the salt packets neatly on the counter in a pretty fan shape.

Thursday, I began to read the instruction pamphlet. It contained real pictures of sinuses, like from the INSIDE of someone's head! I threw up a little in my mouth and was glad DH was still gone so I could put off my experiment for another day. I mean, who wants to see that, really! Probably the same people who are watching open heart surgery on the medical channel. Sickos.

Also included in the pamphlet was an advertisement for another one of their products, which is a nose spray, that they claim works way better than the neti pot. Well, great, why did you sell me this crappy product then?!

On Friday it was time to step up to the plate and give it a shot. I boiled the water to sterilize it and cooled it to a comfortable temp. I mixed in the salt, stepped into the bathroom, and poured myself a nice cup of saline nose tea with that goofy pot. Much to my surprise and delight, I did not die! And even better, it actually worked. Pretty well, at least. It definitely helped clear me up, although by this time my sinuses weren't really that bad anymore, and I wondered if there would have been a bigger difference in the before and after had I started to use it 10 days ago. As I'm feeling good now, I will definitely be keeping the neti pot in my closet for next Attack of the Killer Sinuses.

Moving on to other topics, we've had a good weekend. My BFFs at Netflix sent me "Twilight," which DH and I watched last night. I did my best to overcome what I knew would be the three major hurdles to keep me from enjoying it: 1) I am not a 14-year-old girl; 2) It was filmed outside of Portland instead of outside of Seattle like it should have been; and 3) The actors were cast entirely wrong and they do not look like, act like, or talk like they should. Despite my best efforts, just as with the books, I had a love/hate relationship with the movie. I shook my head and sighed a lot, and I had to keep from barfing when they showed Carlisle (I thought he was supposed to be HANDSOME!). I also couldn't control the urge to constantly tell DH what was going to happen. Lucky he loves me and never got annoyed... either that or he really doesn't care about Bella and Edward. Which of course just can't be true.

We also took advantage of the sun and spent some time outside. Bean learned to write his name in chalk. One of the letters is backwards, but I thought it was a pretty good job anyway.

(DH pointed out that my basketball reference in the title was just in time for the Final Four. Go Spartans!)