Gapagos

no it's not normal for an individuals ears to "clog" on ascent. On occasion w/ mild seasonal congestion, yes. Totally occluded, no. Popping and clicking in the ears is normal. I am NOT an ENT nor a medical doctor of any kind. I am an Aerospace Physiology Instructor and a Certified Hyperbaric Technologist. I work in hypobaric/hyperbaric chamber operations for the last 25 years. Pilot, 3000 hrs. Former jump pilot for 10 years. And 6 measley jumps I think I'm having a hard time understanding what ears clogged mean then, because don't ears pop/click when you're unclogging them?

Not to play devils advocate or anything, but that statement is nonsense. My ears clog multiple times on EVERY plane ride without fail and I jump successfully without many probs. Ears should clear automatically on ascent. I should have added "you prolly shouldn't be jumping at this time until you get an eval by a doctor".. But to your response, I said probably. Lots of people have issues with their ears. I think I said a jaw wiggle, etc. usually does the trick on ascent. For some (like the OP) with lots of congestion, then it's more of a problem. Read what I wrote why don't ya. Yeah I mean doesn't everyone's ears clogs a little bit when a plane takes off and gains altitude? Mine certainly do, although swallowing fixes it right away, no need for big yawning moves like when landing.

Yes, I remember that. I also remember that you kept fishing for approval because you had to pay a deposit before you could see the doc. Why can't you just wait a day or two to pay the deposit? I don't mean to come off .... well... "mean" but a skydive isn't an amusement park ride. What happens if you pay your deposit and the doc tells you jumping wouldn't be a good idea? Did you even make an appt. with a doc who is familiar with aviation physiology? I'm concerned that you'll contradict your doctor's advise and jump anyway, increasing the risk to both you and your instructor or you'll lose your money. -- Thanks for your concern. :-) I actually already emailed the school to ask them if I could wait for my doctor's advice before making a deposit unlike my friends, and pay later with their group saving rates as if I had a deposit anyway. The school replied to give me the green light and told me not to worry about making a deposit. So it's all good. Also, the deposit was only $50 and quite honestly, I'm well-off so losing $50 wouldn't have been a big deal to me. When I'll see my doctor, I'll ask her for a more specific reference of a sinus doctor or a doctor who would know a bit about skydiving and I'll try to get an even better opinion. I know I sounded a bit like a wreckless teenager asking for advice then not listening to it, but I really am not, and am taking this very seriously. In fact, 2 of my friends are claiming I take it TOO seriously, but really, they know nothing about skydiving and I'm not gonna fall for this sort of peer pressure. I really appreciate all your answers, and the reason I can't see a doctor now (besides waiting lines) is because I'm in the middle of school exams.

No no I said since the start I was going to see a doctor on the 22nd, didn't you notice ;-) I can't before.

Way to be encouraging...

Although I'm no police officier, I have been a criminology student and I can tell you this: Make sure you know in which police force you're applying and what kind of policeman talks to you about it, as police work in every state is very much different (career-wise), just as in Canada where I'm from, municipal police work has nothing to do with provincial or federal police work, and police in Canada is quite different from the U.S and very different from France, and I don't know about the U.K but I'm sure career-wise it's very different as well. Unless you plan on staying at the bottom of the ladder, where I think it's quite similar all around (minus the location which might have diferent implications, i.e large city, small town, native reserve etc...)

Agree with everyone. See a doc prior. And I can tell you, the eardrum thickness has absolutely nothing to do with air pressure exchange and clearing your ears/sinuses. PPPlease, don't listen to whoever told you that..... Do not ever clear your ears on ascent (ie valsalva). It's used Only on descent. The person who emailed me that (about the eadrum thickness) is the skydiver with supposedly 15,000+ jumps who is working at the skydiving school where I might tandem at and who claims he also dives underwater. And so if my ears clog during ascent, I should make sure to keep them clogged (avoid yawning or swallowing too much), as it will help them clog less during descent?

So even after so many jumps you're still afraid? damnnnn..... And I have yet to make my 1st tandem jump... hehe... I guess jumping on your own is even scarrier than in tandem....

That sounds like a very good tip. Maybe I should practice that and see if it can make my ear drums more flexible. And as I said I'm gonna see a doctor on the 22nd for an asthma inhaler renewal prescription as I'm gonna do my first 5km (about 3.5 miles) race in late may, so I'll ask about the skydiving at the same time. The peer pressure from my buddies to ignore veteran advice on here is getting a bit tiresome though, since all of you seem to agree about the importance of seeing a doctor and the pain / ear damage that might occur.

My advice is to stop getting medical information on the internet. Find a doctor that understands aviation and go talk to that person. The people (excepting a few people who I have yet to see post in this thread) are not doctors and have no relevant way to give you advice about your personal health. Yeah yeah I will surely find medical advice, but I most likely won't be able to see it before the April 20th deadline in which my friend wants me to make a $50 deposit. I am supposed to see a doctor on the 22nd but for unrelated matters (to get a prescription renewal for an asthma inhaler for a 5km race I might be doing in late may) so I'll ask her about skydiving at the same time, but she'll probably redirect me to an ear doctor who would know better. But anyway it won't happen before the 20th so I think I'm considering not doing the skydiving with them. :-(

yeah I googled and listened to that show already, I found it very informative ;-) it does highlight the severity of ear damage in extreme cases.

Hi I'd like to try tandem skydiving for the 1st time, I have never ever done this, but one thing scares me particularly: Ear pain due to change in air pressure. I think my ears are more subject to ear pain as: - they always clog when I'm on a landing airplane (which is relatively normal), and I can manage to unclog them at "almost" (not completely) the same rate as they clog... - they also clog when I ski downhill fairly fast (on double blacks at my average speed) although I can unclog them virtually instantly. - I experienced ear pain only once when I was a kid in an airplane as I had a significant cold. It was a very unpleasant experience, but it never occurred again. --- However I'm pretty sure I have thinner-than-average sinuses, as they congest easily (I'm used to it) and my dad has the same problem. I am advised to never ever skydive if I have signs of a cold or sinus congestion, and otherwise my ears should be fine if I unclog them regularly as I fall. Still, this whole thing intimidates me, as skydiving with slightly congested sinuses can supposedly cause unbearable pain, and even eardrum damage, or so I've read. The skydive drop is quite a big one, we jump from 13,500 feet and are expected 50 to 60 seconds of freefall then 5-7 minutes of parachute. I emailed my potential skydiving school about it and they replied, essentially saying: - avoid jumping if you have a cold or sinus congestion - SUDAFED is the only decongestant that pilots can consume - people who have trouble typically have thicker eardrums (might be my case?) and are recommended to oil their ear drums before the jump. Therefore, he suggested me to see a doctor to see if he can direct me to medications, oils or drops to make my eardrums more flexible. (not being specific). The guy claims he did 1570 jumps and his ears clogs while jumping, but they do not hurt, although they do hurt when he does scuba diving (which I never did so I can't relate). I'd like to know what's your take on this. Any advice you have for me? Anything to predict if the skydive might turnout painful instead of enjoyable? Any recommendations? Should I just avoid skydiving? Thank you. Gapagos