linnea1985
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Hello!
I'm looking for some advice. I was supposed to complete my Open Water dives this past weekend. On my very first descent I got down maybe 10-15 feet, couldn't equalize with Valsalva, and my ear pain was increasing. I went back to the surface, still had a hard time equalizing/popping my ears, and my instructor called off the rest of the dives for me that weekend.
I've been trying to research on techniques to equalize. Just practicing, I can only Valsalva my right ear. I wouldn't consider my nose stuffy then or now, but the left side of my nose generally has less air flow. I can really feel the Toynbee in my left ear, and it usually takes me opening my jaw really wide and swallowing to get the pressure back to normal. Would just swallowing alone be enough to equalize under pressure?
Would you recommend trying to see a doctor at this point? If it's this hard for to equalize on dry land, would it even be worth trying to dive again until I can figure out why I'm having a hard time? I experimented with some Afrin, which does make my left nostril easier to breathe through, but it doesn't allow me to Valsalva any easier.
Thanks for the help!
I'm looking for some advice. I was supposed to complete my Open Water dives this past weekend. On my very first descent I got down maybe 10-15 feet, couldn't equalize with Valsalva, and my ear pain was increasing. I went back to the surface, still had a hard time equalizing/popping my ears, and my instructor called off the rest of the dives for me that weekend.
I've been trying to research on techniques to equalize. Just practicing, I can only Valsalva my right ear. I wouldn't consider my nose stuffy then or now, but the left side of my nose generally has less air flow. I can really feel the Toynbee in my left ear, and it usually takes me opening my jaw really wide and swallowing to get the pressure back to normal. Would just swallowing alone be enough to equalize under pressure?
Would you recommend trying to see a doctor at this point? If it's this hard for to equalize on dry land, would it even be worth trying to dive again until I can figure out why I'm having a hard time? I experimented with some Afrin, which does make my left nostril easier to breathe through, but it doesn't allow me to Valsalva any easier.
Thanks for the help!