Ear problems won’t stop

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I had similar and went to the doc. He cleaned out 30 years of ear wax / other - problem no more.
 
Thankfully I have zero sea sickness. I’ve been on boats and the ocean my whole life. I’d prefer to not be on any medication when diving but if when this is all said and done I need some to help equalize, that’ll be what happens.
 
My advice is don't try to compare equalizing as a free diver with equalizing on SCUBA.

Don't use Sudafed until much further along in your SCUBA development. Perhaps you'll never need it. If you ever do break down and use it, go with 12 hour and take it at least 30 minutes before your first dive.
 
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I generally have to do a very aggressive valsalva repeatedly when descending and on my last trip, my right ear gave me trouble on the lllloooonnnnnnggggg flight home (from Manila!). It was still pressurized an hour after I got home and I did just “one more search” on the internet for a tip on how to get it to clear. This was when I discovered the technique I had never heard of: a combination of the valsalva and the Toynbee methods. While pinching the nostrils, blow gently to create a small amount of pressure and while doing this, swallow- POP- instantly cleared. Can’t wait to try this on my next descent.

Another thing to look into; doc’s ear plugs for divers (available at most dive shops) limit the amount of water that gets into your ears and I tested them on my last trip. I found that I didn’t have to equalize quite as much- my Ears didn’t get waterlogged either until the last day when I lost one of them (another tip- get the ones with a leash!).

As far as decongestants go, the US Navy did a study where they compared divers using pseudoephedrine against divers who used a buffered saline flush- the saline flush was more effective and has been my go to if diving with any congestion for the past 12 years.
 
First don’t worry, but you are not equalising yet. Wait til your instructor teaches you. There are very few people indeed who can’t equalise. It’s nothing to do with ear wax.
 
You can also practice equalizing your ears a couple of times a day while on the surface. Exercise those eustacian tubes a little, so it's not only during diving and when compressed.
 
I have noticed, through practise that if I subsequent equalisations become easier if I "preclear" ie equalise on the surface just prior to diving. The tip with equalising is definitely to equalise long before you feel any pain (in particular near the surface as as that is where the biggest pressure differentials are). At 15ft I would have probably equalised 3 times.
 
Echoing everything that's been said here re: equalizing first at 15' is far too late. Also that trying to do so while free diving is different than while on a regulator, so don't sweat it if it's been an issue to date.

My instructor had a very good technique to first learn equalization (and I'm certain yours will as well...) so to share...

Assuming you're in a pool where there's a slope from shallow to deep, position yourself on the floor of the pool right at the top of the slope, feet down towards the deep end. Slowly...SLOWLY...hand walk yourself down the slope, equalizing every "step" or two you take with your hands. Once at the bottom of the deep end, retreat back up to the top and do it again, changing technique if there were any issues (to use the descriptive language, from 'block the nose and gently blow against' to 'block nose and swallow'). Worked like a charm and neither my wife or I had any problems equalizing once we moved over to vertical decents later.
 

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