When to See An ENT Doc

[Stacio]

I was having some problems equalizing too, it was a very slow and somewhat painful process. I went to see the doctor and he advised me that I have cronic svear allergies. They put me on some steroid therapy, nasal spray with a steroid in it and Rx antihistamine and decongestant. Did my open water this weekend and everything worked wonderfully. Equalizing was still a little slow, but I was able to do it and without pain!! Ofcourse, get some alcohol or something to put in your ear after each dive to dry it out.

[mselizann]

I see a ENT Dr. who is a diver! He knew exactly what I needed- a daily nasal spray w/ steroid, take a 12 hr sudafed on the morning of diving- and Afrin right before diving

I feel so much better now-

[Grizbear98]

I had never really had bad ear problems before until I tried diving with clogged sinuses in Belize, I had to literally equalize with every breath I took in or about once every foot. This helped, but it was annoying. But I would see a doctor if you're already doing something similar to that, ears are nothing to mess with

[caroln]

Originally Posted by mselizann

I see a ENT Dr. who is a diver! He knew exactly what I needed- a daily nasal spray w/ steroid, take a 12 hr sudafed on the morning of diving- and Afrin right before diving

I feel so much better now-

Be careful of doing this if you are diving nitrox or mixes with higher ppO2. There has been some speculation that some of the OTC decongestants and Afrin in particular can cause you to be more susceptible to an o2 hit.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by caroln

I would go see the ENT immediately, but I would ask DAN for a recommendation for an ENT in your area and go to him rather than just any random doc.

Agreed.

[mselizann]

Originally Posted by caroln

Be careful of doing this if you are diving nitrox or mixes with higher ppO2. There has been some speculation that some of the OTC decongestants and Afrin in particular can cause you to be more susceptible to an o2 hit.

I don't....but thank you for the warning

[aaronle06]

I had trouble with my sinuses and I thought it was a equalizing problem. I got pressure headaches above my eyes and I tried to do something about it from benadryl, to 12hr suddefed and when I dive I just suck it up and go down until the pressure subsides. In my open water class the DI said that air will find a way to move around. if you aren't well versed in diving and need an explanation in an IT sense, "Air will find the path of least resistance." So, for me it just goes somewhere. I haven't tried diving past 26-30 ft yet, so I don't know the risks and dangers of deeper waters.

[matt151617]

Insurance would be the problem, of finding a doctor that took the insurance, so the chances that he would be DAN approved won't be as great. Plus, I'd like to go asap, especially if it's an infection. I'm going to talk to my instructor outside of class and see if he can give supervise my equalization technique.

[Zatharas]

Originally Posted by aaronle06

I had trouble with my sinuses and I thought it was a equalizing problem. I got pressure headaches above my eyes and I tried to do something about it from benadryl, to 12hr suddefed and when I dive I just suck it up and go down until the pressure subsides. In my open water class the DI said that air will find a way to move around. if you aren't well versed in diving and need an explanation in an IT sense, "Air will find the path of least resistance." So, for me it just goes somewhere. I haven't tried diving past 26-30 ft yet, so I don't know the risks and dangers of deeper waters.

aaronle06 be careful with the whole using decongestants before diving, you do not want to make it a habit. In addition, if you are having consistent sinus problems you should consult a doctor about it. Air in the sinus can find its way into your ears and blow your eardrums out, I am not fully versed on how this happens but if the air does not leave your sinuses via your nose or mouth, it will leave via your ears.

matt151617
Yet another vote for going to see a doctor and good luck with the whole matching your insurance with a good doctor.

[aaronle06]

Originally Posted by Zatharas

aaronle06 be careful with the whole using decongestants before diving, you do not want to make it a habit. In addition, if you are having consistent sinus problems you should consult a doctor about it. Air in the sinus can find its way into your ears and blow your eardrums out, I am not fully versed on how this happens but if the air does not leave your sinuses via your nose or mouth, it will leave via your ears.

matt151617
Yet another vote for going to see a doctor and good luck with the whole matching your insurance with a good doctor.

I don't dive anymore when using meds. I didn't post that I used days prior to diving to get rid of bad allergies. I don't get allergies often so I don't think that it will be a problem. Also, do you know where I can get information on the air pressure in sinuses blowing out ear drums. I'm not saying that its not going to happen or unbelieving your side, I just want to know the facts and not risk anything in the near future.