先日大雪が降って気温が下がり、とても寒い思いをしていた日があった。その日は熱もないのに何故か鼻水が出っぱなしだった。寒さが原因だと思っていたのだが、いくら部屋を暖かくしても、足元を直接温めても一向に鼻水が止まらず、ティッシュペーパーを一箱使い切ってしまうほど鼻をかんだ。数日後には鼻の皮がボロボロに剥けてしまったほどだった。イライラして、何をするにも集中できなく、ホトホト困り果てた。こんなに酷いのは生まれて初めてで、私の身体はどうしちゃったんだろうと、頭の中が？マークだらけになっていた。

　「コロナに感染したか？！」とも考えたが、コロナで鼻水が止まらないなんて聞いたことがない。4回目のワクチン接種からはだいぶ時間が経っていて、急に副作用が現れるとも考えにくい。熱がないのでインフルエンザでもないだろう。一体何なんだ。
　症状だけ見れば、目にも少しかゆみがあって、いわゆる花粉症のような感じだろうか。しかし窓の外は一面雪景色で、花粉が飛んでいると言うよりも、草木たちは雪の下で、芽吹く春を心待ちにしているといった赴きだ。私は以前にハウスダストにアレルギーがあると診断されたことがあり、それかとも考えたが、一日前と何がそんなに違うのか納得がいかない。結局本当の原因は分からず仕舞いだった。

　苦し紛れに次の日に何をしたかといえば、原因が定かではなかったけれども、とにかく部屋の空気を入れ換えようということだった。もう一度念入りに掃除機をかけたり、寒空の中、大きく窓を開け放ってしばらく仕事をしたりした。
　さらに考えたのが「鼻うがい」。以前、冬場には風邪予防のために毎日行っていた習慣を今回復活させた。鼻うがいは主に風呂に入った時にシャワーで行う。シャワーを目元付近に浴びせながら片方の鼻を指で横から塞ぐ。そしてもう一方の鼻の穴のすぐ下に手をあてがい、顔を流れ落ちてくるお湯で小さな水たまりを作り、開いている鼻穴からそのお湯を吸い上げる。そうすると口の奥から鼻の中を通った汚い水が吐き出されるという具合だ。

　結果的に鼻水は止まった。多少はまだグスグスするときもあるが、あんなに洪水のように酷くは出てこない。ハッキリとした理由が掴めないまま止まってしまうと、逆にやってみてみたこと全てを継続しないといけなくなる。でないと、またあの地獄が戻ってきそうで恐ろしいのだ。だから入念な掃除はもちろん、もうしばらくは鼻うがいも続けないと。
　しかし鼻うがいについては、上手くお湯を吸い上げられれば鼻が通って気持ちがいいのだが、失敗すると嘔吐いてしまう。気管が詰まったようで相当に苦しい。そういうときは、上手く表現できないが、溺れたような記憶が思い起こされてしまう。私は溺れた経験はないのだが、よく映画で見るような、閉じ込められた密室に水が浸水してきて窒息しそうになる、あの状況。あの類いのシーンの記憶が、呼吸ができないような苦しさと共に一瞬脳裏に蘇る。だから良い習慣だと思いながらも、恐くて鼻うがいを中止していた。
　健康を維持するためには少し努力も必要だということだろうか。恐いけれど、ちょっと続けてみるしかないようだ。いやぁ、歳は取りたくないな～

　雪が積もっていても、花粉症はあり得るのかもね～

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Nasal Gargle

　There was a day the other day when it snowed heavily, the temperature dropped, and I was feeling very cold. That day I had no fever, but for some reason my nose kept running. I thought it was due to the cold, but no matter how much I warmed the room or directly warmed my feet, the sniffling never stopped, and I blew my nose so much that I used up a whole box of tissue paper. After a few days, the skin of my nose was peeled off in pieces. I was so irritable that I couldn’t concentrate on anything, and I was in a lot of trouble. I had never felt this bad in my life, and my mind was full of “what’s wrong with my body?

　I thought, “Did I catch corona?!” I thought, “But I’ve never heard of corona causing a runny nose. It had been a long time since my fourth vaccination, and it was unlikely that the side effects would suddenly appear. I don’t have a fever, so I don’t think it’s the flu either. What on earth could it be?
　Looking at the symptoms alone, my eyes were a little itchy and I guessed that I was suffering from hay fever. However, outside the window, it was snowing all over, and it looked as if the trees and plants were waiting for spring to sprout under the snow, rather than pollen flying around them. I had been diagnosed as being allergic to house dust, and I thought it might be that, but I was not convinced what was so different from a day before. In the end, I never found out the real cause.

　In my desperation, I did what I had to do the next day, which was to air out the room, even though I was not sure of the cause. I carefully vacuumed again, opened the windows wide open in the cold weather, and worked for a while.
　I also thought about “gargling” my nose. I had previously done this every day in the winter to prevent colds, and this time I revived the habit. Nasal gargling is mainly done in the shower when taking a bath. While taking a shower near my eyes, I cover one nostril with my finger from the side. Then, with my hand just below the other nostril, I create a small puddle of hot water that runs down my face, and suck it up through the open nostril. Then he would spit out the dirty water that had passed through his nose from the back of his mouth.

　As a result, the runny nose stopped. It still sniffles a little at times, but it doesn’t come out in a flood like that. If it stops without a clear reason, I will have to continue everything I tried to do. Otherwise, I am afraid that the hell will come back again. So, of course, I have to continue the careful cleaning, and I also have to continue gargling my nose for a while longer.
　However, as for nasal gargling, if I can suck up the hot water well, my nose will pass through and I will feel good, but if I fail to do so, I will vomit. It is quite painful, as if my windpipe is clogged. At such times, I can’t describe it well, but it brings back memories of drowning. I have no experience of drowning, but I often see the situation in movies where water floods into a locked room and almost suffocates you. The memory of that kind of scene comes back to my mind for a moment, along with the agony of not being able to breathe. So, although I thought it was a good habit, I was afraid to stop gargling my nose.
　I guess it is necessary to make a little effort to maintain good health. I am afraid, but I guess I have no choice but to keep trying. Well, I don’t want to get old!

　Maybe hay fever is possible even when there is snow on the ground!