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From: jerrys@mobby.umiacs.umd.edu (Jerry Sobieski)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Eustachiun Tube problems
Keywords: tubes ears
Message-ID: <34268@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 9 May 91 14:23:34 GMT
References: <1991May5.021036.11904@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> <4461@bnr-rsc.UUCP> <1991May8.165600.18536@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
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Reply-To: jerrys@umiacs.umd.edu (Jerry Sobieski)
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In article <1991May8.165600.18536@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> ds4a@dalton.acc.Virginia.EDU (Dale Southard) writes:
>
>The best solution I have found is probably the same one that 1000 other people
>have suggested by now.  If your ears hurt, preform valsalva maneuver and go
>on with life (for those who didn't already know, a valsalva manuver is when
>one holds his/her nose and blows.  It removes the inner ear dysbarism by
>forcing the eustachion tubes open).  Ususally by the 2nd or 3rd jump of the day,
>I no longer have a problem with inner ear dysbarisms.  But my problems were/are
>not as acute as yours.  Preforming a few valsalva manuvers while on the ground
>seems to help on those occasions when I do jump with a cold.  Good Luck.
>

(I've done this for years and never knew it was called a "valsalva manuever".)

A note of caution here: Jumping (or diving) with a cold can be dangerous in
ways other than just eustachion tubes being blocked.  Frequently, the cold
consists of severe sinus congestion.  This cannot be alleviated simply by
clearing one's ears.  The rapid pressure increase that occurs in freefall
can cause sinus squeeze which is *VERY* painful and could cause long term 
damage to the sinus tissues, and I believe can cause unconsiousness (a "Bad
Thing" in either sport).  (There is some conjecture that sinus problems may
have been a contributing factor in the fatallity that occured recently in
Deland on the 150+ way.)

Other issues include impaired reaction time due to the decongestants and 
antihistimines present in most of the OTC cold remedies.  The last thing you
need is to not have a clear head at breakoff, when you have only seconds to 
deal with potential problems.

I would recommend you lay off a weekend and get over your ailment, or get a 
doctor to deal with non-transient problems such as difficult
eustachion tubes.

(Besides, have you ever seen the goggles of a jumper with a runny nose?...
yeech!:-)

Jerry


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