Would you buddy with me?

[scubagoldmc]

Sure I'd dive with you. My wife had problems with descents when we started. It took a year to discovery it was allergies and find the right meds. Better now.

Best of luck to you and I hope the ENT helps.

Mike

 

[Blue982]

Sure I would dive with you. If it meant spending a lot of time in blue water (or green water, if we're diving here) then all the better, I needed to practice buoyancy anyways!

I was talking to a young woman the other day who was having difficulty equalizing and had to spend an age descending. She said her problem was solved by wearing a pair of vented earplugs - a possibility to discuss with the ENT doc. Opinions on the safety of wearing vented earplugs seem to differ (as in all topics in diving) so take this and any advice with a grain of salt.

DAN suggests that a hood might accomplish a similar effect. If you dive without a hood you might try diving with one. If you dive with a thinner hood, you might try a thicker one.

Source: DAN Divers Alert Network : Unplugged: Use of Earplugs In Scuba Divers

Side note: wearing standard (non-vented) earplugs is a bad idea. Under pressure there is a serious risk of injury included but not limited to barotrauma.

 

[Euroboy_DC]

Hi again everyone!

I'm only posting to let those of you who asked know how my dive this past weekend went. In anticipation of the dive I had been taking 24-hour Claritin every morning, followed by the prescribed two puffs per nostril of Nasonex. Diving aside - I felt a lot clearer after a couple of days or so. I'll be continuing this regimen!

I boarded Atlantic Pro's boat in Mayport, FL, at 7am, and off we went. Our destination ended up being around 12 miles off the coast over a wreck called the Bus Stop Barge. I suited up and went overboard. I followed the anchor line down head-first and felt the first sinus twinge 10-15 feet down. Amazingly, a little jaw-wiggling did the trick! I did the same thing a couple more times on the way down, but ended up on the bottom in no time at all. What a world of difference and so, so much better than what I expected!

On the way down, visibility was probably somewhere around 10' to 20'. All I saw was the anchor line disappearing in front and below me. Seeing my first barracuda swim by at maybe 10' gave me a bit of pause. But we both kept going. I went straight through a school of hundreds of smaller fish before the wreck came into view. Visibility near the bottom was unusually good at up to 40' according to the DM.

I admittedly had some issues with my rather hyperactive gag reflex, due to which I trimmed my mouth pieces way back. But I think it was largely psychological - during my pool dives, just thinking about using putting my instructor's reg into my mouth almost made me..well, you know...and that was still on land! But after my episode subsided I had no further issues and just enjoyed the wreck and the fish at 67' below.

Back up top it was a bit rough, but I managed to stare at the horizon enough to not not succumb to sea sickness as another fellow diver did. Seeing the carrier HMS Arc Royal, a french sub (on the surface), and a few other British vessels leave Mayport topped the trip off for me.

All in all a great experience and with sinus issues that ranked at 1 on a scale of 1 to 10!

Thank you all again for your gracious replies to my post over the past couple of weeks. For the curious - the final poll result showed that about 95% of the 80+ respondents would dive with me without hesitation, as long as I told them about any issues ahead of time.

Thanks to all again!!!

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Wooohooo!

Glad you had a good experience! You are on your way to a long, wonderful diving adventure. Enjoy it!

Best wishes.

 

[GrandpaScuba]

My experience is that divers with ear/sinus problems have the problems go away after diving for a while.

 

[jonathon50]

dont worry about it mate. i feel for ya, your the one having a poor dive! GET TO ENT! lol

 

[scarefaceDM]

Someone mentioned to me once , when I was having issues with my ears, was to suck on a mint candy , or a halls cough drop or something like that. Or chew on a minty gum. Just before hitting the water. I can tell you it worked great for me. Opened up my sinus cavities. I equalized prior to decent and kept doing the jaw wiggle all the way down.

Glad you were able to work your issues out. It will get better. But do not ever push it to the point of forcing your ears to clear. I can tell you..it will hurt like hell.

safe dives

Hi again everyone!

I'm only posting to let those of you who asked know how my dive this past weekend went. In anticipation of the dive I had been taking 24-hour Claritin every morning, followed by the prescribed two puffs per nostril of Nasonex. Diving aside - I felt a lot clearer after a couple of days or so. I'll be continuing this regimen!

I boarded Atlantic Pro's boat in Mayport, FL, at 7am, and off we went. Our destination ended up being around 12 miles off the coast over a wreck called the Bus Stop Barge. I suited up and went overboard. I followed the anchor line down head-first and felt the first sinus twinge 10-15 feet down. Amazingly, a little jaw-wiggling did the trick! I did the same thing a couple more times on the way down, but ended up on the bottom in no time at all. What a world of difference and so, so much better than what I expected!

On the way down, visibility was probably somewhere around 10' to 20'. All I saw was the anchor line disappearing in front and below me. Seeing my first barracuda swim by at maybe 10' gave me a bit of pause. But we both kept going. I went straight through a school of hundreds of smaller fish before the wreck came into view. Visibility near the bottom was unusually good at up to 40' according to the DM.

I admittedly had some issues with my rather hyperactive gag reflex, due to which I trimmed my mouth pieces way back. But I think it was largely psychological - during my pool dives, just thinking about using putting my instructor's reg into my mouth almost made me..well, you know...and that was still on land! But after my episode subsided I had no further issues and just enjoyed the wreck and the fish at 67' below.

Back up top it was a bit rough, but I managed to stare at the horizon enough to not not succumb to sea sickness as another fellow diver did. Seeing the carrier HMS Arc Royal, a french sub (on the surface), and a few other British vessels leave Mayport topped the trip off for me.

All in all a great experience and with sinus issues that ranked at 1 on a scale of 1 to 10!

Thank you all again for your gracious replies to my post over the past couple of weeks. For the curious - the final poll result showed that about 95% of the 80+ respondents would dive with me without hesitation, as long as I told them about any issues ahead of time.

Thanks to all again!!!

 

[Rescue Diver68]

Yes, I would dive with you. I would feed you a Sudafed Milkshake first though

 

[Randy43068]

Hello Board!

I'm a pretty new diver - I was certified in May of 2009 (OW), did my checkout dives at Bainbridge, PA (quarry), did my first two real dives on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, and just completed a couple of Nitrox dives in Bainbridge again this past weekend.

The problem is that I have some chronic sinus issues that require me to de-/ascend extra slowly to equalize. Once I'm down there I'm fine.

The problem is that I'm always hesitant to ask anyone to buddy up with me and going into this whole long spiel about my sinuses. I figure people just want to dive and not wait around for me to come down the line.

So this an informal poll (answers hidden except from me) - am I too "high maintenance"/a nuisance, or does this happen often enough that it's no big deal, etc.

Your input is very much appreciated.

Cheers!

Pffft!
Sure would. So what if it takes a while to get to the bottom. Or if only 20 feet, it's still fun.

 

[vladimir]

I'm only posting to let those of you who asked know how my dive this past weekend went. In anticipation of the dive I had been taking 24-hour Claritin every morning, followed by the prescribed two puffs per nostril of Nasonex. Diving aside - I felt a lot clearer after a couple of days or so. I'll be continuing this regimen!

The Claritin will work relatively quickly, but you should start the Nasonex at least a week in advance of a dive:

The maximum benefit of NASONEX® is usually achieved within 1 to 2 weeks.

NASONEX - Nasal Allergy Symptom Relief and Medication