Sinus squeeze

[phillip1]

I get this about 2-3 times a year.
I'll be on a yoyo profile dive in freshwater that will go from -25mtrs to -3 back to 10 etc..etc..and at some point usually at the end of the dive when I go from shallow to deep I get a sinus squeeze, sometimes painful sometimes just pressure with little pain, this goes away after a little while I have to go down real slow, shake my head etc.. I even got caught for about 10-15 mins in an air pocket without being able to go down.
I was wondering if this happens to people a lot or not.

[Angie Reim]

Every time I exited by way of the Peanut Tunnel at Peacock. I just made of point of adding 3-5 minutes to the gas plan.

[phillip1]

Does that dive have a yoyo profile? was the extra gas for the sinus squeeze possibility, since we are very few divers here I am trying to figure out if the sinus thing is a common cave diving thing.
In the ocean it has only happened to me 2-3 times in my life.
I am assuming that, obviously the sometimes extreme sawtooth profiles in caves are very bad for the sinuses but also freshwater does not help it seems.

[Cindy]

I do on shallow yo yo dives. I find it helps if I turn upside down and try to equalize. If lots of nasty things are growing I take an extended release sinus tab before going diving.

[phillip1]

I never tried the turning upside down thing. I shake my head from side to side while horizontal (if possible) and that usually works, but I will for sure try your way next time.

[mfascuba]

Is it on the way down or on the way back up? On the way down is a squeeze, on the way back up is a reverse block. I had one of those at Jackson Blue about three years ago, ended up in the local emergency room with half of my face numb after a dive. Use Afrin sinus spray and Sudafed, it will keep your head opened up. Bad news, the reverse block.

Mark

[phillip1]

On the way down.

[cavediver27]

Is it on the way down or on the way back up? On the way down is a squeeze, on the way back up is a reverse block. I had one of those at Jackson Blue about three years ago, ended up in the local emergency room with half of my face numb after a dive. Use Afrin sinus spray and Sudafed, it will keep your head opened up. Bad news, the reverse block.

Mark

Sinus squeeze on the way down isn't a big deal because you can always abort the dive if you can't clear. No harm no foul.

On the other hand, a reverse block is a really big deal and can cause big problems because after all, you have to come up one way or the other. I've had it happen a couple of times, once in Eagles Nest at around 140' after a long deep dive with 120 minutes of deco ahead of me. It was incredibly painful and just a bit scary as I tried to work my way up. I had to hold on to the up-line all the way for fear I would loose my equilibrium and my buddy stayed real close just in case. Ended up at the doctor the next day. Reverse blockages are scary because all you can do is try and bounce up and down a bit, stand on your head or whatever and see if it loosens up but eventually if it doesn't clear you have to ascend and you will most likely do some damage to the inner / middle ear as you force your way to the surface. As they say "been there and done that" and it wasn't fun.

[phillip1]

Wow that sounds really bad, the squeeze I get is at the end of dives or in the middle when you go from a shallow section to a deeper one, like from 4mtrs to 20mtrs. It sometimes really sucks because the profile in some caves here has you go down to deeper sections to then go back up and get out, last Thursday everything was cool for the first 50mins of a yoyo profile cave dive and the last 5mins when I had to go back down for the last time I had a sinus squeeze.
I had to cut the second dive short, could not get down past 11mtrs without pain.
I guess this is a fairly common problem?

[Sludge]

I told myself I wasn't going to write about this, but...

I've stated on many occasions that if I use ear beer before and after every dive I have no problems, but if I don't, I get outer ear infection and swelling. Thanksgiving week I made six dives and used it before each dive, but after none of them. During the sixth dive, as I was scootering up the hill to the third T at Jackson Blue, I heard a whistle in my right ear. Later, after I turned and was going through the Trash Room I stuck my finger in my ear and felt the swelling and slight pain. But I had had no pain and no problem clearing going down the chimney (and I had gone down it at full speed) or at p1400'. But sure enough, going back up the Rabbit Hole it wouldn't open and release pressure. I had to take several minutes going up to the third T and let it squeal to open. At the second T I took the Court Squeeze side to maintain depth better (and going through Court Squeeze with a scooter and a stage is always fun). Then at the chimney it REALLY took a long time to go from 90' to 50'. Likewise at deco.

The point of the story? Not being able to ascend REALLY SUCKS!