Relief = Peace! Unblock your child’s nose

Gone are the days when a child’s cold and flu was a health issue that a mom encountered only once or twice a year. It seems like a perpetual health hazard (atleast in my home!) and it has me wondering "what am I doing so wrong?". I have seen my son, Ivaan, down and out with a blocked nose ever so often; be it scorching summers or advent of winters – the nose is blocked! As soon I see the nose flaring up even a bit, I know my child is in for troubled times and I start anticipating the sleepless nights and extended sick leaves from school.
 

I must say, a blocked nose has been a real ordeal – till recently, that is! Quite out of the blue, over a late night phone call, my dad suggested something that put an end to it. Here’s what happened…
 

It was almost 1 am in the morning and my husband and I were wide awake listening to the "whzz" and the "grr…grr" coming from Ivaan’s little stuffed nose. Just a few hours back, I had massaged mustard oil with a tinge of salt on his chest and palms (as suggested by a mom friend) – it hadn’t worked, as was evident. So now I tried using a balm. This went in vain too. Ivaan was so restless. My lap, lullabies and his favourite pillow, nothing was coming to his rescue. And he was mumbling too: "Mumma, nosy bandh hai, nosy dard hai…" He was fully exhausted.
 

I could not handle it any more. I made a distress call to mum, but it was my dad who picked up and I just poured it all out: "Papa, Ivaan is so disturbed, please help. He cannot breathe, cannot eat, cannot sleep. I’ve tried putting…" and on and on it went for a couple of minutes. My dad, listened to me patiently, and then calmly said: "Beta, did you try nasal spray?" I hung up the phone and sent my husband to the nearest 24X7 medical store to fetch Otrivin nasal spray, as suggested by my dad. Would you believe that Ivaan felt better within 3 minutes of using the drops! He even had a glass of milk, slept through the night and went to school the next day!
 

I am truly thankful to my dad. Next day, over another call, he reminded me of how he used to treat my blocked nose (when I was growing up) with saline water. It is rightly said that "the best advice always comes from the experienced hands".

Did you find the learnings shared by Cheena useful? Cheena awaits your thoughts and comments. Please share in the comments section below!

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