Thanks for lending an ear...

[kittyfish]

Thanks to all of you who help me with my ear-clearing problem. I took the advice, practiced clearing often at surface, and was able to make it through the 1st day of OWC with no problems at all. The initial dive on the second day was a little more challenging, but a dose of sudafed, and surface practice helped to solve the temporary glitch.

:doctor:

 

[ckharlan66]

Glad to hear it went well. I hope you continue to enjoy our world.

Chad

 

[pipedope]

Glad to hear things are getting better.
The more you practice, learn and practice the easier it gets.

If you have not been there yet you might want to go to;
http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/index.html
Check out;
Streaming Video Lecture
"The Diver's Ear - Under Pressure"
The same information is in written form at;
http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/MEbaro.html

We are divers, not racers. There is no reason to hurry. Take as long as you need to equalize, and anything else you need to do. Often the slower you try to do a task, the quicker you get done.

 

[art.chick]

Both my buddy & I have ear clearing trouble & have been diving for a while now. What we have to do is, 1) take Papaya enzymes (orange flavor) from the vitamin store & let them dissolve in your mouth (chewing won't help.) 2) go up a few feet in the water table when the pressure starts then proceed down again. We end up going up a few, down a few all the way to the bottom. It takes a few minutes, but it's worth it to be comfortable!

 

[SubMariner]

Glad to hear [no pun intended] that you are working through your clearing problem.

Good luck with the rest of your couse.

And don't forget to have FUN!

Take care, eh?!

~SubMariner~

 

[Paul168341]

Good to hear the news kittie.

Just one word of caution: Try not to use decongestants if you can help it, it'll help you more in the long run. If you're having problems clearing because of a cold or any congestion, it's always best to play it safe and abort the dive. Despite cold "remedies" claims of 12 hour, 24 hour relief, they still can wear off while you're down. And believe me, reverse blocks really aren't any fun. Another reason to avoid Pseudoephederine (Sudafed) is that when (not if) you get Nitrox certified, you'll learn that it doesn't mix well with elevated percentages of O2 :boom:
I don't mean to alarm you, but just pointing out something that should help you in the future.
Stick with it, clearing will become second nature to you before you know it!