Permanent congestion

[Jamied6]

I seem to be permanently congested, meaning I have to take sudafed before each and every dive.

Does anyone have any tips on how I can ease congestion permanently without popping pills all the time?

jamie

 

[pdoege]

the task is to find out why you are congested and then fix that problem.

For me the problem was a deviated septum combined with a really bad mold problem in the AC ducts in my house.

Cleaning the ducts fixed the sinus congestion, and I'm going to have the septum fixed in a few months.

In the meantime, I am irrigating my nose with saline to keep any sinus infections down to a dull roar.

Peter Doege

 

[hnladue]

Have you been checked for Allergies??? I have them... bad... So just a change of the wind sends me sneezing sometimes. I am currenlty taking zurtec and nasacort. They keep the allergies at bay. But I find that afrin or sudafed works better on dive days.

 

[pasley]

Allergies and/or Deviated septum may be the problem. See a good ENT and Allergy doctor.

Reverse squeeze is not what you want to happen. Not being able to equalize and go down is a bummer. Not being able to equalize and surface is a real problem!

This could be a serious problem. If you are constantly congested, the argument could be made that you are prone to sinus infections. Sinus infections can be serious. In extream cases we are talking about loosing your sight (a friend of mine lost sight in one eye to a sinus infection) or the infection could spread into the bone, and brain (another friend has a nasty scar from where his sinus infection spread into his skull and was just about to eat through into his brain.).

I am not a doctor or other expert, just relating the experience of two people I know.

See a good allergiset and/or ENT and treat the cause, not the symptom.