Congestion and endless nose blowing - self rant (f)

[army-girl]

You guys, let me indulge you for a minute (or 5, or however long it takes you to read this post )

Now I myself, am not a fan of nose blowing, seeing other people do it doesn't thrill me at all (it usually fills me with anxiety about germs which I guess is sort of the opposite), but I dig that this is a thing for some of us, so I figured the least I can do about my miserable state is share

To get you up to speed, I was always shy when it comes to sneezing around other people (which I'm getting over slowly but effectively over the last 7 years ) and I've always been equally if not even more embarrassed to blow my nose around people. I used to hate it, and would often rather just sniffle or go somewhere private. But life is life, and sometimes you gotta, and when that happens I'd do it in the most quiet possible way that I could, I'd dab my nose, I'd blow slowly or quietly, I just hated attracting any more attention than humanly necessary. Much like the sneezing in public, the blowing in public also improved (not that I've consciously set my mind to it or anything), but still, I try to pick my moments, to make sure I'm not interrupting or whatever.

For the last 2 days I've had a mean mean head cold, much to my dismay, I haven't even sneezed once! unlike my darling husband, who gave me this foul plague (despite me trying to shun him and his germs away XD), and sneezed about 20,000 times ... But you know what I have been doing? that's right boys and girls, blowing and blowing and blowing ... I've already finished one pack of tissues, and I'm well into the next one, and it's only been 2 days. Now as I've mentioned before, the whole not-in-public thing? that's gone out the window XD despite being sick I went to work *literally just stopped to blow my nose now because it was starting to drip*, because I had some prior commitments I couldn't cancel and because I felt like I was still functioning as a human being (despite being a menace to others, I usually frown at people who come sick to work myself ... double-standards), anyway! I came in to work, and most of the day I was just doing prep work for a group session I was hosting later on (hence the not-calling-in-sick).

The highlights from yesterday were 2 really public situations, the first was a teacher conference I attended (I'm the school psychologist, so sometimes I go to these things), where I luckily didn't have to present anything myself, but still, I was around 30 school staff members and I felt rather exposed, but I just went for it, more than once, situation was dire XD I felt half decent about it since I wasn't being very loud, and since it sounded mostly dry.

The second situation was the group session I mentioned, I'm co-hosting a group for teaching kids social skills, and yesterday was our first meeting, so I really couldn't bail. Despite feeling utterly like crap, I had a headache, and all throughout the day I felt weak and off, and even a little nauseous ... anyway, during the session I kept a couple of tissues in my pocket, because I knew not to leave things to chance and generally I tried to get everything uncongested before we got started, not that it helped so a couple of times I had to blow my nose. As I've mentioned before, I'm usually very picky about my timing, so I tried to do it when my co-host was talking, or when the kids were engaged in activity, but at some point I was getting really runny when I was mid-sentence what did I do? I pulled out one of the tissues from my pocket, and blew my nose while finishing my sentence. I don't even know to explain how that worked in terms of what happens when, I definitely didn't stop or pause while speaking to do it ... it was just one of those awkward moments for me. Blow speak speak, blow blow, speak, blow, speak ... heck if I know

Today wasn't much better, today I was way more congested, my voice sounds stuffy and awful. And my blows went from dry sounding to wetter sounding, downright gurgly at times. I bought a box of tissues to work, because our office supply includes rolls of toilet paper that can be easily confused with sand paper, and my nose was already beginning to look red and hurt. I blew through whatever was left in my half-a-pack rather quickly. One more thing I'd like to share. I was sitting with my guidance counselor, we have weekly sessions, because I'm in my internship and that's part of the professional supervision and training routine. Anyway, my counselor is a really sweet woman, she's just awesome, very sympathetic and warm hearted woman. Anyway by the time we had our meeting, my tissue pack was running way way low, and during our meeting it came to it's end. My nose of course was having none of that... it was quite happily ready to continue to run. So my counselor, sweet lady that she is, noticing my distress, as we continue to talk notices my distress and pulls out her own pack of tissues. I was touched by the gesture and care, and obviously very thankful (because the sand-paper-toilet-rolls are awful). She left it out on the coffee table for the remained or our time together. And when we finished our meeting even suggested that I take a few for later, till I renew my supply. But I just thanked her and said I'm gonna go across the street to the grocery store and pick another pack up. I went the extra mile and got a box of kleenex with allo.

And that's it I think ... How did I do? I don't normally write about nose blowing, nor do I read about it, I dunno what's the stuff you guys like hearing about, let me know how I did

~ Byeeeeeeee! A.G.

[luvsfemalehonks]

awesome writing! would love to know how the blows sounded in each public situation vs when you're on your own and totally comfortable...i hope you get better soon but in the meantime would love to hear more about this cold

[honkmaster]

Great obs army-girl. Thanks for sharing and I hope you feel better soon.

[sneezomania]

This is wonderful. Thanks a lot for posting!

[army-girl]

awesome writing! would love to know how the blows sounded in each public situation vs when you're on your own and totally comfortable...i hope you get better soon but in the meantime would love to hear more about this cold

Let me try to think of how to describe the blowing sound (though I'm 100% sure there's not enough letters in the English language to spell it out lol). Either way, it really depends on what stage my cold is at, the first day was dry sounding and unsatisfying. The second day was way more congested and gurgly, and thus satisfying in some ways, and more embarrassing to me in others I'm not sure what today will be like I'll be sure to find out ...

Now regarding differences in my surrounding, even by my lonesome I'm not a very loud nose blower (nor am I a particularly loud sneezer, and now I'm wondering if that correlates I think I'll start a thread in the general forum to survey people haha!). When I'm alone I just blow as much as I need to get everything out in longer blows I think, and if I'm particularly stuffy it can take more than one tissue. And of course my nostrils takes turns as to which is more stuffed. Ugh, and in the last couple of days I'm so congested that sometimes even swallowing makes my ear pops, but I'm glad I'm not blowing hard enough to make them pop in a painful way. But I digress!

When I'm in public or around people ... well, I pray that it doesn't sound too wet because that makes me feel guilty that I might be menacing people around me or contaiging them. And erm, I just try to blow slower, probably in shorter blows too, just alternating sides quickly even though I haven't fully finished each side. I dunno, I guess I just blow slower and softer, I still prefer to get everything out, just not aggressively. That and I always worry that I might just start leaking ... you know? sometimes I can feel a really watery drip starting to occur, and it's just so watery it makes it's way out rather quicky. And when I'm alone I just tilt my head back dab my finger under my nose till I make it to a tissue. And I'm so worries that would happen around people ... I don't know if I can think of a specific time that it's happened, but I'm pretty sure it has ... and then I just usually dab my nose with my sleeve real quick (and pray no one notices) and dash towards a tissue. I think that might've been what happened when I was blowing as I was talking in my group activity situation, which is why I went straight for the tissue in my pocket before things escalated to actual drippage.

Today I'll be attending in a small group session which I'm not hosting, as a member, and I bet I won't make it through the entire 2 hours without blowing my nose ... although yesterday I had the pleasure/misfortune to sit through a short meeting without any tissues (because I forgot to take some from the car, and apparently I had none in the purse I left the house with ... which is odd, because I'm one of those people that always carries tissues even though I almost NEVER need them aside for when I'm sick and then I just grab a box) ... my god look at me babble! I'm sorry lets just say my husband and I went to pick up our wedding video, I was counting it'll be a quick hello, grab the video, small talk and goodbye, but our photographer, friendly guy that he is, sat us down for a bit of a chat, showed us some of the footage and boasted about his new website, now I like the guy, he's a fun person to chat with, but there weren't tissues anywhere in sight on the studio, and none in my purse, and I was so desperate to blow my nose ... and too embarrassed to ask when we finished up, which must have taken at least 30 minutes and probably actually longer, we walked back to the car and I was so happy to be reunited with the tissues I keep in the car relief!

I feel like that was a post within a post woops anyway I better go, I gotta get to work ... I'll try to write another post about the situations I run into today ciao!

[The Dude]

Outstanding obs, army-girl. The talking in between blows, plus the fact that it happened to be in Hebrew is by far the hottest thing I've imagined this year.

Just one question... what is the Hebrew translation for "I have to blow my nose", and the verb "to blow your nose"? I tried googling it, but unfortunately I'm unable to read the letters.

I think I would probably drop dead if you posted a voice note of how it is supposed to be said.

That's what you guys want, right?

[army-girl]

Outstanding obs, army-girl. The talking in between blows, plus the fact that it happened to be in Hebrew is by far the hottest thing I've imagined this year.

Just one question... what is the Hebrew translation for "I have to blow my nose", and the verb "to blow your nose"? I tried googling it, but unfortunately I'm unable to read the letters.

I think I would probably drop dead if you posted a voice note of how it is supposed to be said.

That's what you guys want, right?

You made me laugh right there alright, let me help ya out with the Hebrew.

"I need to blow my nose"

- for a male: "ani tzarich lekaneach et ha'af sheli"

- for a female: "ani trzicha lekaneach et ha'af sheli"

the verb for nose blowing (and this works only for nose blowing, it doesn't work for just plain "blowing") it [/le/ka/ne/ach] לקנח, it's an odd verb ... because it's very specific, it doesn't work with anything other than nose... I mean, you can't lekaneach anything but your nose. The only other word reminiscent of it that I can think of is קינוח with works both like the nose blowing verb, but as a noun also literally means desert (like cake or whatever)

and I dunno about a voice note for 1 good reasons (being all stuffy and congested is probably not what you'd consider a "good" reason, heck I'm sure you'd love even though I might not a huge fan of it lol ). Right so the one reason to rule them all is that it's a word I really dislike kinda how I don't like using the Hebrew word for sneezing XD it just urks me, sometimes to the point of cringing. Though I think the word that twists my stomach the most is the word for handkerchief *blergh shudder*

There's actually another way to say to blow the nose, which is derived from the word for handkerchief, which I hate saying even more than lekaneach XD it's literally "to wipe", but it's a fancy old-school word for wipe, and there's an element to it that makes it sound, in my mind, like it involves some level of squeezing ... but at least it's a versatile verb, because you can also use it in wipe the sweat off ... now nose wiping in English is alright in my book ... and there's a more casual way to say wipe in Hebrew [le/na/gev] ]that doesn't relate to handkerchiefs, which I'm not urked by, but it just doesn't work quite as well ... but my god the first I mentioned just makes me cringe ... CRINGE! so you're just gonna have to live with they mystery ...