I had hard time sleeping last night. My sinuses got completely plugged up. All night long, I swallowed the gook that slid into my throat in amazing profusion. I could hardly breathe through my nose, and so I ended up breathing through my mouth. But I still kept waking up because my rose was running all the time. Besides, my throat was getting dry, and I did my best to swallow from time to time. It was one of the worst nights I could remember. My sinuses are becoming a real nuisance, and it is time to tackle them in all seriousness.

The sinuses have been troubling me for nearly three years now, but I took my time to ask for help (“Keep Suffering,” May 3, 2013). A specialist for sinuses recommended all sorts of medications, including rhino horn for rinsing of the nose (“Rhino Horn,” May 14, 2013). I realized at some point that my problems with sinuses had to do with my teeth (“The Troublemakers,” February 7, 2014). I had my teeth reconstructed a bit more than five years ago (“A Perfect Grin,” May 26, 2010). Ever since, the dentist has been pulling out the most problematic teeth (“Damned Sinuses,” February 24, 2014). By and by, I realized that my bloated stomach and occasional heart palpitations had to do with my rotten teeth, as well (“Bloated Stomach and Heart Palpitations,” February 25, 2014). But it took me much longer to realize that the reconstruction of my teeth was behind all my problems.

The mouth full of mangled teeth that have been worked on by who knows how many dentists over seven decades is a perfect abode for a large number of different bacteria. Having survived all sorts of medications, including antibiotics, they are in perfect shape for ever-greater exploits of their environment. At first they invade the sinuses, but then they start exploring the rest of the body. The intestines, the stomach, and the colon provide all kinds of food for them. Gradually, they spread to other organs. But the mouth is their haven, and funny teeth with all the nooks and crannies offer plenty a comfy hiding place for them.

Neither dentists nor other doctors are knowledgeable enough to figure out the shenanigans of clever bacteria. Each of them a specialist, they know only the bare essentials about all the other specialties. With hundreds of different bacteria that inhabit the human body, there are hardly any specialists in their collective endeavor. This holds even under normal circumstances, but it becomes much more complicated in the case hostile bacteria invade the body, which they do often enough. The warring bacteria are not easy to fathom. Many illnesses of the intestines, the stomach, and the colon thus remain poorly understood by the good doctors.

What am I to do, though? My chances with the clever microorganisms are not very good, but I will start by attacking my mouth. Powerful mouthwashes are easily available, and I will get a whole bunch of them. Shifting from one to another from day to day may help to confuse the bacteria. Some of them may even get knocked out in the process. They can adapt to any one of the mouthwashes, but not to all of them at once. In the longer run, though, it is best to get rid of the remaining teeth. Or what passes as teeth. Reconstructing the reconstructions will get me nowhere, anyhow. A good pair of dentures is all I need in my dotage, but all the hiding places in my mouth will mercifully be gone. Clever bacteria, here I come!

Addendum (December 5, 2015)

Five days later, I am as good as new. First of all, I got the toughest mouthwashes available. Together with the one I already had, there were four of them. I would brush my teeth up to five times a day, and rinse my mouth now with one mouthwash, now with another. In addition, I would rinse my nose with rhino horn as many as ten times a day. The solution of salt and baking soda is quite powerful, but it is essential to stick to the treatment without fail. Again, I am in good shape after five days only. I will stick to this cure for a few more days, and then I will switch back to normal, as it were. None of the mouthwashes I got are meant for regular use. I can return to them every few months, but not more often than that. The good bacteria in my mouth would be wiped out, too, thus leading to new problems along the way. As for the bad bacteria, they are in hurried retreat. Hooray!