Urgent help please

[Land Fish]

It may be a long short but I'm desperate.

I got cold a few days ago and I'm on LOB right now.

I couldn't get one ear equalised and had to abort the check dive

I don't have blocked nose and it's not running constantly anymore. When I talk, there's barely any nasal sound to it.

Yet when I went down, my right ear just refused to be equalised. I knew I might have difficulty equalising, so I started it as soon so I submerged. It helped little.

It's day 1 and I would be absolutely devastated if I had to sit out the rest of the week long voyage

I have about a day and half worth of prescriptions from a doctor for cold. Any suggestion/tips you could share would much MUCH appreciated.

Thank you!!

 

[Coztick]

It may be a long short but I'm desperate.

I got cold a few days ago and I'm on LOB right now.

I couldn't get one ear equalised and had to abort the check dive

I don't have blocked nose and it's not running constantly anymore. When I talk, there's barely any nasal sound to it.

Yet when I went down, my right ear just refused to be equalised. I knew I might have difficulty equalising, so I started it as soon so I submerged. It helped little.

It's day 1 and I would be absolutely devastated if I had to sit out the rest of the week long voyage

I have about a day and half worth of prescriptions from a doctor for cold. Any suggestion/tips you could share would much MUCH appreciated.

Thank you!!

Redneck Taquilla Shots!

Snort the salt, drink the shot and squirt the lime in yer eye!

But seriously, someone will be along any time now with something helpful.
Hope I made you smile...
Have a great time!

 

[Marie13]

I had a cold a week before I went diving last weekend. I was pounding the neti pot every two hours for several days to knock it out. Unfortunately, I don't think you're going to find a neti pot on board.

 

[elgoog]

Almost certain you're still congested, even if you don't feel it. This has happened to me due to allergy related reasons as opposed to a cold but the symptoms and effects on diving are identical.

What are the prescriptions you have? Decongestants will help a lot. Netipot is great but, like @Marie13 said, finding one will be an issue. Another old school trick you can use for similar effect - Take a pot of really hot water and drop a spoonful of Vicks Vaporub in it. Put your head down to it and inhale the steam, use a towel or sheet to cover your head so the steam doesn't escape and remains around your head. Vaporub is gonna be a lot easier to find on the boat, you can sub in eucalyptus oil as well.

 

[Marie13]

I forgot about steaming yourself! Doing it even without the Vicks is great.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

You need to suck it up and just dive. Blow the eardrum hard! No pain no gain!

Actually, if one ear will not clear and the other does, if you keep blowing hard on descent there is a very good chance you will blow out (explode) the GOOD eardrum. The blocked one is presumably protected by the blocked eustachian tube.

I know many people who can no longer dive because they pushed their ears and sinuses, it has to be gentle and painless or you are going to damage tissue or worse.

I would try some nasal spray Afrin. I have also been know to take sudafed tablets,, they help me a lot. Also, if the ocean is really clean where you are, I take a scoop of water up in the mask and then snort the seawater up into my nasal passages and blow it out.

Lastly, another good trick is sugarless, menthol cough drops,, for an hour or so before the dive, I used to keep a fragment under my upper lip during the dive, but it does present a bit of a choking hazard probably. the menthol can really help clear things out and it is probably the safest and least aggressive technique.

Remember too that if you BLAST the air in there on descent, it might not come out on ascent... that is a BAD problem.

 

[uncfnp]

The most sensible response would be to tell you not to dive with a cold but I would not listen to that advice and I doubt you will. But do at least look up and read about reverse block so you will know what you risk.

Look through your meds or ask around for pseudoephedrine, the ingredient in the behind the counter (in the states) Sudafed. Not Sudafed PE. Pseudoephedrine is the only decongestant with proven effectiveness in equalization. Try to find the 12 hour version.

My all else fail method is to valsalva and swallow together.

 

[SeaHorse81]

I think it must be impossible to be objective about this decision. You've got major money invested, time scheduled off work, upended your life for a week, and have been looking forward to this for who knows how long.

The sensible thing is to pay close attention to what your body is telling/showing you. If you elect to ignore that (as many of us would under similar circumstances), I hope you at least try to avoid doing any damage that might haunt you once the trip is over.

 

[KathyV]

I know it is hard but I suggest giving yourself a day or two to rest and relax and get better; if you keep pushing things it may just get worse. Taking decongestants and inhaling steam can help too.

The concern about a reverse block is genuine, one time my husband went diving with a head cold and he got a reverse block that wouldn't clear and he ruptured an ear drum - and that was the end of diving for that trip. But if you do dive and get a reverse block, try going back down a bit to work on clearing it.

So sorry that this happened and I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Mike126]

I'd try to rinse your sinuses with a saline solution 2-3 times a day. If you don't have any saline solution Google the mixture (salt and baking soda). Use distilled/boiled water that has cooled to room temp. Squirt into your nose, about 8 ounces, to flush your sinuses. Look up Neilmed sinus rinse and you'll see what I mean for the squirt bottle.

Drmike is an ENT and the medical moderator on the site. Message him for real advice. Good luck!