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(sudafed is part of my save-a-dive kit).

I doubt it will stay there the first time you get a reverse squeeze and suffer for a couple days till it opens. That is no fun at all.
 
You'll look back and realize that two dives really aren't worth your safety and comfort. As you live in Florida, you'll have plenty of opportunities to dive all the time once you get your cert. Like most people have said, decongestant drugs before diving is usually discouraged (there are some exceptions), especially drugs that you've never used before in case there are some serious reactions.

Once in a while, I do take some anti-seasickness medication, though.
 
I doubt it will stay there the first time you get a reverse squeeze and suffer for a couple days till it opens. That is no fun at all.

Maybe, but used properly I think the odds are about the same as an unearned DCS hit. As was said above, taking it pre-dive when things are marginal is one thing, taking it when you have full on cold is something else. I won't try to convince anyone they should be taking them, but I also haven't seen anything to change my mind. I see it as an additional safety margin when things are iffy.
 
So I take it your instructor never mentioned not to take a decongestant before diving. The allergic reaction should be bad enough, but try getting a reverse block on ascent after the meds wear off. Not fun at all and somewhat painful.

That's what I was thinking.

Live and Learn.
 
So I take it your instructor never mentioned not to take a decongestant before diving. (...) try getting a reverse block on ascent after the meds wear off. Not fun at all and somewhat painful.

I think one can mitigate the risk by taking meds at the right times. I start to take Sudafed on the day before the dive, so that it builds up in my system. On the day of the dive, I would take one pill as soon as I get up in the morning, follow up with the second pill an hour or so later, right after I get on the boat, and finally, the third pill after the first dive. Normally, the recommendation is to take 2 pills every 6 hours, clearly they must last in your system for a while...
 
Yeah I didn't know I never took Sudafed before. It's like Tylenol and Advil.. lol everybody has taken it. But I called my parents after the ER trip, and was told "Oh, yea... your father and I have the same reaction to Sudafed, so it was never in the house while you were growing up". lol So I thought it would be safe. And I wasn't sick. If I was sick I wouldn't have even left the house lol. I just had a runny nose from spicy food... so I didn't think I would get reverse squeeze, and I bought the 12 hour formula to be even that much more careful. It was my fault I know :)... I was just incredibly bummed... waking up saying "I'm going to be a diver this afternoon!!!" and then spending that afternoon on a bed in the ER.
 
Maybe, but used properly I think the odds are about the same as an unearned DCS hit. As was said above, taking it pre-dive when things are marginal is one thing, taking it when you have full on cold is something else. I won't try to convince anyone they should be taking them, but I also haven't seen anything to change my mind. I see it as an additional safety margin when things are iffy.

You don't need to see anything. You need to get hit with a reverse squeeze and feel it. I have had the pleasant experience of having a reverse squeeze, and let me tell you (so you can see it) - if there is even the tiniest chance of increasing the risk that that happens again, its a no go for me.
 
I agree with everyone else. Calling the dives was a smart thing and nothing else. A buddy of mine called a dive we were doing two Fridays ago because he got over heated and out of breathe climbing down the jetty to the water. It was a good thing he did because the dive went south thanks to a rip tide we were not able to ID before we got in the water. I became a firm believer that day in being okay with calling a dive. My buddy felt it wasn't a good time to dive but told me to go ahead with our other buddies. Be able to call a dive is a huge step in diving.

One thing to try if you have hot sauce again is a nasal flush with a saline solution. It feels kind of weird at first but the solution with help clear your sinuses and have no medicinal affects on you. Good luck on your next dives.
 
I hate to be the one to bring this up, but when you do the last 2 dives, be sure to get the same instructor or a good friend of the instructor. Assuming you are using PADI or SSI or another similar agency, a different instructor might not only make you do the skills required for those dives, he or she might also report the first instructor for the standards violations. Such a report is also required.
 
You don't need to see anything. You need to get hit with a reverse squeeze and feel it. I have had the pleasant experience of having a reverse squeeze, and let me tell you (so you can see it) - if there is even the tiniest chance of increasing the risk that that happens again, its a no go for me.

You seem like you have a story to tell. Did you get a reverse squeeze from taking sudafed?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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