The Horrendous Sneeze

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Peter Easton

Folks post-surgery have mentioned at various times the terrors of sneezing with a new incision scar from stem to stern. Someone at one point said that the best remedy might be to press a point just below the nose when a sneeze starts coming on -- apparently an acupuncture pressure point effective in just this regard.

I've tried it out and it seems, at least, to work like a charm with me. The sneeze urge and urgency downright evaporate. Hope this works post-surgery as well. Anyone know anything more about the why's and wherefore's of this phenomenon, whether it works for everybody and on a continuing basis? Nothing like natural remedies!

Peter
 
There's an acupressure point on your inner wrist that can help with sea-sickness, also an acupressure point between the thumb and index finger in the soft tissue that can help with headaches. You have to press hard there and it's very tender, but it does work until you can find some Tylenol.

Just keep poking yourself all over and see what happens!!!:D :D

Just my crazy Irish humor, I couldn't resist.
 
I tried the pressure point. It seemed to work sometimes and not others for me. I also have relied heavily on the "look at the light" method. Not to be confused with "go to the light". Oooh, that's some dark humour on a Friday morning.

Whenever I look at bright light (not the sun please, we need our retina's) when I feel like sneezing, it goes away almost all the time. Since I've used the pressure point, light looking combo, I look like an idiot, but I very rarely sneeze.

The sneeze is only nasty for a few weeks and even then, I really don't find it too great a discomfort.

I would be interested to know why this occurs too. I'm also curious why sometimes when I have a really big sneeze, I get the sensation of a lactic acid buildup in my neck, arms and chest. I haven't had it since my operation, but I would get that constantly.

The body is so weird...
Kev
 
Never heard of the light trick, Kevin, but will try it. A thousand yrs ago when I was 12, I had a burst "something" in my nose and nearly bled to death and the dr stuck sticks up each side of my nose and forbade me to sneeze - he is the one way back then who told me how to avoid the sneeze. It has always worked.

Hey Nancy, I might try some of those pressure points and see what I find!!!!:D :rolleyes: ;)
 
No matter what avoidance methods you learn, Peter, never forget the most important truth about post-surgery: sneezing is EVIL!!!:mad: :mad: :mad:

The light trick sounds great, wish I would have known of it before, although envisioning its combination with the acupressure points as Kev depicts it does stir up images of extreme goofiness!:D

Anyway, Peter, I was doing great after surgery until the second or third week when, without warning, I practically sneezed my head off and my chest apart along with it! The problem is, these methods of avoiding sneezes only work if you are aware that it is coming. Secondly, and I truly wonder if anyone else had this problem, but I really struggled with reverse psychology on this one. I have never suffered allergies and never sneezed all that often; that is, except for about two weeks continuously following my first sneeze after surgery. The acupressure thing worked well some of the time. But, however much I used it to avoid sneezing, along with everything else I tried to do the same, my nose just rebelled and decided it was going to sneeze even more often and more violently the more I tried to stop it. As you can imagine, that was a rough two weeks. Fortunately, the rest of my recovery went so well that it was the main thing I had to tolerate in that period.

Since then, actually after my sternum stopped hurting so much even when I sneezed, my sneezing occurrence has returned to normal and that has been the end of it. Whew!!!;) ;) ;)

So, even if you are armed with all the avoidance methods and you very well may not have any problem with it, take if from me not to underestimate how EVIL sneezing after surgery truly can be.

In any case, your heart pillow will always be a source of great solace whatever your particular challenges are post-surgery.

And your heart buddies on this website too, of course.

I pray you have an entirely sneezeless recovery, and an uneventful one in every other respect as well.
 
Hi Peter,

Ditto.... Always remember.... "Your Pillow is your Friend"

I vote with Steve... No matter how well you are armed.. the sneeky sneeze will get ya! have that pillow close.

Rob
 
I remember when my son was going to sneeze at the doctor's office, and the doctor shouted "DON'T SNEEZE!" and he didn't! The doctor scared the sneezed right out of him!:p It was funny, he had this HUGE sneeze all build up, and then it just went away! :D :D :D

Good thing I have no cats or I'd be dying!
 
Boy, I'm glad I don't get the hiccoughs that often! Ouch!::D I can just about imagine how much THEY hurt!
 
Oh yeah, Rob, I forgot to ask you, why is my pillow my friend???????? Or don't I want to know?:D :D :D
 

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