Having nasal congestion

Post Reply New Topic

sounds stupid, I know.

I had the littles this past weekend. We are raising their sister, who is twelve. They have different fathers and when they were taken from my step-daughter for being 'unfit,' the twelve year old came with us and the twins went to live with their father. We all miss each other, so I go get them as often as possible. As an aside, one of the twins has autism.

There's a catch though. They are at that age where they are always sick. And I caught it this time.

Even though I can easily breathe out of my mouth, having my nose stopped up makes me almost frantic. I cannot enjoy a movie or anything that I do to try and divert my attention away from my nose. Then, when it's just runs with what is like water (it's not snot), the sensation also drives me crazy. I jump up and blow my nose until it is sore. I usually try not to take anything because I know that the quickest way to get this over with is to allow the extra fluid accumulating in my sinuses to wash out the infection. But last night, I just could stand it. I was up in the top cabinet searching for anything to take the focus off my nose.

Other adults do not act this way, or if they do they hide it better. My husband thinks I am unreasonable for making such a big deal over it. And he's probably right. But I hate the feeling. If I were just sick, fine. But having my nasal passages blocked sends me over the edge.

What I do:

I tilt my head in various directions until my sinuses start to drain.

I make sure I have a tissue to absorb the drainage.

Sound strategy, Kortie. I've just added a Netti-Pot too, with the saline lavage. Took some tylenol sinus/cold and I was able to get the stuffing done for the turkey. I made sure to wash my hands first. I try very hard not to make anyone else sick, I know how miserable it makes me. Exactly this time last year, I was sick. Get a Spring and Fall cold, usually every year. But, got the Flu shot, so hopefully I'm covered there.

Happy Thanksgiving, by the way!

Its not very good for you (editorially) but when I can't breathe through my nose, I use a nose spray called Afrin. Not being able to breathe through my nose also panics me.

I also use the turn my head side to side method, but when the congestion is in both nostrils, that doesn't work for me.

I'm sorry you caught something from the littles. I hope you feel better soon.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Persephone....

And to you, BlazingStar!

Thank you.

I hope that you are ok. I panic when my throat closes up as sometimes my nose does too and breathing becomes difficult too.

It does not sound stupid. If it bothers you then it bothers you. I'm exactly the same, I hate getting colds. I have trouble with my sinuses as it is but at least I can still breathe through my nose when congested but don't have a cold.
I hate having colds so much that I become unsympathetic when my partner gets a cold, because I always catch his colds. I feel guilty about it but it's nothing personal. It's just that I seem to remain healthy until someone I live with gets a cold.

I relax when breathing through my nose, which is why I sleep with my mouth closed. With a cold I am unable to do this, so I am awake nearly all through the night. Propping my pillows up gives me neckache, and I cannot go to sleep upright in a chair, and even taking one of my tablets that is both a sedative and an antihistamine doesn't seem to work with a cold, even though they knock me out otherwise. So I find getting a cold very frustrating indeed.

One time I caught this virus where I was shivering all over even though it was a hot night in June, and I had a sore throat and a headache, but I still managed to sleep well because my nose wasn't all stuffed up. I wish all colds were like that.

I find that what eases nasal congestion in a cold most efficiently is inhalation, it clears the sinuses and prevents the development of bronchitis. Take a large bowl and fill it with boiling water from the kettle, add 5 or 6 six drops of Eucalyptus essential oil. Put a large towel over your head, with your face over the bowl and create a "tent." Inhale the vapour through your mouth and nose alternately. Close your eyes because the eucalyptus may irritate them. Repeat x3 per day until symptoms improve. It clears and dries excess mucus.

I am not able to take things like Vick or other marketed remedies. I wonder if it is because I am a bit hypersensitive to certain smells, as they can trigger off partial shutdowns or shutdowns? I don't think I can smell any more powerfully then other people though. It is more that if I smell certain things, I can start shutting down. It took me years to work out this. I kind of know that I was effected by hospital smells, but I thought it was caused by an allergy to the molecules of them. It was only after joining this site where someoe was talking about their experiences that I realized that itwas a hypersensitivity.

Yes Eucalyptus is very powerful MG. Better for someone who won't be sensitive to it's strong aroma.
I love Vicks btw and you can't get it in my country. Nor Branston Pickle (not for rubbing on the chest ) I miss Branston Pickle and pastrama sandwiches. And Heinz Picallili. But I digress.

Never rubbed Branston Pickle on my chest, neither have I had Vicks sandwiches.

What puzzled me was that for years I would take Vicks and somehow for years I would always end up blocked up for weeks or even months. About 8 years ago it occurred to me that I was blocking up because of the Vicks! I put Vicks on my pillow to help me breathe, and this was causing the issues after the cold was long gone! It took me years to fathom it out as Vicks was giving me the cold like symptoms and blocking my nose.