cold question

[RipTide12]

I am getting over a cold that has lasted a few days monday-thursday. Typical runny nose headache cough nothing major at all just annoying. I was taking antehistamins thinking it was allergies and have since moved to decongestants. My concern is, that i am going for my OW certifaction dive on Saturday, is there anything i can do to make sure i will be fit to dive (Ear clearing etc.), Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[munkispank]

well- this question is difficult to answer. Diving with blocked sinus' can be problematic, but a number of divers will take something like non-drowsy sudafed to counteract the equalising problems. The dangers with that are that the medication may wear off halfway throught the dive, and even though non- drowsy, may impair your abilities.
If it was anything but a checkout dive I would probably say go with decongestants- but as a new diver, perhaps not so sure of your tolerance levels and with tasks to perform, it might be wiser to reshedule.

Overall- err on the side of caution.

 

[HockeyPuck]

thanks for the good advice. I find myself in a similar situation right now ... OW checkout dives are sat/sun, today was the first day the cold was really bothering me. Dove in the pool last night for the last pool session before the OW, and was having no problems equalizing.

I guess I've got tomorrow and friday to get over this.

 

[EliteDetail]

Hope everything works out in your favor hockeypuck, that would suck to have to miss your final dive to get certified. I hope the cold gets lost and you complete your OW dive and get your cert. good luck!

 

[HockeyPuck]

First day of OW checkout dives went pretty well. I took a sudafed about an hour and a half before diving (and had been taking other cold medicine in the intervening days). I had no problems equalizing my ears, although I did feel some very minor pressure pain in the sinus areas. I'm still a little worried about tomorrow's dives, we're supposed to go a bit deeper (30-35 feet as opposed to 20 today)

I told my instructor beforehand that I had a cold, and would let him know if I had any problems underwater, he was very understanding about it. He even said that if I had to, we could do the required stuff at 2 feet, so as to avoid all pressure problems.

 

[GoBlue!]

Probably too late for you to get this message prior to your next day of diving, but a couple squirts of Afrin to the nostrils pre-dive can help. Standard precaution w/ Afrin applies...don't use for more than 3-4 days, otherwise you can develop SEVERE rebound congestion. Also, remember that the nasal passages go BACK into the head (i.e., parallel to the floor, not perpendicular to the floor), so the best way to use any nose spray is to tilt your head forward (facing the floor) and then spray upward toward the sky....

Jim

 

[HockeyPuck]

Well, got the dives over with. Ears were fine, no problems equalizing. Again, a little bit of sinus pressure, but nothing unbearable. And then a new development. I get out of the water, and my dive buddy comments "Dude, your nose is bleeding". Great. Just what I needed.

I (and my instructors) figured it was probably a combination of temperature, pressure, and the fact that I've been rubbing/blowing my nose a lot lately. None of us were too terribly concerned about it.

 

[GoBlue!]

Glad to hear you made it through your dives OK. now just get rid of that nasty virus!

Jim

 

[HockeyPuck]

Entirely unrelated, but I'm digging that Avatar.

Hail to the Victors Valiant ....

 

[GoBlue!]

HockeyPuck once bubbled...
Entirely unrelated, but I'm digging that Avatar.

Hail to the Victors Valiant ....

And to combine it with yours, once I experience UM hockey for the first time, I sold all my football season tickets & became a fixture of Yost Arena!

Jim