Neti Pot

My immediate question regarding my very recent experience with a Neti pot--is water supposed to come out of your ear?

I've had a sinus headache for going on three weeks; major pressure beneath my eyes at my cheekbones and radiating up between my eyebrows. I thought it was stress because I had an event at work, but the event came and went and didn't take the sinus headache with it. So I thought it might be that I needed a new prescription for my glasses. I got new lenses. Still had a headache. People have been telling me for almost a year to get a Neti pot, both for sinus headaches and allergies and colds. My thoughts on that? Uhhh, no. A little pot to pour salt water into one nostril so it could dribble out the other? Uhhh, no. Unfortunately for me and my pride I was running out of options as this headache headed into week three. I researched sinus infections today and apparently nasal flushing can help. Soooooooooooooo I bought me a Neti pot. And the salt solution. Hey, if I was going to do this nasal flushing thing there is no way I was going to do it half-assed.

What happened next? Well, I ask again, is water supposed to come out your ear? Because it came out of mine. Not a LOT, but enough to be fairly disconcerting. The instructions advise using warm water, not hot, but warm. Oh yea? I'd recommend NOT using warm water--not cold either, more like room temp--because when the warm water doesn't go the way it's supposed to go (meaning out the other nostril) but it comes down the back of your throat it'll give you flashbacks to the bloody nose you had at a softball game in 8th grade when you were practically hemorrhaging blood down the back of your throat which enacted your highly sensitive gag reflex, making you yarf all over your BFF. Room temperature water on the other hand feels like water and while purposely funneling water into your nose doesn't feel all that natural it feels way better than blood-temperature water slipping down the back of your throat.

So anyway, I'm not sure why but flushing from the right to left went wayyyyyyy smoother than flushing left to right. That first 8 ounces went in one way and out the other, whereas going left to right was a bear. Water back out the way it came in, water out of my left ear and water down the back of my throat and out my mouth (meaning that, ahem, other stuff that the water was flushing also came out through my mouth--thank Baby Jesus I'm not congested because I don't think I could come back from that--flushing boogies out of my nose INTO my mouth. Uhhhh, no). At one point I forgot to breathe through my mouth and I think in a subconscious, instinctive attempt to get the water out of my sinus cavities I exhaled through my nose (despite the instruction right on the box--duh!--to only breathe through the mouth). This resulted in two things: massive bubbles out of my nose and a significant amount of water down the back of my throat (resulting in the traumatic softball flashbacks). Note to self: breathe through mouth!!

All in all, and despite the flashbacks, I think my first round with the Neti, which I've decided to name Nattie, went pretty smoothly. I do fell less pressure in my sinus' and things do seem a little clearer, especially in my left ear! I am the kind of person that will give something up after a unsuccessful, first time attempt, but I think I am going to give Nattie a few more chances. After all, I do still have 280 grams of Ancient Secrets Nasal Cleansing Salt.