diving with mild regular congestion??? HELP!!

[Scubee_UK]

Hi I'm Very New to this board and diving as in not dived yet!!

When signing up to the PADI course you have to do the whole medical forms filling in and your asked if you have allergies etc well i haven't got any allergiesd that i know of but i do have congestion frequently.... After doing all the classroom stuff i realised that the equalization could count me out here!! as i have congestion frequently!!

My question is do any of you divers suffer with congestion or is it just a big NO NO area if you get it you can't get in that water or can i use decongestiant things like Clear-Ease and be ok????

Any advice welcome :06:

 

[DandyDon]

Hi I'm Very New to this board and diving as in not dived yet!!

When signing up to the PADI course you have to do the whole medical forms filling in and your asked if you have allergies etc well i haven't got any allergies that i know of but i do have congestion frequently.... After doing all the classroom stuff i realised that the equalization could count me out here!! as i have congestion frequently!!

My question is do any of you divers suffer with congestion or is it just a big NO NO area if you get it you can't get in that water or can i use decongestant things like Clear-Ease and be ok????

Any advice welcome :06:

I'm not a physician, nor much of a diver, but I will say that I take Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) plus an antihistamine on a regular basis for allergy related congestion, and take it the night before and an hour before every Air dive day. For Nitrox, I do a little different - we'll get to that later perhaps.

I dived last Saturday with a buddy who trained with me 4 years ago, but dives less frequently, who has always had a problem with equalizing, and did again. I tend to remind him of pointers, but not everything, as he has his AOW and a few trips. Here's our exchange...
Me: Did you take your allergy meds last night and this morning?
Him: Uh, no.
Me: Oh, and why not...?
Him: (silence)
We had experienced a few other problems prior to that, like him putting his suit on backwards, then his tank on backwards, the third guy leaving the dive without telling me prompting a me to do a body search of the hole on emergency air, and I was not very patient - but then he and I talk that way anyway.

Can't tell you what to do, but I take the OTC meds as a prophylactic before diving, always.

 

[Li'l38]

Hi I'm Very New to this board and diving as in not dived yet!!

When signing up to the PADI course you have to do the whole medical forms filling in and your asked if you have allergies etc well i haven't got any allergiesd that i know of but i do have congestion frequently.... After doing all the classroom stuff i realised that the equalization could count me out here!! as i have congestion frequently!!

My question is do any of you divers suffer with congestion or is it just a big NO NO area if you get it you can't get in that water or can i use decongestiant things like Clear-Ease and be ok????

Any advice welcome :06:

I'm not an expert... I don't suffer from congestion either. I was told by my PADI instructor, you're not "supposed" to use decongestants because they can wear off during the dive or have other side effects. However, I know divers that say they use the 24hr meds. Ultimately, you are the only one that can say what your condition is. It is recommended that you seek the advice of a physician who is familiar with diving. I have problems equalizing, at times, but have never suffered reverse block. It's also a good idea to "test" the chosen remedy LONG BEFORE you dive to see how it affects you. Good luck, dive safely!!

 

[Aquanaut4ata]

I'm no physician, but I dive alot, and am congested alot. I use Sudafed, and sometimes afrin if the sudafed's not enough.

 

[Big Jay]

I'm no physician, but I dive alot, and am congested alot. I use Sudafed, and sometimes afrin if the sudafed's not enough.

Ditto. I don't get congested very often but i do know my dive instructor who has a GREAT DEAL of experience mentioned (note didn't reccomend) that he uses Afrin should he feel congested.

Its the type of thing that no one reccommends, but i haven't heard any problems.

 

[SteveDiver]

I'm no physician, but I dive alot, and am congested alot. I use Sudafed, and sometimes afrin if the sudafed's not enough.

Same here. I know many divers with the same issues....I always take Sudafed before my dive...I never ran accross a medication that will not outlast my dive....especially if taken no later then a hour before the dive....

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Hi I'm Very New to this board and diving as in not dived yet!!

When signing up to the PADI course you have to do the whole medical forms filling in and your asked if you have allergies etc well i haven't got any allergiesd that i know of but i do have congestion frequently.... After doing all the classroom stuff i realised that the equalization could count me out here!! as i have congestion frequently!!

My question is do any of you divers suffer with congestion or is it just a big NO NO area if you get it you can't get in that water or can i use decongestiant things like Clear-Ease and be ok????

Any advice welcome :06:

Hi Scubee,

I have constant ear problems. In my case I am fighting to keep the Eustachian tubes open every day, all day. Needless to say this is a problem when diving. I know mine is allergy-related, since my ear problems are worse when I am experiencing other allergy symptoms, but the problem is always there. Sitting here at my desk, with no other allergy symptoms and no change of pressure, I have to clear my ears every few minutes.

I have made some great dives, and plan to make many more. I have had to abort dives on a couple of occasions because I could not get my ears to clear, but not when I have used pseudoephedrine (Sudafed). I take a dose of the 4-hour tablets about 3 hours before a dive (to get the tubes clear), then another dose as I’m gearing up (to last through the dive). The timed-release Sudafed (12- or 24-hour) doesn’t work for me. I haven’t tried the Clear-Ease yet, but am looking to.

I made a leisurely dive to 70’ in Lake Travis this last Sat., and was able to clear my ears without even holding my nose. I’m pretty excited about that!

I’m not recommending my regimen for you, just wanted to let you know that there is hope. Don’t give up ‘til you’ve investigated all the possibilities.

If you go to the Divers Alert Network, they have a lot of information on ear clearing, as well as using decongestants, and the risks:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/

There have also been good threads and links posted on this board regarding different ear-clearing techniques. I’m sure if you use the search function, you’ll get tons of reading material.

Good luck!

 

[Martini]

I dive alot. I have a DAN reccommend physcian and told my wife and I that he takes sudafed before every dive. He reccommend we do the same. Sudafed is an option but take it on land to see how you react first. I would see a doctor with knowledge of diving medecine and ask him for advice.

 

[Nay]

My constant congestion is more like a permanent snuffly nose rather than any kind of real sinus infection blockage. I take a Claritin 24 hr before long dive days or when I'm feeling particularly congested and I have no problems. I wouldn't do it if I had a cold though, that's some major congestion that I wouldn't want to risk.
Enjoy diving!

 

[divetahoe]

Try clearing your ears while at your desk, driving in your car, walking the dog, etc. Clearing is like voting: do it early and often!

If you get your ears accustomed to clearing above the surface, it will be easier to do when dropping through the water column. Like others mentioned previously, you are not "supposed" to use a decongestant before diving due to the risk of it wearing off whilst under. That's what I told my students when I was still teaching...

Then, on dive day, I would pop a 12 or 24-hour Sudafed(tm) early and be able to equalize myself. I suffer from relatively constant congestion and a congenital narrowing of one ear canal that makes it harder to equalize. Without the prophylactic, I don't know if I would still be diving, let alone have progessed to a "professional" level.

FWIW.

Steve