Saline Rinse...w/out saline

[MCGrad2006]

So from experience...I give you the message that you should ALWAYS add the saline to your neilmed rinse<img title="Cry" src="include/wysiwyg/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-cry.gif" alt="Cry" border="0" />. I don't know what happened...I could not figure out why my sinus rinse HURT so bad this morning. And then it hit me, it was just plain old distilled water mixed with Pulmicort. I forgot to add the NeilMed salt packet.

So I stuck my finger in the water and tasted it...it was plain. DUH! So I added more water WITH saline (no Pulmicort this time since technically I already had it) and low and behold...it tasted like salt water and actually felt GOOD in my nose! Lesson Learned<img title="Tongue out" src="include/wysiwyg/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif" alt="Tongue out" border="0" /> the hard way for sure.

 

[Kristen]

LOL, ouch. I have done something similar. I use a Sinupulse to rinse my sinuses, and I'm supposed to run vinegar + water through it every few weeks to clean out the salt. Well, TWICE I have forgotten to run plain water though it after running the vinegar, and then, when I went to rinse my sinuses, I put vinegar up my nose. OUCH! I would not recommend it.

 

[athletixbc]

I don't even bother with distilled water for mine. Regular room temperature tap water with the saline packet works just as well.

 

[mjh3kf]

Ouchie! I've done that with my Neti pot as well-just water, no salt mix packet.

Athletixbc, be careful with that. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> My Dr. said that if using tap water, you should boil it and let it cool down first due to amoebas and such living in the water. They don't bother digestive systems, but can mess up mucus membranes. Just trying to help! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[Hail2Pitt]

Yep, I've made the same mistake too! All it took was making it once - I won't make it again. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Athletixbc, I want to chime in on the tap water subject as well. Lots of bacteria is found in tap water, including Pseudomonas and Mycobacterium Abscessus, two that plague me. Pseudomonas is found even in distilled water. I'm seen at National Jewish and NIH for my Abscessus, and my doctors at both told me to only use sterile water. It's more expensive, but I think it's worth it.

 

[Swallowtail66]

Yes, that was a one time learning experience for me. I thought my sinuses were going to burn out of my skull. I am VERY careful now!