dry throat problem

[wilson23]

We have a dive trip to bonaire coming up and plan on getting a lot of dives in. the problem stems from my girlfriends tendency to get a dry throat that can become painful for her after about 2dives a day. does anyone have any experience with the apollo biofilter moisture system?Apollo Sports: Dive Gear: Regulators: Bio-Filter.
Or does anyone else have any ideas on how to deal with this problem?

 

[Kryssa]

I also have dry throat issues so I'll be paying attention to this thread. One thing that turns me off to the Bio Filter is the addition of a new failure point. I also don't want to have to fuss with it during the trip.

For my next trip I'm going to try dry mouth spray before dives to see if it helps.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Two dives a day (45-60 min/dive?) really isn't logging that much bottom time.

Is your girlfriend making sure that she stays well-hydrated before and after dives?
Does she have any allergies or mild asthma?
Is she taking antiseasickness meds for which dry mouth/throat is a well-known side effect? It's very common for antihistamines, e.g. Dramamine, scopolamine, to have this side effect due to anticholinergic activity. FYI, users dosing with Bonine (meclizine) tend not to complain of the dry mouth side effect as often.
(Fortunately, since Bonaire features a lot of shore diving, she probably won't need to take such meds!)

Metal second stage regulators generally help with the dry mouth phenomenon. The moisture in exhaled air condenses on the inside of the reg and humidifies inhaled air somewhat.
For dry mouth, I've heard of some people swishing some saltwater around in their mouths during a dive and then spitting it out. This technique probably wouldn't help with dry throat, though.

Scuba gas is dry; there's no getting around it. I've personally never used the Apollo Bio-Filter, but honestly I wouldn't worry too much about the addition of failure points.

 

[LivBlue]

Very new diver however but here's my two cents... I bought a sea cure mouth piece for my reg. I've noticed I salivate a lot with it. I can't see anyway possible for me to get dry mouth or throat with it as I desire swallowing ever once in awhile. When I come up I'm drooling and my buddy laughs at me I've tried cutting the back down a little but it doesn't make me gag or anything it's just a pretty wet ride. Maybe something like that might help her?

If your not familiar it it is heated and formed to your mouth like a football mouth guard. It fits nice and helps relieve jaw fatigue and for me at least it makes me drool which I guess could be a plus.

 

[endurodog]

One thing that has worked for me and others is to suck on some hard candy right before you get in the water, it gets the saliva flowing and I always feel more moist when doing this before a dive. However when I don't I don't get to the point your girlfriend does. Note on this, we like Jolly Ranchers and forgot some on a trip to Mexico, the candy they had there was actually gross so pick a little up before you leave. Ohh and I wouldn't try diving with it, just finish it before getting in the water

 

[Doc]

Is your girlfriend making sure that she stays well-hydrated before and after dives?

The answer must be: No.

Thirst is a primary symptom of dehydration. That's why nature makes you get that sensation.

Drink, drink, drink and then drink some more. (Not beer,coffee or CocaCola)

It's a very simple solution to an equally simple problem.

 

[SaltyPirateBastard]

If I get dry mouth, I like to put my tongue on the roof of my mouth for a few inhalations. This taps into the saliva under your tongue and gets it moving around your mouth. When you swallow, this fresh spit lubes the throat.

I've heard of people using Altoids as well. Not sure if they suck them before or during the dive. I've tried diving with watermelon seeds/olive stones in my mouth, which is quite difficult, so I would assume the Altoid is consumed prior to reg-in-mouth.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Drink, drink, drink and then drink some more. (Not beer,coffee or CocaCola)

It's a very simple solution to an equally simple problem.

I agree with RoatanMan's advice up to a certain point. Assuming that we're talking about a healthy individual here...if one is thirsty, one should drink. However, there's a difference between being adequately hydrated and consuming too many fluids. People should know that bad things can happen if one over-hydrates.

If a diver normally drinks coffee or soda, I see no reason to abstain from caffeinated beverages on a dive day. The goal is to stay well-hydrated. A person can consume caffeinated beverages and still stay well-hydrated. Under normal circumstances, a significant increase in diuresis only occurs with high doses of caffeine.

 

[knowone]

:coolingoff:What board is this!!!!!!!!



Love your new thingo RoatanMan

 

[Solly]

stay well hydrated and some candy before dives will do the trick.