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Ireland Spearing 2012

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 90 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
just back from dr... burst blood vessel in sinuses and have an infection too... on antibiotics and steroids for a week...asked him about a sinus rinse and he said "Theyre a gimmick really, can cause more damage"...

I've recently been through similar ear problems and started having equalising difficulty/ pain at 9mtrs, 7 and then 4(!) mtrs.
First lot of antibiotics helped but didn't clear it. Finally after 3 weeks the infection went but I was left with blocked sinuses & ears and tried sudafed, steaming etc. but no success.

I then found an old post by Sunfish mentioning Neilsmed Sinus rinse and bought a starter kit. Twice a day flushing with 2 sachets (hypertonic) and everything is good. In fact I think it's made equalising easier than ever :-)
 
I've recently been through similar ear problems and started having equalising difficulty/ pain at 9mtrs, 7 and then 4(!) mtrs.
First lot of antibiotics helped but didn't clear it. Finally after 3 weeks the infection went but I was left with blocked sinuses & ears and tried sudafed, steaming etc. but no success.

I then found an old post by Sunfish mentioning Neilsmed Sinus rinse and bought a starter kit. Twice a day flushing with 2 sachets (hypertonic) and everything is good. In fact I think it's made equalising easier than ever :-)

Yes, I am using the same thing. Brilliant
 
Grantl I was at the docs yesterday for a medical and asked him to look at my right ear as I'm having same probs as u. Happens only when repetitive diving only and happens after around 10 dives. It becomes impossible to equalise even at 2m.
Turns out I have fluid in my ear. He said it's not draining properly and said sudofed should help it drain away.
Hope it works!
 
I'd be careful with that Johnny - I tried that when I was first aware of my ear blocking and the Sudofed cleared it quickly but after a few dives and taking it steady I came up from 8m and found I had a reverse block and it was feckin sore by the time I got back up to 3/4m or so. I consider myself lucky not to have done any serious damage. I think if I'd went deeper it may have been messy.

There are quite a few reverse block stories on DB from folks who are diving with Sudafed to help congestion etc. and I'm pretty wary of doing it again.
Of course it may well work perfectly for you, as it does with many, but watch out for that as it can be really nasty.

Btw folks - if I'm sounding like an expert I'm far from that , I've only had diving related ear probs this one time and hope never to suffer again.

Cheers

Grant
 
great to share you experience good or bad...helps a lot to know some things that can happen...i got my ears checked too today and all was fine... defo gonna start using a sinus rinse though
 
Sorry I should have said. Never ever take decongestants while diving!! I teach my dive students this all the time. When they wear off your back to blockages amd on the eay back up your eardrum cant release the pressure which leads to overinflation and eventually a painfull pop. The doc recommended me taking them now to drain the fluid and then I should be ok for my next days diving when I'm finished taking them. Thanks for pointing that out grant.
I actually got 3 reverse blockages the other day. It's quite a panic as your waiting for a pop or for it to clear. Worrying times and first time I've had it and I put I'd down to fluid moving around in my ears.
 
I'd be careful with that Johnny - I tried that when I was first aware of my ear blocking and the Sudofed cleared it quickly but after a few dives and taking it steady I came up from 8m and found I had a reverse block and it was feckin sore by the time I got back up to 3/4m or so. I consider myself lucky not to have done any serious damage. I think if I'd went deeper it may have been messy.

There are quite a few reverse block stories on DB from folks who are diving with Sudafed to help congestion etc. and I'm pretty wary of doing it again.
Of course it may well work perfectly for you, as it does with many, but watch out for that as it can be really nasty.

Btw folks - if I'm sounding like an expert I'm far from that , I've only had diving related ear probs this one time and hope never to suffer again.

Cheers

Grant

Ditto, beware sudafed and any other product contain pseudoephedrine too!!!!
It really is dangerous stuff for divers, whether in tablet form or nose drops.
If you find you still have some kind of blockage after the infection seems gone and the Neilsmed bottle doesn't keep you clear, then try Flixonase. One or two squirts in each nostril after using the rinse bottle. It takes a few days to have any effect so don't expect it to be immediate. It's expensive but worth it and if you need it longterm you can get it on prescription.
 
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Great conversation lads. On this netti pot if you do go down that route the only issue I am aware of is if not using sterilised water so boiled and cooled obviously as otherwise if on the off chance you use infected water you are introducing them to parts of the body they normally wouldn't get access to. A couple of people died from a nasty infection of this type in Canada I think. It was mentioned here on db at some stage. Teh Eastern yogis etc have been using netti pots for 1000s of years to cleanse the nose as its an antennae for prana we brush our teeth everyday but dont really clean our nose despite the amount of gunk it filters everyday. these guys were doing it long before the air was pollouted like it is now and thought it was a benefit. tell the doc next time a few 1000 years is hardly a gimmick, his branch of medicine isn't round that long.
 
I was having problems equalizing a lot but I found great solution for this. 1 -2 days before I go diving I use this Neilsmed bottle (2 times a day) to clear myself which works pretty well but then on the day of diving -one hour before the dive 2 shoots of otrivin spry! It realy dry my nose and seal the sinus for about 2-3 hours. I was trying lot of diffident medications as I was advised by my doc but nothing works better then Neilsmed bottle + Otrivin!
 
that reminds me of a guy we met few yrs back.... my brother had a bad knee and put it out while messing with a football.... was telling this guy and he ended up rubbing an onion all over his leg... said it was an ancient remedy... funniest thing ive ever seen...all tanked up with drink too...best part was my brother was commando under his shorts and his bits were hanging out while this guy rubbed his leg with an onion... said the pain was nearly gone next day though...could have been all the alcohol too...try explaining that to a Dr who charges 45 quid to see him
 
I remember when I was a teenager I had a sinus rinse out done in the hospital...this involved putting two needles with cotton wool dipped in cocaine and adrenaline up through the nostrils and in to the bone/cartilage of the sinus cavity and leaving for about 10 minutes.
Then the doctor forced a large needle through the bone and into the cavity. He then screwed a hose connected to a huge syringe filled with warm saline to the needle and flushed out the infected matter and repeated on the other side. I remember if I shook my head vigorously I could hear and feel the saline still sloshing around in there for hours afterwards.
Did anyone else ever get this done?
 
dont think i did but i bet you could charge a small fortune to people in any nightclub or pub on a saturday night for it.... sinus rinse with cocaine...wow

lol....I don't remember ever having any kind of hit from it, the quantities and strength were probably very small but the whole experience seemed very barbaric and the infections always seemed to return. I eventually grew out of the allergy, think it was hay fever because it always seemed to occur in the spring and summer time.
 
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