Sinus trouble

[Neptuno]

I had problems in my sinus for many years, I got freediving a blockage one time about 10-15' before getting to the surface coming with no air and had to wait a bit, never blew and when I tried to go back down was like if somebody where trying to take my eye out of my face with a broken bottle...., I had many blockages and they are normally bad in the way that I cannot go back in the water or will be way too painful, will not get you to a serious condition unless your ears had same at same time, but I bet is lot more painful than blowing your ears

[AB8CD]

I have not had an eardrum rupture, but I have had some experience with swollen sinus passages causing difficulty in equalizing. On a dive job where I had to ascend/descend repeatedly to 50 feet or so over several days, my sinus passages were so swollen that every foot of ascent made a squeaking sound. I remember that when I tilted my head back to look up I saw what I can only describe as an flash of white and I was very nauseous... I assume the light had something to do with my optical nerves. Obviously, the nausea was vertigo...

I also run into something similar on repeated dives over several days that when I am descending I go through a certain depth and get nauseous. I attribute it to one ear clearing before the other creating vertigo.

[Skorpiov]

I have blown both ears (not diving) as I had terrible and frequent sinus issues as a child. I've been told I have small perfectly round holes in both ear drums. I have never had an issues clearing and dont have to hold my nose to clear. I guess a little hearing loss is acceptable for a such a cool diving super-power.

Please respond slowly and clearly. I have to read your lips.

Thank you.

Stev

[mfascuba]

I had a reverse block at Jackson Blue in early 2007 (or late 2006 - it all runs together). It freaked me out, half my face was numb, I thought I'd taken a type 2 hit bad. After that I keep Afrin and sudafed in my console - if there is any hint of congestion I take both as I'm driving up to the dive site, no issues since. Scary stuff, and very painful.

Mark

[phillip1]

It seems to have cleared up kind of, I did two days of diving no problem then the 3rd day at El Tildo I turned as I felt a hint of sinus trouble brewing, no real pain but a "I wont be able to equalize if I go up and down a few times feeling" and it is a real yoyo profile cave too.
I have been using the nasal rinse Neti pot thing with a tablespoon of salt mixed in warm water 2 times a day and it seems to help a lot.

[RETIRED 11]

I find that Sudafed raises heartrate and causes hyperventillation... anyone else notice this?

[FW]

I find that Sudafed raises heartrate and causes hyperventillation... anyone else notice this?

Yes, and not to mention it can "rebound". That is, stop working in mid dive, and cause a reverse block

[Sludge]

That is, stop working in mid dive, and cause a reverse block

Here's my story of why I'm afraid to use nasal spray before a dive:

I was scootering JB, the fourth dive of a weekend, and as I was ascending from Hall of the Mountain King to the third T my right ear made a weird squealing sound. (The passage goes from about 95' deep to 70' deep. The third T is about the shallowest part of the cave past p300' that I go to, and it goes right back down to ~90' right afterward.) "That's not good," I thought, but like a moron I kept going.

Upon exiting, when I was ascending back to the third T my right ear didn't want to clear. I had to take a couple of minutes and "ease" it up. Then back to ~95' for most of the way back. But at the Chimney I had real problems. The passage goes from 95' to 50', straight up. It probably took me ten minutes for my ear to clear.

That was the point that I started thinking about the times that I had in the past used nasal spray before a dive, against the advice that it might "stop working in mid dive, and cause a reverse block."

[phillip1]

another dumb question is how long did the sinus trouble last? it has been about a week now for me.

[dogwatch]

Yes, and not to mention it can "rebound". That is, stop working in mid dive, and cause a reverse block

can personally attest to this one - not good. After that happened, I used to bring extra with me and take additional pills mid dive ... i know ... bad idea, but i didn't know better back then. We had a system that you had to go from 60-80 down to 140 to get out to the sink hole ...... got stuck there several times not being able to clear