Apnea and sinus congestion

[naiad]

I have noticed something interesting about doing apnea if I have sinus congestion. If I start off with a partially blocked nose and congested sinuses, when I reach the 'struggle phase' the congestion suddenly unblocks. The swelling suddenly goes down and my nose is completely clear.

The effect is equally strong during dry statics, and it always happens.

For me this is an important health benefit of apnea!

Lucia

 

[subaquaticus]

I have noticed something interesting about doing apnea if I have sinus congestion. If I start off with a partially blocked nose and congested sinuses, when I reach the 'struggle phase' the congestion suddenly unblocks. The swelling suddenly goes down and my nose is completely clear.

The effect is equally strong during dry statics, and it always happens.

For me this is an important health benefit of apnea!

Lucia

For me it was quite the same !

I came relatively recently to "freediving" in the strict sense ; before I had done swimming and finswimming ;

I discovered apnea when I took the qualification for rescueing...

Before I had always had problems with my sinuses ; I was sick often during winter... I was persuaded that I would never be able to go underwater because of my sinuses...

When I began rescueing, I felt a pain in my sinuses at 3 m depth... But then I got accustomed to it...

And now I can go through the winter with no sinus problem...

I got a health benefit from apnea :thankyou ...

 

[quasimoto]

not to steal this thread, but i have really really bad sinus congestion right now and it hurts in my forehead to go under the water any more then 2 feet. I also have a PFD clinic coming up in the beginning of June and want to make sure i have absolutely no congestion then so i can dive comfortably. my question is, does anyone know a surefire way to clear out your sinuses? i tried that inhaling saltwater thing, but it just went through my nose and into my mouth, doing nothing to my sinuses at all. I know that sinuses can take up to a month or more to fully clear out, and i need them to be clear before that, so any help would be appreciated
thanks
rory

 

[Merlin]

quasimoto,

I use a nasal spray called "Afrin" you can buy it 'over the counter' in any pharmacy. It does a really good job, in a matter of a few minutes you will be all clear, and lasts for up to 12 hours. Just make sure you do not over use it because if you do; you will get a congestion even if you are not sick (like an addiction).

 

[Longfins]

Quasimoto,

One thing you can try longer term is Guifenesin, which is the main ingredient of Robitussin. Afrin you can't really use after 3-5 days because of the addiction effect, but Guifenesin you can (on medical advice). When I was in Cayman I got a sinus squeeze that lasted a week, and I was taking it at double dosage. It takes longer than Afrin to work, but you got a few weeks yet. Just get the plain Robitussin (green box) and not the kind with multiple ingredients for multiple symptoms. Those will really mess you up!

Hopefully I'll see you in Malibu clinic.

Peter

 

[quasimoto]

should i take it everyday till im clear, or just start taking it a couple days before the clinic? Also, im taking some supertussin (longs generic brand), and its not really working, my sinuses feel like a pressure steamer when theyre underwater

PS Longfins - When are you coming down to malibu, because if you are going to be down a bit before the clinic i would love to dive with you if you want
thanks
rory

 

[Longfins]

Rory,

I think you should stay out of the water for a bit while you give this a try. Like I said it's a longer term thing, so the effect is negligible if you subject your sinus to pressure every day or so after you take the Guifenesin.

So give it a try starting now and for at least a week don't go in the water, pool or ocean. Do dry static and land based exercise for a week while you give your sinuses a chance to calm down. Cut out all dairy, etc. also, anything that contribute to this. After a week, try submerging at the pool slowly. If there is any difficulty stop immediately and stay dry again for another week.

I know it's very hard to contemplate, but I had to do the same thing. When I first got my sinus squeeze I thought if I descend slowly enough I could 'push' through it. Well, it was literally squeeking by and I thought I was okay, but on the second day blood started coming out and I was smelling blood with every breath. It was pretty bad. I went on Guifenesin and Afrin (for a few days) and stayed out of the water the whole time, which sucked hard because Cayman viz was 30-40m+. But after 8 days it suddenly went away and I could dive again. Since I equalize hands free I use a lot less pressure so I'm pretty sensitive to something like this.

I had a friend in school who had a pin put in his little finger when he broke it. He loved playing guitar. His doctor said to not play for a few months. He played anyway a week after the surgery because it wasn't really painful to him. Well, he tore it up within days and now he couldn't play guitar anymore because he permanently lost his little finger dexterity.

Point is it may not seem like much, but treat this injury very very gently. There are small delicate bones and passages up there. Don't want to make the damage permanent.

BTW, I'll probably be there saturday or sunday as my work schedule doesn't allow me much leeway.

Best,

Peter

 

[subaquaticus]

it hurts in my forehead to go under the water any more then 2 feet.

the question is : what hurts you ? the depth or the rate of descent ?

If you do a perfect duckdive, then the variation of pressure in your sinuses (and in your ears) is very quick...

You should try to descent slowly with the ladder of your swimming pool or along a cable in free immersion...

You should do tests with a nose-clip allowing a little water penetrate into your niose and see what happens...

When I began resceing, doing a duckdive to 3 m gave me ahings in the sinuses.... but I adapted myself through progressive training...

I also have a PFD clinic coming up in the beginning of June

what does PFD mean ?

 

[Longfins]

Subaquaticus,

'PFD' is Performance Freediving. As in,

www.performancefreediving.com

Actually it's 'PFI' now (Performance Freediving International)

Peter S.

 

[Jason Billows]

Rory,

Give the "inhaling saltwater thing" another try. Spend a few bucks and get an actual neti pot and some instructions. There are also instructions you'll find with a quick search on the net.

If you do it properly, your sinuses will fill and drain. If the solution only went into your mouth you were not doing it properly.

I have used neti on a number of occasions and it helped a great deal.

Jason

 

[Donna]

A doc here in Cyprus gave me a sterile saline solution to squirt up my nose recently - felt very bizarre as it squirted out quite violently, presumably to make sure it hit the spot, but it definately worked a treat. Within seconds, my nose was running like a tap and the congestion cleared. Best of all there was no discomfort with doing it either. Only snag is I can't seem to buy it OTC which is a bit of a pain!!

Donna

 

[quasimoto]

where would i get a neti pot, or other saline solution thing?

subaquaticus - the pain is around my temples and up higher in my forehead, so i know its my sinuses, not my ears or anything. It doesnt really matter how slow i go go down, at 2 feet it still hurt no matter what.

Longfins - i will do the robitussin thing, i hope it works how many doses a day?

 

[naiad]

Some saline sprays are Sterimar and Salex. I use Sterimar, it is easy to find in the UK but I don't know about brands in other countries.

 

[Jason Billows]

You can order Neti pots online. Also, check your local pharmacy. I saw a neti pot at my local pharmacy. They also had a newer version which was actually a squeeze bottle. It made it even easier than using the neti pot. You could also give some local yoga studios a call. If they don't sell them they can tell you where to find them I'm sure.