I'm positive I was using the Hydropulse correctly. My Dad has used one
for about 5 years and has done saline nasal washes for 15+ years. He
has watched me and told me I am doing it correctly. However, when he
uses the Hydropulse he does not have the same problems that I do. I
have also re-read the instructions almost a hundred times

I have tried every thing from adjusting the pressure settings, to
using isotonic and hypertonic solutions. Also, I tried both regular
tap water and distilled water. I diligently cleaned my Hydropulse once
a week and flushed it with water after every use so I don't think that
was the problem. It wasn't just the hydropulse that affected me
though. I developed the same problems whether I used the Neilmed
bottle or a netipot. Every ENT I have seen as told me that my case is
unique and that they have never seen this.

I should probably elaborate a little more which might help explain my
problems.  I have always had a bit of a lightheadedness problem since
I was young. Doctors could never explain it so I learned to live with
it. Later as an adult a doctor discovered that I had a deviated septum
and thought that might explain my lightheadedness. So I had septum
surgery and then a year-and-a-half later had a follow up operation
(they also remove some polyps). The septum surgery helped my breathing
a ton but didn't help my lightheadedness problem. I started doing the
saline nasal washes after the second surgery. After doing the washes
my lightheadedness increased tremendously and I would be terribly
dizzy. It was as if my lightheadedness had multiplied by 10. Then I
started getting the sinus infections, which I detailed in my earlier
post.

After using the hydropulse for about 6 months I quit. My extreme
lightheadedness went away as did my sinus infections. As I stated in
my first post over the next year I would try the saline nasal washes
once every three months or so and have the same problems.

I should probably mention this part, though I am not sure if it is
relevant. Shortly after quitting the hydropulse for the first time I
purposely lost 35 lbs. After losing this weight my lightheadedness got
really bad even though I wasn't doing the nasal washes. I went back to
my ENT who recommended that I try the nasal washes again so I did.
This time the lightheadedness and sinus infections got really, really
bad. I quit doing the wahses and my lightheadedness got better but not
to the level it was at before I had lost weight. Over the next nine
months I would try the nasal washes again but would again run in to
the same problems.

Currently, I haven't done the sinus nasal washes in 6 months. I
haven't had a sinus infection but my lightheadedness has not improved
(the only thing that makes it somewhat bearable is chewing gum which I
do all day long). I have seen 4 different ENTs none of which can
explain 1) my lightheadedness and 2) why the sinus nasal washes don't
work for me. One doctor theorized that I might have a patulous
eustachian tube. He thought it was possible I'd had it for a long time
and that it could explain why sinus nasal washes caused me so many
problems. He thought it was possible that after I had lost weight my
eustachian tube had become wide open where as before it was only
somewhat open or open only some of the time. However, he ruled out
this possibility because I did not have fullness in my ears. None of
the other ENTs felt that this was a plausible explaination.