Nasal Rinse

[Tammy2009]

I have been using the Neil-Med nasal rinse system for the last 2 1/2 months.  It works wonderful after the inital 10 minutes of worsening congestion.  I use it at least twice a day, morning and 2 hours before bed (sometimes I need it again after school because I'm congested again).  However, I either get nothing that drains out besides the saline solution (use warm tap water and the packages of salt from the company) or huge blogs of muscous (around an inch diameter and orangey-yellow, and clumped together well).  

I always can still feel muscous draining down my throat even after the rinses, does the rinse not hit all the sinuses?  I have pressure in my face, but I've always felt it was due to my bad bite because it is a lot worse when my jaw muscles are tight.  If I push on my sinsues (especially above the eyes) they don't hurt at all until I release the pressure and then get worse for a couple of minutes.

I have tried Flonase for 4 weeks (2 sprays in each nostril, twice a day) and noticed nothing except that it always made my nose run and made it easier to breathe because of the slight clearing.  

Could my sinuses still be infected and not have any drainage from the nasal rinse?  What or why am I getting big blogs out but only sometimes?  Thanks and have a good evening.

[National Jewish Health]

You are to be commended for the good job you are doing to try to attenuate the effects of cat dander.  Two things to note:  1) the allergy cover on your mattress and box spring can limit your exposure to house dust mite, but not to cat dander, especially if your cat is allowed to come into your bedroom, and 2) if at all possible, you should arrange for someone else to do the vacuuming when you are not present and will not be present for 3 to 4 hours after the vacuuming.

To answer your questions:  There is no guarantee that the nasal washes will provide an adequate sinus rinse.  What you describe as “huge blogs of mucous” might be comprised of a fungus that is causing a condition called, allergic fungal sinusitis.  The color is consistent with infection, either bacterial or fungal.  You should ask your doctor to send some of these “blogs” to the laboratory for fungus culture and microscopic examination.  Why you get blogs out only some of the time is due to variations over-time, of sinus mucus clearance and has no other significance.

Good luck.

[Tammy2009]

forgot to add ...

I tested positive for cat and dust mite allergies.  

I do have 2 cats in my house that are now getting bathed once a week (plain water) and using allerpet-c to denature the dander protein.  Plus I have an allergy cover on mattress, box spring and pillow that is suppose to stop cat dander as well.  And vacuuming with a hepa filter once a week.