stuffy nose relief?

[bohemama]

Hi ladies! I wanted to say sorry for coming here and posting and then never responding. I've been sick with a cold since Monday night. I just can't get rid of it.

I was wondering if any of you had any remedies for a stuffy nose. I have a very sensitive nose, and it stays stuffy and gross for quite a while after a cold and it's even worse when I'm preggo . Is there anyway I can breathe through my nose again? I'm miserable!!

Thank you

[MyLittleWonders]

Lay on your bed on your back, hang your head over the edge a bit, and drip/squirt saline solution nasal stuff (like that Ocean) down your nose, on both sides, until you can feel it start to clear. It's not the most pleasant experiences in that you get a yucky salty taste in the back of your mouth and depending on how much congestion, you may end up with gunk you have to spit out, but man the feeling is oh so good when you can feel the air flow through your nostrals again. And, if you can stomach it (and aren't vegetarian), try having some good chicken broth each day - especially if you make it (slow cook a whole chicken with onions, celery, and herbs for 24 hours; strain and voila! You have wonderful, very nutritious chicken broth).

[bohemama]

Thank you for the suggestion Mylittlewonders! Squirting things up my nose isn't the ideal solution, but I will try anything to breathe again :LOL

Thanks!

[babybugmama]

Can I hijack your thread and ask a related question? What if it's related to being pregnant, not a cold? My nasal membranes get all swollen when I'm pregnant and I can't breathe. UGH! Help!

[bohemama]

Ohh I'd love to know the answer to this question also! I can't breathe through my nose very well while pregnant either. It sucks doesn't it. This cold is only making it worse!!

What I used for my last pregnancy was Xclear nasal wash. It's made with Xylitol. It works ok, but tastes way to sweet for me and I usually ended up dry heaving from it going down the back of my throat. I've heard other people say it works wonders for them, but not for me.

Maybe someone will have some good suggestions for us?

[bonbon mama]

Hot tea works for me but, unfortunately, very temporarily.

[mommaJ]

Try this:

Put a big pot of water on to boil and add tea tree oil and eucalyptus drops and when the water is simmering bend your face over the pot (use common sense as to not burn yourself!! ) and place a towel over your head to keep the steam in. Breathe this steamed water for a few minutes. It does wonders.

Trea Tree Oil in general is great for colds. You can get it at Walgreens even. You can mix a little with an oil (vitamin E oil, jojoba, or olive oil) and rub it onto your chest like Vicks or put a little under your nostrils to help open the airways.

Good luck!

[babybugmama]

MommaJ will that work even if I dont' have a cold? It's just swollen nasal membranes. It's so bad tonight though that even breathing through my mouth, it is hard to get enough oxygen.

[mimid]

I have to jump in and metion a neti pot. I LOVE mine! I had really bad allergies and was on 2 meds a day and I've been using the neti pot for about 8 months and have only had to use my meds twice in that time.

[Twilight]

My home remedies included:

a good vaporizer in the bedroom
Vicks VapoRub when it's really bad
Breathe-Rite strips
Mix 1 tsp honey with 1 tsp lemon juice, and sip the mixture... mostly good for a sore throat but OK for congestion too. Works awesome, but extremely temporary.

Honestly you know what works better than anything but is the most difficult to obtain? Rest. If you can take a day off and just lay around, drink juice, and read books all day... your cold won't live long at all. I know taking a day off is near impossible, but if you can spare even half a day, do it!

[Pandora114]

Neti Pot. Nuff said

[MyLittleWonders]

What's a neti pot?

[mimid]

Google it. There are a lot of sites out there with info. I use the Sinu cleanse one.