One benefit to diving

[Bob DBF]

I bleed often from my nose and my [-]entire[/-] ENT said it's fine...

That means that you are prone to nosebleeds, that is not normal for most people. I, personally, have found that I need a real good crack in the nose, or more, to cause a nosebleed, anything less and I would go see an ENT.

In over 50 years of diving I have had one reverse block. I had no noticeable symptoms of congestion when I got on the plane, I had the worst earache and headache of my life for over an hour. The decongestants finally worked, but I had to take so many to resolve the block that I was rummy when we went through customs 10 or so hours later, and wasn't right until the next day. If I was in the water I may have blown an eardrum as the pressure differential happens so much faster in water than air..

Next time post on dive medicine so the experts can explain why your suggestions are not in the best interest of most divers.



Bob
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I think that advocating unsafe and dangerous practices is both stupid and foolish. That is why I don't tell people to do what I do. Dsix36

 

[Patoux01]

Bleeding is not normal.
Going diving with congested sinuses is completely stupid.

Could we get a mod to edit the first post with a big fat red message "please don't do this crap" ?

 

[The Laconic]

To be fair, I remember being taught at some point, perhaps in Rescue, but possibly as far back as OW, that blood in the mask isn't something to freak out about.

Personally, if I have blood in the mask after a dive, I won't freak out, but I will take that as a sign that I skirted a reverse squeeze (or rather, had a relatively benign reverse squeeze), and call the next dive. Should I be more concerned than that?

 

[Colliam7]

Could we get a mod to edit the first post with a big fat red message "please don't do this crap" ?

It has been discussed. At this point, a number of very informed and focused comments from a variety of posters have already made that point - this practice is not a good idea - in a clear and unambiguous fashion. The OP expressed an opinion, and described a personal behavior. Others have outlined the problems, pitfalls, and risks of that behavior. That is part of what SB is about - putting ideas out for others to comment.

 

[johngayle]

This was a very bad idea could of done all kinds of damage

 

[chillyinCanada]

While I agree with you on the whole of your statement, he never said he only had 40 dives. He said that was how many he had to this point this year. Carry on the flogging.

I stand corrected, sir.

Regardless, my sentiment stands with regard to the difference in experience levels of OP and the majority of posters responding.

 

[jomaset]

If the OP wants to know what a reverse squeeze feels like (and he'll be glade he was lucky enough to not find out), I can tell him. Imagine someone trying to slowly push an icepick through your forehead, just above the eye socket FROM THE INSIDE OUT! A little over 30 years ago, with no previous symptoms whatsoever, I found out I was at the beginning stages of a cold/flu only after attempting to surface from a dive. As I reached about 10 feet from the surface I found myself stuck and unable to rise any further due to increasingly excruciating pain every time I tried. Going back down to 10+ feet was the only way to make it go away. While I didn't panic, I sure began to worry and wonder what I was going to do. Buddies were already surfaced and completely dumbfounded as to why I wouldn't come up, and I had no way of explaining from my position. All I could do was waive them off and hope they didn't try to "help" me by bringing me to the surface. Luckily, I still had about 700psi in the tank and while waiting what seemed like an eternity, (probably only about 5-10 minutes), I found that I could eventually and very slowly come up. I don't want to think about what could have happened if the illness were more progressed and or sinuses were more clogged. Easily my scariest moment diving and I can still remember the pain like it was yesterday.