1st time diving after barotrauma- nervous

[SpearoPimp]

This saturday I plan to dive for the first time in 3 months. I suffered a barotrauma 3 months ago while freediving and have not been down since. I'm a little nervous about it still being messed up or somthing and injuring myself again. . How should I approach this safely? I plan on taking Nasocourt spray 3 days before the diving day to clear my sinuses. Is there any other ways to "open up the eustachian tubes so that equalization will be very smooth and easy. b/c i know that after not diving for a long time they get sort of "closed up".

would any of the advice that is located in the bottom thread titled "sinus squeeze" be of use in this case?

 

[DeepThought]

Equalize on the surface before a dive, descend very slowly in the first few dives, equalize too frequently, keep your head position correct (not looking down).
Should help you get things into motion.

 

[Adrian]

Practice equalizing several times a day at home to get the ears used to it again. Hang yourself upside down while you do it as well to simulate the conditions better - you can lie off the edge of your sofa or bed with your head down. Good luck - let us know how it went!

 

[SpearoPimp]

I went diving in a near by lake today. It was only around 25 ft deep, but i was able to go to the bottom and equalize easily w/ no pain or obstruction. I made about 10 or 15 dives. I didn't even have to pinch my nose. My ear feels more "open" now after the diving, and i can't wait to try it out in the ocean tommorrow.
One question tho, why do i have to keep my head straight instead of looking down at the bottom while descending, this lets water into my ears and seems like a problem.

 

[DeepThought]

Glad to hear your back on tracks.

There are a couple of reasons for not looking down, not just for equalizing.
Pepople have reported of blocks when doing that so I guess that anatomically the e-tubes are harder to be opened that way.
Other reasons are:
Bad hydrodynamics.
Using more muscles (neck/back) = burning more oxygen.
Ruins finning technique - your back will be a little curved and your hip/leg movement will be asymetrical proportional to the plane of your body. It's much easier to see on videos.
For exmaple: if when you fin properly the span of the legs is 50 degress (numbers made up) from back to forth - 25 degress in each direction. Then when you look up you will more likely to divert this span backwards (15 forward and 35 backwards for example). I think it's more common to see this in divers that didn't do a course where expirienced people analyze one's technique and correct it.

Regarding water in the outer ear, I usually want them there as without them I'm more likely to get a reverse squeeze from the hood with descending. Also it improves acustics (can hear fish and boats more clearly).