I had the exact same issues. Flonase every day. Frequent really bad headaches after a dive. I went to an ENT that happened to also be a diver. He told me to use Afrin (12-hour version) in the morning on any dive day. I use that now and also pay more attention to descending slowly and equalizing very often and that has almost (but not quite) fixed me to not get the headaches anymore. I do still get them every now and then.
I appreciate that, at least someone's been through it. I personally want to stay away from Afrin, but I guess it's at least a last resort. I've been taking my Zyrtec-D for the past 2 days and feel worlds better. I didn't realize it was working so well.
Got it. So you don't trust your instructor's judgment as a scuba professional? But you're willing to go, as a novice diver, to the ocean with him? That doesn't make much sense. Hopefully, for your sake and that of your instructor, you make it through the course with no incidents.
Based on what you've posted, you should have had a few YES answers on your medical questionnaire, which would have required that you got clearance from a physician. I guess your instructor was notified of your situation by the answers to your questionnaire, so he's had the opportunity to discuss it with you.
Have you ever had sinus issues? I'm asking because I get the feeling your giving your opinion without any experience, and I don't feel that's fair. I have been to the doctors (as stated earlier) and gotten a clear bill of health, and have gone to a newer ENT (as stated earlier), and we've got a game plan.
I know how the liability song and dance gets played, ESPECIALLY in today's messed up world where people sue other people for looking at them the wrong way. I'm pretty sure because the way the world is my instructor would say. "I need you to go see a doctor to get cleared before we can proceed". Without giving me that cliche response about going to a medical professional, he would open himself up for a liability.
I would go (take half a day off), get the paper filled out by a doctor from the dive shop (probably miss a class), and then be in the same spot I'm in now. I would come here to see if anyone had any suggestions / went through the same thing, from people that are unbiased and have nothing to gain or lose from their response....so here I am