Help with Sinuses. Recommendations needed to break up sinus junk!
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TheSaltyOne
Guest
Gammaw - i have it set to immediately :/
Amen. I swear by the Waterpik as well! It gets so much further up than any of the other methods it's crazy.
Salty, the attachment I have is only compatible with a couple certain Waterpik models, so if you go buy one I'd buy the "Classic", that's the one I've always had. Recently when my classic went kaput I bought a different model, only to find out the attachment didn't fit. So I had to go back and buy another classic. Here is a link to the one I have. I actually bought mine at Bed Bath & Beyond with the 20% coupon!
http://www.target.com/p/waterpik-cl.../A-10408419#prodSlot=medium_1_6&term=waterpik
Also, if you are unable to find the attachment online let me know. I could give you the number to my ENT and the gals name who you'd need to talk to. We actually moved out of state last August, but I called them about a month ago and they mailed me a new one. It's not a prescription, so I can't really see why you'd need to be a patient of theirs to buy one. They charge $21 for it, so they'd probably gladly take your money. You could just mention a fellow CF patient gave you the info. They deal with most of the CFers from my clinic.
Anyway, just a thought!
Autumn
brad.johns
New member
I too have really bad sinus issues. I have had 8 sinus surgeries and am expecting my 9th this spring. My doctor is suggesting that we do a more extensive surgery this time. He is wanting to go in at my forehead and cut part of my forehead facial bone out. Once removed he will then drill large holes in my upper sinuses so that they can drain more properly than before. After drilling, he will then put my forehead bone back where it belongs. I was wondering if anyone has had this type of sinus surgery before?
believingjesus
Banned
My son has had 3 sinus surgeries. At one time he used the water pik with an additional piece on the end for his nose. It really seemed to work but he hated doing it and said it stung and he refuses to do it anymore and has not done it in a long time. He has been having seriously bad headaches in his forehead and I know it is his nose. I am sure he will be having sinus surgery again maybe within the year. His head hurt so bad when he came to visit and I knew he was in a lot of pain. He took 4 ibuprofen but it did no good. One surgery he bled pretty bad and it was very scary. I bought him several boxes of sinus rinses thinking he has been doing them but found out he hasn't. I don't know how to get through to him about this. He is good on doing his other treatments.
It sounds like you're not doing a proper sinus rinse, squirting a 20ml syringe up your nose is like just wetting the bottom surface down, no matter how many times you do it. I'm using almost 500ml in a sinus rinse. You need the high volume to Flush out the sinuses, it should go up one nostril and force water pressure through your sinuses and out the other nostril. The Neilmed 16oz bottle is still my recommendation. The waterpik looks cool and all, but seems like more of a production and looks to take up a lot of counter space. I don't want my kitchen to look like a medical facility when friends/ladies come over.
I make my own mix, using 1/2 tsp of sea salt, 1/4 tsp of baking soda. I pour filtered water into a ceramic container (meant for tea) microwave for 30-40 seconds, pour in rinse bottle, mix the salt & baking soda and shoot up my nose. Switching sides and putting in the Pulmicort for the last shot..
I make my own mix, using 1/2 tsp of sea salt, 1/4 tsp of baking soda. I pour filtered water into a ceramic container (meant for tea) microwave for 30-40 seconds, pour in rinse bottle, mix the salt & baking soda and shoot up my nose. Switching sides and putting in the Pulmicort for the last shot..
My ENT also suggested adding a bit of baby shampoo to my sinus rinse once a day. I do it in the morning and it seems to get out some of the big chunks. Having been told about 18 years ago by an MRI tech that I have "the worst sinuses" he's ever seen, I sympathize greatly. I've only had two sinus surgeries in 75 years. Yes, I'm 75 and going reasonably strong, but those sinuses are a real anoyance. Good luck
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TheSaltyOne
Guest
Thanks so much for all your guys' help!
I have an ENT appt in 2 days so I'll ask him how useful he thinks the waterpik is and if he has an attachment. I went ahead and bought a waterpik last night to test out. But I got the ultra so my other question is.... what's the difference in the sinus attachment for the waterpik? I've looked at it online on amazon and it doesn't look really any different than the other attachments besides the rubber cone that can be placed on the tip... do you feel that it is a necessary attachment or can I just use the attachments the waterpik came with?
Another question I have is when using the waterpik what pressure setting do you guys use? The ultra comes with 10 different pressure settings. I used up to 6 last night and started bleeding so I backed down to 3 lol. What setting seems to work best for you guys?
brad.johns- Yes that's the exact surgery I had in November 14' and still have sinus pain everyday. Which is why I posted on here to ask people what they use and their advice. Just follow this thread. I've heard of a bunch of people that the surgery helped them, but for me it hasn't made any major improvements, not even minor I don't think.
BelievingJesus -If he's in pain I'm not understanding why he's not trying to do things to fix this issue. Maybe a little young and stubborn. As for as your rinses go the rinses you buy in store don't affect me at all but I know if you decide to make your own rinse make sure to add baking soda powder or else it will burn. The baking soda is the ingredient that is suppose to take away from the sting. There's many recipes online for making sinus rinses or hypertonic sinus rinses (just more salt added).
erock77 - I guess I didn't word it word it right. I use a 20 ml syringe multiple times. Usually fill a 1000 ml bottle up with solution then pour half of it in a cup and microwave for 30 sec, then squirt 20 ml at a time, alternating nostrils, blowing both nostrils each time, until the cup is empty. My ENT has told me the Neilmed bottle he didn't think was enough pressure to rinse all my sinuses out hence why he suggested I use a syringe so that I can control the pressure and be able to use more pressure than the typical sinus rinse bottles offer.
I have an ENT appt in 2 days so I'll ask him how useful he thinks the waterpik is and if he has an attachment. I went ahead and bought a waterpik last night to test out. But I got the ultra so my other question is.... what's the difference in the sinus attachment for the waterpik? I've looked at it online on amazon and it doesn't look really any different than the other attachments besides the rubber cone that can be placed on the tip... do you feel that it is a necessary attachment or can I just use the attachments the waterpik came with?
Another question I have is when using the waterpik what pressure setting do you guys use? The ultra comes with 10 different pressure settings. I used up to 6 last night and started bleeding so I backed down to 3 lol. What setting seems to work best for you guys?
brad.johns- Yes that's the exact surgery I had in November 14' and still have sinus pain everyday. Which is why I posted on here to ask people what they use and their advice. Just follow this thread. I've heard of a bunch of people that the surgery helped them, but for me it hasn't made any major improvements, not even minor I don't think.
BelievingJesus -If he's in pain I'm not understanding why he's not trying to do things to fix this issue. Maybe a little young and stubborn. As for as your rinses go the rinses you buy in store don't affect me at all but I know if you decide to make your own rinse make sure to add baking soda powder or else it will burn. The baking soda is the ingredient that is suppose to take away from the sting. There's many recipes online for making sinus rinses or hypertonic sinus rinses (just more salt added).
erock77 - I guess I didn't word it word it right. I use a 20 ml syringe multiple times. Usually fill a 1000 ml bottle up with solution then pour half of it in a cup and microwave for 30 sec, then squirt 20 ml at a time, alternating nostrils, blowing both nostrils each time, until the cup is empty. My ENT has told me the Neilmed bottle he didn't think was enough pressure to rinse all my sinuses out hence why he suggested I use a syringe so that I can control the pressure and be able to use more pressure than the typical sinus rinse bottles offer.
believingjesus
Banned
Hi TheSaltyone! I am thankful for all the helpful tips and advice on this forum. I'm glad you posted this thread as when my son came back to visit his head hurt tremendously. I did manage to get him an appointment with his ENT before he left back to his place in another state. His ENT said he will need sinus surgery sometime soon but my son is hoping to do it within the year. He did put him on Flonase and said he wants him on it permanently. I also went and bought him the waterpik water flosser classic. He used to do the waterpik with pickling salt many years ago but he quit doing it. I called the ENT this last week and asked where to get a nasal adaptor and they told me they never wanted him to stop doing it and that I would have to look online probably. I ran into the same problem you have which not knowing which one. I contacted our local pharmacy where we had bought a nasal adaptor many years ago and they had one that attached perfectly to the waterpik (I bought the waterpik there too). The nasal adaptor is called a nasal irrigator and cost $10.95. The paper in with the adaptor says it is made by Anthony Products, Inc. and is called a AGNI-3 Irrigator. It has a stainless steel stick that holds the coned piece. It says it is boilable to sterilize it. I appreciate you posting this and for the helpful advice! I will be sending this off to my son and I know it will help.
I found a number to call to get the piece on the paper. 1-800-428-1610.
I found a number to call to get the piece on the paper. 1-800-428-1610.
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TheSaltyOne
Guest
believingjesus - awesome! Thanks for the tip. I'll call my pharmacy and see what they suggest regarding the waterpik attachment. Fingers crossed!
believingjesus
Banned
Your welcome! I just got lucky that our local pharmacy still sells it. Maybe you can look up that number online as they probably sell it online too. Thanks for your tips and your thread!!!
The attachment I have is not like the ones I have seen online that just have a little cone shaped thing at the tip. My entire attachment, prob like 4 inches, is a bendable rubbery hose thing, with an even softer part the last inch or so. I might try to upload a picture for you if I can figure it out. I usually use the lowest pressure setting and then move up to 2 or 3. If I go to high, like you, it causes a little bleeding. I think the special hose/attachment also eases the pressure coming out, as opposed to the attachments that come with it.. I definitely feel like it is necessary. I once tried without it on a trip when I didn't have the attachment and yikes!
It still sounds like you're not doing a proper sinus rinse. The 'cone' attachment is key I think, no matter what method you're using to create a seal on your nostril so water & air doesn't leak out. A proper rinse should go in one nostril and out the other. It's supposed to flush through your whole sinus cavity, a 20ml squirt at a time doesn't seem sufficient. Also I think I can control pressure way better on a 16oz soft bottle compared to a syringe plunger. Skip to 1:15 in this video to see what I'm talking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW9mvVe7Mk4
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TheSaltyOne
Guest
I'm getting plenty of water out the other side but I was not aware that there needed to be a seal on your nostril. I think that's where I'm going wrong and I'm not getting enough volume. My ENT I saw yesterday and said my sinuses look great but have a lot of scar tissue he would like to remove. So I guess I will have to schedule that soon. I'm searching hard locally to find a sinus attachment but looks like I'll be ordering from amazon. Looking for a sinus attachment for the Waterpik ultra.
It is quite important what you rinse your nose with: the goal is to restore nasal cilia. When the cilia work well, they pulse to remove material from the nose and sinuses. Pulsing irrigation has the advantage of actually massaging nasal tissues in order to reduce swelling and remove stale lymph fluid. Please see video www.hydromedonline.com and material at www.grossaninstitute.com
Plus humming is helpful to thin nasal and chest mucus.
After you use pulsing irrigation, once your cilia are restored, there is no need to continue irrigation because the cilia do the work. Let me know if you have any questions.
Plus humming is helpful to thin nasal and chest mucus.
After you use pulsing irrigation, once your cilia are restored, there is no need to continue irrigation because the cilia do the work. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sinus problem: first of all what is your concentration of salt? Should be 1% for example one tsp of salt to 500 ml - approx 16 ounces of water. If you are using hypertonic solution that can make your specific condition worse, by thickening the mucus, and absorbing extra salt.
Ask your doctor about adding Xylitol to the 500 ml. Two teaspoons makes a one % solution.
Instead of irrigation with variable pressures - some too high and some too low - need a steady pressure. For example the Hydro Pulse delivers a steady pressure/ irrigation at a pulse rate designed for maximum benefit.
Other ways to break up thick mucus include
Humming. The lower the tone the better . For example a low tone "ooommm" . Humming the vowels, A,E,I, O, U provides a vibration that shakes and loosens thick mucus. Also works for mucus in the chest.
Drink green tea with lemon and honey. Lemon, lime, other citrus thin the mucus.
other suggestions at www.grossantinstitute.com
Plenty of water. The difference between tap water and distilled water is that distilled water tends to remove excessive salt.
Ask your doctor about adding Xylitol to the 500 ml. Two teaspoons makes a one % solution.
Instead of irrigation with variable pressures - some too high and some too low - need a steady pressure. For example the Hydro Pulse delivers a steady pressure/ irrigation at a pulse rate designed for maximum benefit.
Other ways to break up thick mucus include
Humming. The lower the tone the better . For example a low tone "ooommm" . Humming the vowels, A,E,I, O, U provides a vibration that shakes and loosens thick mucus. Also works for mucus in the chest.
Drink green tea with lemon and honey. Lemon, lime, other citrus thin the mucus.
other suggestions at www.grossantinstitute.com
Plenty of water. The difference between tap water and distilled water is that distilled water tends to remove excessive salt.
In my post I stated Plenty of water. I should have said drink plenty of water.
Re pressure. If pressure is too high you may force bacteria into your sinuses or into your olfactory channels like those people in Louisiana that got the brain amoeba.
The Hydro Pulse Pulsatile Nasal/Sinus Irrigator delivers at in the area of 10.
Re pressure. If pressure is too high you may force bacteria into your sinuses or into your olfactory channels like those people in Louisiana that got the brain amoeba.
The Hydro Pulse Pulsatile Nasal/Sinus Irrigator delivers at in the area of 10.
T
TheSaltyOne
Guest
NancyRN36- I am using the essential oils brand "Aromatics". I used to use Young Living as well. My sinuses are doing quite well. Since my last surgery (march 15') I have had barely any headaches and nothing coming out of them. I wash them usually twice a day with distilled water, pickling salt, baking soda, and a couple drops of Tea Tree and Eucalyptus
I question the wisdom of putting any oil into your nasal passages. Oil on respiratory epithelial tissue is not a good thing. You might want to stop that and see what happens. Inhaling the aroma without having the oil touch the mucus membranes may be useful although there is scant evidence to support it. You would not put the oil in your eye because it will burn and irritate delicate tissues. So why put it in your nose and irritate the delicate respiratory epithelium? Rinsing with saline made from pickling salt (no additives), plus a little bicarb to normalize pH, is appropriate. Loculated infection in one or more of your sinuses is the problem and it's difficult to treat, especially in CF where you probably have chronic colonization with Pseudomonas. I also have chronic sinusitis and I would never put any oil in my nose.