Reverse Squeeze: Couldn't Help my Son/buddy

[dumpsterDiver]

Why have you had many such incidents in the past? I had one and that was enough to cure me of diving with anything remotely resembling a cold.

Avoid, don't cure, and you won't be video taping so many "incidents".

R..

I can have a reverse block with no warning or problems on descent. It only happens for me once every few hundred dives. I have had the biggest problems when diving tall reefs in shallow water where I am going from 12 feet to 20 feet over and over again.

I have issues with freediving too sometimes, but we are doing maybe 40 dives a day to 40-50 (or more) feet for each dive and we have to come up fast, maybe 3 feet per second?

 

[noj3333]

I've read other posts about reverse squeezes that are more difficult to clear. I threw a few sudafed (in the single blister packs) in my dive bag in case of an emergency. My thought was take them underwater, and hope that they start to work while you still have time underwater. Is this a silly/ dumb idea???

 

[CuzzA]

I've read other posts about reverse squeezes that are more difficult to clear. I threw a few sudafed (in the single blister packs) in my dive bag in case of an emergency. My thought was take them underwater, and hope that they start to work while you still have time underwater. Is this a silly/ dumb idea???

Not practical. I've never experienced it, but it's my understanding patience is key... and having enough breathing gas.

 

[uncfnp]

My thought was take them underwater, and hope that they start to work while you still have time underwater. Is this a silly/ dumb idea???

Not dumb but not practical just as CuzzA said. Onset of action for pseudoephedrine is 15 to 30 minutes with peak effect 1 to 2 hours.

 

[Bob DBF]

Knock on wood, I have not had a reverse block underwater. I did have one in an airliner, and even taking too many antihistamines, it took the longest hour and a half of my life for it to resolve. I tried every equalizing trick I could think of, short of descending (doubt if the pilot would have gone for it), but nothing worked until the pills kicked in.

Usually I have my problems equalizing on the decent, and if it doesn't work I just surface. It is a lot different when you have no choice.


Bob

 

[Diver0001]

I had a doozie in Mexico when I was still young and immortal. I went diving with a cold and cleared fine on the way down. During ascent I got caught out and tried inching my way up. Nothing worked, I took off the mask, descended blew my nose and even tried to clear them by flushing my sinuses with salt water, which incidentally is as close to a self inflicted water boarding as I ever want to get.

At some point there was a choice to be made. I had to ascend or run out of gas. So up I went. The result was a blown sinus that bled for a few days and so much pain that I couldn't even put my face into the water to go snorkeling. End of dive vacation and the beginning of my obsession with avoiding problems instead of fixing them....lol

R..

 

[fmerkel]

If you step off the side of a pool into water the entry is easy.
If you jump from 30 feet the water seems to get pretty hard.

If you have a reverse block it is swollen soft tissues, and possible some thick mucus + air + possible exudate trying to get out. Trying to force that muck out quickly will net some poor results. Go very very slowly, pause as needed, hope you have enough air. Push to the pressure level, but just shy of serious pain. Generally if you go easy it will push the tissue out of the way and ooze out but it needs time. It won't be a fast process.