Nose Blocks and Early Mornings..

I have the peculiar habit of waking up early in the morning, stepping out of the house and taking a deep breath to fill my lungs with the fresh air. Anybody who has done it would know the joy in it. The way the ozone laden air fills the lungs. It’s a feeling that has to be experienced. Well, today as usual after much swearing at the alarm I finally got out of the bed and went out for my breathing ritual. I closed my eyes and with a tiny smile playing on my lips, breathed deeply and….. found that I couldn’t draw the air in!!!! My nose was blocked. Now to explain the feeling I would like to make a small comparison. Have you ever tried to suck air through a straw with the open end blocked? I had the same feeling. Immediately I understood that the reason for the block was a glass of lemon juice, which I had believed was quite safe. Frantically, I tried breathing again and felt one of the nostrils giving way. A rush of relief flowed through me. Pressing the free nostril with a finger, I tried breathing through the blocked one and again got the ‘stuck’ feeling. Now it was near emergency according to me. After ransacking the house to find the bottle of Tiger Balm, during which I discovered one long-lost shoe, my favorite teddy bear mug and water color set, I finally found it ensconced in the corner of the showcase. In my panic, I massaged it all over my nose. What followed a minute’s relief could only be described as inferno. A stinging started from the area around the nose and spread till my ears. Now it was a frantic run to sink and splashing my face with water and drying it vigorously. Finally when I was done and took a relieved breathe… the nose got blocked again!!