This sucks

I don't make a good patient. I suspect most men don't. Fortunately I don't get sick very often, but when I do, I generously share the discomfort with my wife and my two daughters.

I often compound that discomfort by gleefully ignoring my wife's counsel.

When stricken with a bad cold she will tell me to apply some Vapo rub. While I enjoy the smell of Eucalyptus, my thick hairy chest is no place for a sticky herbal gel. She'll tell me to drink some green tea to break up the congestion. But I'm a coffee man, and despite my Scottish heritage, have no inclination towards tea.

But God bless her persistence -- perhaps it's just her desire to get me to quit bitching -- she will also suggest I try the Neti Pot. I think you can probably guess where I net out on this ancient Himalayan nasal irrigation system. The thought of running semi-boiling water up my nostrils usually has me running straight for the medicine cabinet and 10mg of hydrocodone.

Vicodin (hydrocodone) does very little to relieve the symptoms of a cold or bronchitis. But when combined with a fews cups of coffee, none of that, or anything else, seems to matter.

But this year, after 10 years of rejecting her intimations, I caved in. (The Weinblatt women have nagging down to an art.) Like so many other occasions, my wife was right. I'm now a Neti Pot convert.

I love its efficacy. And firmly believe in the power of direct nasal cavity drainage. But let's face it the Neti Pot can get quite messy. But then I came across the device pictured above.

Now I've got to convince my wife to get on the receiving end of the Nasal Suck 9000 and assist me the next time I catch a cold.

That could also be a 10-year process.