Nasal rinses and travel...

[Alias]

I travel fairly often so I find myself at hotels with no easy way to properly sanitize a rinse bottle. Assuming I could even get my hands on distilled water, and even if the room had a microwave, I'm not sure I could adequately clean and sanitize without access to running water. So far I have just done without rinsing on my trips, which I don't like doing because after just a couple days I am already uncomfortable. Does anyone have any tips, or any ideas for temporary alternatives to rinsing?

[vdub]

Yeah, use bottled water. I used it for years and, at this point, its available almost everywhere. Specifically, I used PuraLife because it said micro purified or something like that on the label. I never had any problems, but I don't know if I had any open sores or anything, so your mileage may vary.

[mishb]

I agree - I used bottled drinking water and I also carried around a Fess spray.........it comes in very handle in times of urgent need.

Then there is also a very hot steamy shower to try and help a little.

[drz]

I travel fairly often so I find myself at hotels with no easy way to properly sanitize a rinse bottle. Assuming I could even get my hands on distilled water, and even if the room had a microwave, I'm not sure I could adequately clean and sanitize without access to running water. So far I have just done without rinsing on my trips, which I don't like doing because after just a couple days I am already uncomfortable. Does anyone have any tips, or any ideas for temporary alternatives to rinsing?

I use my rinse bottle when traveling in USA with tap water. I only rinse out my rinse bottle and don't sanitize it between rinses. If I wished to do that while traveling I would take a small bottle of bleach or iodine or other pills used to sterilize water when camping. Those would be readily available and easy to carry along.

[MikeG-2012]

Believe it or not, I travel with my waterpik! (-8 It packs up about the size of one of my shoes, so I put it in checked luggage. Never been stopped with my suitcase full of small baggies of home-made, pre-measured saline packs either!!

Before I had a water filter installed at home, I was using tap water. I have used bottled water too. Just find a hotel that serves breakfast, find the public microwave, and heat up the water in the plastic bottle, without the lid) for as long as you need it in there. Then, mix with saline pack and rinse. Otherwise, according to my ENT, tap water is fine.

[Alias]

Good suggestion! Thanks!

[Donna-from-Philly]

I rinse everything out with rubbing alcohol. I take it with me when traveling. The doctor also said tap water is fine. I dissolve an antibiotic ointment in mine and it has made a huge difference

[Donna-from-Philly]

Okay saw my ENT yesterday. I was totally wrong. He and the nurse looked at me in horror when I said I use tap water. He said boil tap water and let cool or use distilled water. Thanks to this forum I knew about the diluted prednisone rinse. The doctor agreed that I would probably benefit greatly by doing this. Thanks everyone for sharing it really helps!!!

[MikeG-2012]

Out here in my neck of the woods, we have really good tap water with very little additives. Personally, I have a really good well. I now have a three stage antimicrobial water filter under my kitchen sink plumbed to a mix valve that gives me the perfect temperature water to rinse with.

Ah, the joys of another expenditure associated with this disease.

[chris.wg]

Okay saw my ENT yesterday. I was totally wrong. He and the nurse looked at me in horror when I said I use tap water. He said boil tap water and let cool or use distilled water. Thanks to this forum I knew about the diluted prednisone rinse. The doctor agreed that I would probably benefit greatly by doing this. Thanks everyone for sharing it really helps!!!

My doctor has me on Budesonide for my steroid rinse. Its actually a Asthma medication but it is used as a diluted mix for nasal rinsing it is working really well for me though. I am not sure why he went this route instead of a pred rinse I will have to ask him my next visit

[Alias]

Yes, that's the drug the rhinologist prescribed for me as well so this must be a fairly well established off label use for it. It comes in the little 2ml ampules, right? I find it's effective, too. In a follow up visit, the doc mentioned that I should also be using the little saline packets that come with the rinse bottle, as part of the same rinse. I hadn't been doing that for the first few months.

[Donna-from-Philly]

I am on budesonide as well. My doctor said it is a diluted steroid. It seems to be working well. I'm sleeping so much more comfortably.

[chris.wg]

I was already doing the rinse with the saline before hand when the doctor told me and I mentioned this to him before he put me on it. He said great and used it as a segway into explaining what I was about to do with the drug.

[Wegetarian]

The doctor also said tap water is fine.
This probably varies a lot depending on where you travel.

Last time I travelled with lots of luggage I just bought some saline solution bottles from the pharmacy, I was on very high doses of Pred and my nose was sore from wegs so I wanted to try to get the purest thing I could imagine. As an added benefit the salt was already mixed in so I didn't even need to do that. Unfotunately the pharmacys water had a plasticky-smell to it which wasn't too nice. For short trips I just packed a lot of nasal sprays for convenience.

I think Neilmed had some single-use nasal rinse thingies which might be convenient.

[me2]

Good points. I think probably most tap water in the US is ok for rinse. My doc told me my well water here where I live is perfectly safe. If I were to travel I would check into whether there was suitable tapwater where I was going or plan on using bottled water. If I didn't trust even the bottled water (like parts of China I have been to) I would plan on taking the Neilmed spray can rinse thingy's

[Bek Stone]

I find that boiled water and salt works well to rinse my sinuses just like the saline. My specialist said to boil the water just in case.

[jakekell]

We are retired so do some traveling. I solved that issue by going to the dollar store several bottles of saline nasal spray bottles. When needing a clean bottle I empty have of the saline out and fill it back up my the rinse I am on. This works while traveling for me and is sanitary. I can't go without rinsing either just to uncomfortable and it seems like letting the rinsing go a sinus infection is not far off.

Mary

[chris.wg]

My belief is most of the water as you say is "probably safe". But odds are also that you are not likely to get WG. So I just wont take the risk a bottle of distilled water is a $1 a gallon and that's pure H2O no minerals from the ground or Chlorine or other treatment chemicals from the plant. That way I control 100% what is in it. Mind you it has to be distilled for this not just bottled water. Then I add the solution pack. Boiling water is probably the next best way to be safe sure the minerals and what not are still in there but its been sterilized that way.

[jakekell]

I agree with you I use distilled water at home or away if I need to refill a bottle. The odds were so great that none of us would never get wegs so I take no chances as not worth it.

[gigi.palumboshatz]

I'm new to WG what are the Saline packets?


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[me2]

Hi gigi.palumboshatz, welcome . We have a lot of fun here- talking about saline packets is just one example.
The saline packets are little packets sort of like sugar packets that have salt and baking soda in them. There are more than one manufacturer of them but I think the most common one is Neil-med.
I especially like the way the bottle works that comes with the Neil-med packets. The bottles are meant to be disposable after using them for a while.
Of course, a person could use just plain non-iodized salt and do it themselves. I did this for many years. I enjoy the convenience of the little packets and getting a new bottle periodically. I buy mine at Costco.
Here is an example of how they come---

NeilMed Sinus Rinse Regular Kit | drugstore.com (http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=142205&catid=59915&aid=338666&aparam=142205&kpid=142205&CAWELAID=120142990000072055&CAGPSPN=pla&kpid=142205)

[jakekell]

Gigi_ I am not sure what the saline packets are I buy the small bottles of saline rinse at the dollar tree. I use a rinse call ALKALOL (label uses all caps) can be bought at Walgreens or online at Vitacost. I empty out half of the saline solution out of the bottle and add the ALKALOL rinse solutions so it isn't so strong. I only use the saline/distilled water or sterilized water to mix my rinse, not taking any chances. I have often warm mix mixture (not hot) to soften the yuck faster and most likely a little better. I hope this helps you out good luck on you journey and this is a great site lots of good information. I forgot I also use Ayrs nasal saline GEL it helps so much with keeping the tissues soft/nose bleeds.

Mary

[gigi.palumboshatz]

It's so helpful to have this information! Thank you!


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