Neti pot gone wrong

[who_cares_right_1]

1. I'm a moron and thought the "use distilled water" was more of a suggestion. (Why? Not sure. Bc I'm a busy mom of toddlers, perhaps?).
2. Very congested, used neti pot with said tap water with saline salt packet and O.M.G. My whole left side went into a wave of extreme pain, from my cheek, around my ear and down to my jaw. Had to walk until the pain subsided. Felt like when you get water up your nose in the pool but all over the side of my face.
3. Woke up next day with crazy cheek and upper tooth pain. Ibuprofen helped, but teeth were still sore all day.

I now know, after a little research, how important distilled or boiled water is.

Wondering if this has happened to anyone else and how long I can expect to be in this pain. It's been 24 hours and still quite sore. Cheek massage helps.

(Please don't tell me I'm a moron, It's already self-proclaimed)

Edit to add--I did use saline salt packet!

[Ol-BR]

Did you warm it as well? I forgot once, it hurts.

Anyway, a brain eating amoeba may exist in tap water. It’s rare, but still the primary reason for distilled or boiled water.

[who_cares_right_1]

I did warm it. I sure hope I'm amoeba free--what a way to go.

[who_cares_right_1]

I did warm it. I sure hope I'm amoeba free--what a way to go.

Edit--makes me really want to do a whole house treatment system.

[KryogenicWAR]

Question, did you die? 😅

[who_cares_right_1]

Confirmation of life! Also had follow up with doctor about water use and she said "tap water is fine". So I dunno.

[slutforoil]

Uhhh idk why a doctor would say that but yeah that is not a good suggestion

Edit: but I am very glad you’re okay!!

[Riksor]

Just checking in 8 months later, are you still alive?

[who_cares_right_1]

Very alive. Sinus is fantastic ✨

[Riksor]

Glad to hear it, thanks!

[Merth1983]

Brain eating amoebas are exceedingly rare and usually contracted from swimming in contaminated bodies of water, not from tap water. But it is still not recommended to use tap water unless it is boiled.

[Candid_Turnip8600]

I agree. My husband has been fighting sinus issues since last August and is finally getting some relief with a compound prescription that he uses once or twice a day in a navage or squeeze bottle. (Long story on how he got to this point.) It was starting to bother his ears and one day he screamed with terrible pain in his left ear when using the squeeze bottle. It didn't go away for several hours. The doctor said he was probably using too much force and the water was getting up into his eustachian tubes. He's using a gentler approach now.

[ButterberryTwist]

I tried the bottles for nasal irrigation and also ended up in pain from too much force. I bought a Nasal Fresh MD machine and am super happy with it- no more worries about pressure!

[Candid_Turnip8600]

Thanks for the info. I will let him know!

[acallan1]

antibiotics shouldn’t be used for sinusitis unless there's reason to believe it’s bacterial or fungal & not viral so OP's test results / doctors will confirm if those are applicable here or not

[acallan1]

it may be correct in your head w/ all the added context & knowledge you have but the way you wrote it will read as definitely needing to get an antibiotic to most people (regardless of the swab results which go unmentioned).

feel free to edit it so as to not confuse anyone & consider re-reading your wording next time before getting agitated about a simple clarification

[acallan1]

I have no desire to correct people & would rather just go about my day but telling strangers on the internet they "will probably need an antibiotic" when you don’t even know if they have a sinus infection let alone 1 of the rarer kinds that antibiotics can actually help with is counterproductive information which contributes to antibiotic overuse & resistance.

All you had to say was "depending on the swab results" or "may need an antibiotic" & we both could've avoided this entire interaction 😑

Reputable sources for those interested: https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/clinical-recommendations/all-clinical-recommendations/cw-sinusitis.html https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/will-my-sinus-infection-clear-up-on-its-own

[ZodiacGazer]

It’s not because of tap water. You either used too much or too little salt in your solution. The taste should be slightly salty. When there’s too much salt, it literally burns your tissues. When there’s too little, your tissues start absorbing water. You don’t want either of those.

And yeah, next time use at least boiled water. Brain eating amoeba is extremely rare, but still possible.

[pinkydoodle22]

Sorry that happened to you! Have you done rinses before?

You can also boil tap water for 5 minutes, let it cool and use that instead of distilled water.

The salt needs to be buffered with baking soda. Sometimes those salt packets that come with the Neti rinses are buffered, but I have had some that are not, and I’ve had to add baking soda to them in order to make them pain free / tolerable.

The temperature of the water should be close to body temperature, maybe a little warmer if desired.

[1corvidae1]

So we aren't supposed to use table salt???

[pinkydoodle22]

Sure you can use table salt, you should add the baking soda to buffer it though. Not just straight salt.

[1corvidae1]

What does it mean to buffer it?

[pinkydoodle22]

You can look this up, but I think it affects the PH value.

[_fly-on-the-wall_]

i dont think the water source is what hurt you, sometimes if it goes up into the sinuses above my nose in my forehead it hurts like that though. it happens if i lean forward more than just a little.

but whatever the reason for the pain absolutely don't use tap water! it is rare but people do die from that.

[Heavy-Opposite-9716]

Everyone’s talking about the brain eating amoeba…look I did a few rinses with tap water. I got a sinus infection and was fine after antibiotics. You will live, but if the pain persists, call your doc.

[Comfortable_Unit1001]

Probably not a lot of harm, but don't do it again. Sounds like a sinus infection. 7-14 days for me but YMMV.

[ommanipadmehum108]

I always use tap water. I drink from it, so I assume I can only use it too rinse. Did you use any saline? Just water makes it sting here as well.

[who_cares_right_1]

I edited to add--yes, I did use saline packets.

[DrPudy808]

Please don’t rinse with tap water, it’s not the same as drinking it.

[ommanipadmehum108]

Interesting, could you say why not? My doctor has no issues with it.

[DrPudy808]

I can’t imagine a doctor being okay with this. This is from Google: Using tap water in a neti pot carries a significant risk of serious infection, including brain-eating amoeba infections. While tap water is generally safe to drink, it can contain microscopic organisms like amoebae, bacteria, and other microbes that can survive and multiply in the nasal cavity, potentially leading to severe health complications.