On neti pots and ragweed season
I love that the weather is cooling and outside of some wetness we've had for the past few days, this is just about the perfect temperature for me -- in the 70s and just delightful. It's also that time of year that the kids go back to school. But I'm not terribly fond of September for one reason alone: It's the peak of ragweed season. Of all the allergies that we have collectively as a family, I think ragweed hits us the hardest. It's worst on Bob, who has more or less a chronic case of the sniffles to begin with.
A while ago it was recommended to us by an allergist we've seen that Bob use a sinus rinse -- sort of a modern-day neti pot. He's really bad about using it. Asking a child -- even an 11 year old -- to stick a spigot up his nose and irrigate his sinus passages isn't a natural thing unless he's grown up around it, I suppose, but the fact is it works and it does give him some measure of relief. And frankly, I'd rather see him do that than dose him up on decongestants and antihistamines.
On top of that, Bonnie gets blepheritis this time of year -- a problem with her eyelids that is also triggered by allergies.
Of the three of us, I'm probably the best off -- I get congested and sniffly, even taking decongestants every day -- but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. So I just grin and bear it, and try to get Bob to do the right thing.