... within about the last week or so, I've been waking up with very bad nasal congestion ... very annoying and it's been pretty consistent, which is pretty odd because I wouldn't have thought my allergies would be particularly bad this time of year. (Though we have been having pretty weird weather, my morning glories are still blooming! And it's predicted to be in 70's or 80's for Thanksgiving and the days after...)

So far, in addition to the usual antihistamine / decongestant pill (which doesn't seem like it's doing much at this point), I've also tried the spray-type nasal decongestant and also "sinus plumber" (a capsicum spray), and it does respond very well to the spray decongestant, but not really so much to the sinus plumber. (The problem with the spray decongestant ... it raises BP, and also I'm not sure, but it might be possible to become dependent on it, and/or get rebound congestion.) I should also mention that I do daily saline nasal spray (Simply Saline, I'm not a fan of neti pots), but of course it doesn't work well if I'm already badly congested.

Anyone have any particularly good advice? TiA

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

PeterB,

Not a fan of neti pots, either. They rely on gravity for flushing and they never worked well for me ever. I use a squeeze bottle based system. That way, I can control the amount of pressure to put behind the rinse. Think something along these lines:

[shop.neilmed.com]

Got to be careful, though. You can squeeze too hard and send some of the rinse into your ears. Very annoying. Still, decongestants combined with saline sprays and saline rinses do the job.

And, as crazy as it sounds, masking up has helped tremendously. Helps keep some of the worst of sinus issue triggers at bay, i.e. allergens.

Don't forget to use a humidifier in the cool dry months. Air that is too dry and contribute to problems, too.

Robert

Agree with above Neilmed rinses are the way to go for getting the gunk out of your nose/sinuses

Horseradish, aka Jewish Dristan.

As hot as you can tolerate, plus a little more to really get the gunk out. It'll clear everything out pretty quickly, then you can use whatever meds/sprays desired to keep the gunk at bay. It's worked for thousands of years, so it's a time tested, well-vetted remedy.
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I have used the NeilMed version of Simply Saline (isotonic saline) ... it's good stuff. I find that I can't really tolerate the higher concentration salt solutions sold by them or other companies. And humidity isn't really a problem here in NOLA... the weather here is generally tropical.

I suspect that a big part of the problem might be that, because of global warming, we're experiencing warm temps through much of the Fall/Winter, and the occasional rains combined with hot, relatively drier weather might be encouraging all the plants here to produce more pollen. From what I'm seeing on websites right now, the claim is that the pollen is only "moderate" here right now, but I'm not so convinced.

And I've thought about using horseradish ... not crazy about the flavor though. Might try some wasabi.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Benzedrex Vapor Inhaler works well for me.

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Ukulele music I couldn't find anywhere else.
[colquhoun.info]

Neilmed bottle with regular packet & 1/2 squirt of Baby Shampoo in the bottle. Microwave for between 20 & 30 sec. depending on your microwave. You know you got too much shampoo if it burns a little.

The Baby Shampoo clears up all the compacted (dryed) stuff. You can do 1/2 the bottle and then squeeze your nose a couple of times so the shampoo loosens the stuff stuck in your nose.

I use this every morning and sometimes at night.

Fred

old school, but costly

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
Fred_Also
Neilmed bottle with regular packet & 1/2 squirt of Baby Shampoo in the bottle. Microwave for between 20 & 30 sec. depending on your microwave. You know you got too much shampoo if it burns a little.

The Baby Shampoo clears up all the compacted (dryed) stuff. You can do 1/2 the bottle and then squeeze your nose a couple of times so the shampoo loosens the stuff stuck in your nose.

I use this every morning and sometimes at night.

Fred

Gah. I do not like the idea of snorting any kind of detergent up there...

I'm gonna contact my immunologist (who is also an allergist) to see what she makes of it. I'd think that wasabi should definitely clear them without too much in the way of dependence or rebound effects (or if there is dependence, at least it's on something which is not an actual medication!).

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Are those the real decongestants, or that useless reformulated PE? I've talked to ER docs and pharmacists. All PE does is provide a placebo effect and raise your blood pressure. I have had 3 different ER docs tell me they actually use PE when a patient has low blood pressure.

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“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand.” Seneca the Younger

The police have no duty to respond. See Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005) or Warren v. District of Columbia[1] (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981)

Judge Lee wrote that “we cannot jettison our constitutional rights, even if the goal behind a law is laudable." 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

[www.youtube.com]

Wasabi works (or seems to) for a few minutes. Then it's back to normal.

This is guaranteed to help, if not "cure" the problem for some time (days, not hours):

Find eucalyptus oil (best you can find), boil water, pour into large wide bowl, drip in a few drops of oil and cover your head with a towel. Breathe alternately through nose and moth. Yout will sweat. You'll know if it's working when you start to expectorate the phlegm.

It's also good for your skin!

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And I recall in spring
The perfume that the air would bring
To the indolent town
Where the barkers call the moon down

Quote
Racer X
Are those the real decongestants, or that useless reformulated PE? I've talked to ER docs and pharmacists. All PE does is provide a placebo effect and raise your blood pressure. I have had 3 different ER docs tell me they actually use PE when a patient has low blood pressure.

Yep, the real decongestants -- pseudoephedrine HCl, which does raise my BP, I've found that the phenylephrine does absolutely nothing for me. For the decongestant nasal spray, I've been using oxymetolazine HCl (SinuFrin from NeilMed), which works like a charm -- but they do warn that you shouldn't use it for more than three days in a row, that it can cause rebound congestion, which may be what I'm now experiencing. As I mentioned, I've also tried Sinus Plumber, which seemed to work well initially but now not so much, and burns like heck whenever you use it.

I have tons of high quality eucalyptus oil, so that's another thought.

Wasabi from Bezosworld on the way. I know it does clear me out very well, but the point may be well-taken that it might not last.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

mrbigstuff's method works for me even without the eucalyptus. Also, "Wow" peppermint oil licked from the anatomical snuffbox is absolutely amazing and can be easily repeated as needed during the day.