I picked up a NeilMed nasal irrigation system the other day. Tried it twice, last time about an hour before bed.

Worked ok but there is an awfull smell / taste residue that lasts for days afterward. At least using the little packets that come with it.

Is there something better to use?

Does that go away after using it enough?

Willie,

Hmm ... forgive me, but I would bet money that the smell you're experiencing is stuff up in your nasal cavity that still needs to be removed. The solution has almost no smell at all, and being saline, wouldn't tend to have one even if it sat around for a while. I'll bet it's some bacteria up there. Why don't you try using it a couple of times a day for a while to see what happens?

Just a thought!


_________________
Began CPAP Therapy 6/15/2006
Respironics Remstar Pro M Series with
Heated Humidifier, Ramping Feature, and C-Flex
Weinmann Somno Plus mask
61.5 events/hour / Pressure setting: 13 cm

No forgiveness needed Lori ... you may be right, dunno.

I just figured the smell came from using the solution since I don't have / notice it before using the stuff.

I do need to try to use it consistently I suppose.

a**

helllo,
i have suffered from sinusitis since october 1998.
for the first few years i tried allopathy but the sinus would return in earnest in a couple of weeks.and, it would be worse.
this happened for a couple of years, then, in 1993 i was advised to try homeopathy.it worked wonders.sinus disappeared for long periods and it would return only if i did what i should normally avoid.( i am not supposed  to drink chilled drinks, etc, etc.).
but, i have avoided surgery and homeopathy is not costly.BUT, PLEASE FIND A QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED HOMEOPATHY DOCTOR ONLY.
important:i went to one or two homeopathic doctors before i was directed to this particular doctor.
i hope this helps.
i live in India which has a very hot and humid climate, which is really bad for me.

I have had serious problems with middle ear infections as a very young child, as well as bloody noses that filled towels and towels with blood.

I had my nasal passages cauterized to toughen the skin, which helped, at the age of 4.  I've still had nose bleeds.  It turns out that these were due, in part, to my bleeding disorders.   Had these been diagnosed BEFORE age 44, it might have been more helpful with the nose bleeds.  These are not the "I blew my nose and the tissue was bloody" type.  I've had those, too, whenever I've had a sinus infection.

The ear infections slowly became sinus infections as I grew into adulthood.  I would have between 6-8 per year, even when taking low-dose antibiotics.

This is what helped me with the congestion and bleeding:

1. Nasal irrigation with saline solution compounded by the pharmacy to add low doses of 3 antibiotics; this was a prescription from my allergist/immunologist.  This doctor got the idea from the Mayo Clinic.  He also recommends trying plain saline, which any pharmacy can get for you without a prescription.

Now I mix my own:  1/8 t. salt, 1/2 c. water, and 1 pinch baking soda. This is cheap enough to mix daily and throw away the excess.  

My applicator of choice is a child's dosing syringe (a needle-free syringe of any kind may be used).  Target store pharmacies will give you a pretty decent dosing syringe free, if you ask where you could find one!

I have never worried about being too congested for the nasal wash to come through--just use it anyway.   This is the advice that my doctor has given me as well.   Continued use will at least help wash away some of the mucous and junk.  If congested, one cannot blow one’s nose properly anyway, so getting out more of the gunk is all to the good.

The major concerns are to be consistent and persistent.

2.  Flonase 2 times per day; need to take it regularly for 2 weeks before seeing the full impact AND keep using it twice a day to maintain reduced swelling. Since using Flonase regularly, I’ve had NO-NONE-NADA serious nosebleeds.

Some folks have been told to use it when needed, but if congested the Flonase needs to help alleviate swelling in one’s nose DAILY.  This comes from my experience and occasional inconsistency in using the Flonase.  If omitted for a few days, it may not be missed.  Omit it for 1 week or 10 days, and there will be more congestion.  Stop it for 2 weeks and you will be looking for that bottle in the middle of the night, with or without xPAP!

The major concerns are to be consistent and persistent.

3.  Despite these measures, I was still getting about 6 sinus infections per year until I retired from teaching kindergartners.  It is amazing to have not been ill this past fall, winter and spring!

Best wishes, and please try irrigation.  

I hate to see folks spend money for commercial saline solutions, as salt and baking soda are so inexpensive.  


My not-so-secret method:
I travel frequently and carry salt and baking soda mixed in a small baggie and take a 1/8 teaspoon measure taken from a measuring spoon set from a dollar store.  I put the baggie into a small disposable (Glad or Zip-loc) container with 1/2 c. marked on it so that I can mix this on the road.  Putting the salt mix and 1/2 c. warm water, I can then shake the container with the lid on it for mess-free mixing.  Along with my dosing syringe, it is pretty easy to tuck into my CPAP carrying case.

Take good care of yourselves!


_________________
My machine: ResMed Compact S8 with Humidaire 3i

My mask/interface: ComfortLite 2

A full night's sleep: Priceless!

   Hi! This is my first post. Glad to have found this forum!

I've been a life-long super-mucus person (partially due to chronic mouth breathing). I'd be rich if I'd invested in tissue stock as a kid!

To cure my excessive dry mouth and excessive nasal mucous, I now tape my mouth shut at night (using skin sensitive tape, with ends bent over to facilitate easy removal). To clear the sinuses, I irrigate using a Netti pot, before going to bed. Irrigation gives me all night relief, so I can't begin to extole the virtues of this practice. Keeping the mouth taped shut helps the cleansed sinuses to receive moisture from the heated humidifier of my BiPap. Mouth breathing deprives nasal passages and sinuses of adequate air and moisture, which induces mucous production and swelling. Mucous does not build up while my mouth is taped shut. Mouth dryness is minimal in the morning. I love the whole process! I used to wake with a mouth like cracked leather, a sore throat, and excessive coughing up of mucous. I don't have any of that when I use this process.

To answer the question about why one leans forward over the sink when one is irrigating, it's not complicated. Just try it. When you are in the proper position, the water flowing out from the nose will not flow into your mouth or on your chin.

Dear Vicki,

I read your irrigation recipe, and the clear and helpful information you provide, with great interest.  I would really like to know where you got the recipe.  Is this a recipe that is referenced in any of the research articles on nasal irrigation?  (I clicked on the link you provided, but this only takes one to the abstract, not the full text of the article, so I don't know if you obtained the recipe from the full article--?)  As a family of scientists, we would really like to use this recipe but need to know the source of it first.

Thanks very much for any help you can give us with this!

Sincerely,

Kelli

This is where I found my 'recipe' and it has been effective for me.  My allergist/immunologist had me use a compounded normal saline solution with 3 antibiotics at first; the pharmacy just took a prepackaged 1 liter bottle of saline and dropped in one each of the 3 antibiotics.

He said he had gotten it from the Mayo Clinic.  I started to see him about 10 years ago.  I do not know if a search of the medical literature would find that as a study; an abstract; or if the concept came from elsewhere.

He has also said, many times, that one can use the plain saline.  I tried to buy it at a pharmacy, but could not.  So I came online to find a recipe.

Here it is:

Link to Univ. of Michigan Normal Saline Solution Recipe


_________________
My machine: ResMed Compact S8 with Humidaire 3i

My mask/interface: ComfortLite 2

A full night's sleep: Priceless!

I just learned about that the other night on another forum.   Someone suggested using fixodent rather than tape, so I tried it last night and it works wonders.  Just a little bit does the trick, and my mouth stayed shut all night!     

On the nasal irrigation, I did that for a while, however I ended up with a sinus infection.  Does anyone know how that may have happened?  The directions said to irrigate and then take a shower, which I did.  I suppose some of the water didn't find it's way out.

I have used the Neil Med irrigation thing with good success until last night.  Last night, around 10PM, my nose seemed pretty clear, but since I only used the nasal irrigation for about 3 days (twice a day), I decided to do it before going to bed. It actually made my nose stuffy, so that I had to use the dreaded afrin, so I could get to sleep.  Since my nose seemed clear before irrigating, was I better off not doing it before bed?  

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

(I am on cpap for about 1 month using Mirage Swift nasal mask.)


_________________
Tom M

Hi Kelli,

I know there is a lot of info. there, but my source was given in the paragraph preceeding the recipe.  Is this what you were looking for?

Vicki wrote:

This recipe and procedure is from the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Scripps Clinics in La Jolla, CA.  This solution can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

"ENT Solution"
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon white Karo syrup
1 pint warm water

Vicki


_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Von Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

I have been using a neti pot for about one month. It has become almost like brushing my teeth or washing my face-- I can't go to sleep without it. Once you get into it you feel you can breathe easier-- which is nice.

I just got diagnosed with OSA, so I'm glad to hear that people are recommending this thing I'm already doing

Tom M wrote:

I have used the Neil Med irrigation thing with good success until last night.  Last night, around 10PM, my nose seemed pretty clear, but since I only used the nasal irrigation for about 3 days (twice a day), I decided to do it before going to bed. It actually made my nose stuffy, so that I had to use the dreaded afrin, so I could get to sleep.  Since my nose seemed clear before irrigating, was I better off not doing it before bed?  

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

(I am on cpap for about 1 month using Mirage Swift nasal mask.)

I don't recommend doing it immediately before going to bed.  Give yourself an hour or two because full drainage of the solution can take a while.

Vicki, thank you for posting that again.  I had discovered your post a while back and have used it several times since.  
It is very helpful.  I do not have health insurance and can't go to the doctor every time I get a sinus infection.  Your post saved me.  Thank God for you!