Ears

[Bottom Feeder]

Have had slight cold symptons for approx past 18 months my own personal physician who has told me there is nothing wrong that he can see with either my sinuses or my ears, however, as soon as I start sucking on compressed air within one or two days, I develop tinitus and a feeling of swelling within my inner ear - It's not painful but very uncomfortable.
I have been prescribed Hayfever tablets but these have had no effect. The cold symptoms are a slightly runny nose, puffy 'tearful' eyes, and sneezing.

 

[BillP]

Howdy Bottom Feeder:

Troublesome symptoms making it tough to clear, eh? There are many causes of congestion and many treatments available. If one course of treatment is ineffective, perhaps it's time to try another? A trip back to the primary care doctor or a specialist might be in order in such a case to try to find something that works.

HTH,

Bill

The above is intended for discussion purposes only and is not meant as specific medical advice for any individual.

 

[cougar]

Originally posted by Bottom Feeder
Have had slight cold symptons for approx past 18 months

18 months!! First I'd consider having an allergy test done. I find Sudafed non-drowsey 12 hour works really well for me. Since it would be a pain if it wore off in the water...I take it less than an hour before I get in. I have occasional allegies and a really weird "alarm clock stuffiness" That is my nose clogs up roughly between 6 and 7:30 at night...regardless f where I am or what I'm doing. I almost choked laughing when it happened at 45 feet.

But after 18 month...it migght be a good idea to find out what's going on...maybe yo're allergic to yor dog??

 

[Wendy]

Some over the counter meds and diving don't mix. I found the following DAN medical articles explaining why, especially sudafed.

(http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=52)

(http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=51)

Its important to know how certain meds and scuba can affect you. Something safe at the surface may kill you at depth.

 

[wrecNcaver]

You may want to consult a ENT on your problem. My son use to dive but because we did not consult a specialist soon enough, his ear problems became very serious. He no longer can dive. Your problem may be very different but a good ENT is well worth the time and expense. I consulted DAN for a ENT that was familier with diving and their recommendation was great. Unfortunately due to not seeing him early enough, my son's problem had progressed to the point that the ENT said he should no longer dive. This is very rare so better safe then sorry.

 

[BillP]

Originally posted by Wendy
Some over the counter meds and diving don't mix. I found the following DAN medical articles explaining why, especially sudafed.

(http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=52)

(http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=51)

Its important to know how certain meds and scuba can affect you. Something safe at the surface may kill you at depth.

Hi Wendy:

I think that you are being unnecessarily harsh on over the counter (OTC) medications and diving, and may have even completely misinterpreted the second DAN link that you gave.

The first link discusses the potential for possible side-effects with OTC medications and recommends reasonable caution with their use- points I have made time and again on this website. Many people forget that any medicine that you take to have an effect can also have side-effects, whether the medicine is by prescription, OTC, or "all-natural". DAN was reinforcing that in their first article.

The purpose of the second article that you referenced seems to be to specifically argue against the absolute prohibition against using Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) while diving advocated by some in the technical diving community (and others). Read the article, and particularly the "What's the bottom line" paragraph in that article one more time. DAN again recommends reasonable caution when using pseudoephedrine and diving, but they did not conclude that "Sudafed and diving don't mix".

HTH,

Bill

 

[Wendy]

I didn't mean my message to come across harsh. I personally wouldn't take Sudafed prior to diving. Actually I don't take any meds prior to diving. You never know how something will effect you. I've also done some reading on pseudoephedrine (found in Sudafed) and hyperoxic seizures. What's worked fine for others may not always work fine for you. Maybe I'm just over cautious.