Help....Sneezing my head off...ouchy

Ok, for the last 3 days, I have been sneezing and sneezing...with a 13 in*****ision still stapled can you imagine the pain I am going through? Does anyone have a quick cure for the sneezes???? I am deperate! This hurts and last night I was soo sore from it all I thought I was going to die...I didn't have this kind of pain since surgery! Any ideas, would really help. OUCHY< OUCHY..... Hugs, Betsy

Betsy, Check with your doctor for any medication/allergy related you can take. (This is HIGH mold season!) I have bad allergies and have this problem occasionally. I find that wiping a cool rag over my nose regularly helps. You might also want to try a face mask (like they wear in surgery) if it gets too bad. Do you have a real Christmas tree? That could be the problem. Luckily, I didn't have much sneezing since surgery until just this week, and I'm healed enough that it doesn't bother me too much. Hope any of this helps! Tammy

I have a lot of problems with allergies too, especially this time of year. Lots of congestion and postnasal drip...used to get so bad I'd lose my voice for a month. My doc advised me to snort some sal****er/saline solution. I did some research on allergies on the Internet, and found an attachment for a waterpik that irrigates the sinuses. It's pretty easy to use, looks like a regular attachment with a tapered rubber cork on the end. I mix up a batch of warm saline solution and throttle the waterpik down so that it only delivers enough pressure to squirt about an inch high, then alternate plugging each nostril and letting the solution drain out the other. Works for me! Really relieves the congestion, and flushes out whatever allergens that are making you sneeze. If you already have a waterpik you can find the attachment on Amazon.com. Just look for a "NA-2 nasal irrigator". A batch of saline solution is about a pint/500 ml of warm tap water, a teaspoon of NONIODIZED salt (the other stings), and a pinch of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). For more information look up "Dr. Grossan" on the web. He also sells a complete kit. Also---one of my friends had open heart surgery, and she said she was advised to have a pillow handy during recovery to hug whenever she coughed or sneezed. Hope this helps!

Thanks so much, Sweetie..Already found the pillow to be handy! It really is Painful... Hugs to ya. Betsy

Hi Betsy, If the sneezing is caused by allergies, I've found the Claritin and Alavert both make pills that dissolve on your tongue, and contain no aspirin or nsaids. Check with your doctor to be sure, but I couldn't live without my antihistamine. Good luck, Carole

Thanks, Carole...Unfortunately, all the doctors are off until Tuesday...I should have called yesterday....what a dummy. Thanks for the idea on the Claritin and Alavert...I am sure they would help. Hugs, Betsy

Betsy- Oh you poor thing! I was having hack attacks in the hospital and when I got home so I was living on Tylenol Allergy and Sinus meds and cough drops for a few weeks. I had LAP surgery but even so it still hurt. Ask your doctor if you can have some strong allergy meds. If it is just from the dry heat there are saline drops and ointment for your nose that you could get at any pharmacy. The pillow is a great idea and if you are allowed to wear a binder (not sure with such a long incision they would let you). Oh and on a final note, we have all been trained to cover our mouth when we sneeze or cough but right now just cover that incision - etiquette can wait! Anyone who can't abide the sneezes can wear a mask or talk to you via e-mail! I hope this helps! Taylor

Hi Taylor! YOu are right, I could care less right now about covering my mouth....both hands are holding the incision! All the drs are now off until Tuesday so I will have to wait. Hugs Betsy

Betsy, Oh girl! I'm feeling for you. Being less than a week out myself I can imagine what sneezing would be like. I had a coughing fit myself this morning and thought I was going to just die on the kitchen floor...I was trying so hard to make these little mini-coughs which in reality only made it worse I'm sure. I haven't used the pain meds since coming home except for following the coughing. I'm praying for you...hopefully they'll just stop as suddenly as they started. Liz