chrismgtis

The doctor said the eardrum was pushed the other way, so I guess the jump caused that. I don't know... The pain wasn't THAT bad, but it the pressure in my left ear just wouldn't release like it should in freefall. My right ear was fine and there was some pain in my left ear enough that I was like wtf. Didn't hurt enough to stop me from enjoying the jump. I mainly wanted to go to the doctor cause of some sites I have read and since I experienced discomfort in my left ear and the pressure wasnt equalizing I wanted to make sure there was nothing going on that would be dangerous if I skydived this weekend. I'm scared to death that I'll never be able to jump cause of some odd reason that the pressure doesnt equalize in my left ear correctly... I dont know. My doctor said if I burst my left eardrum I could skydive all I wanted, but I'm not going to stick a hole in my ear to do that. I sure wish I could so I could dive this weekend though. :-/ Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I went to the doctor and he looked at my left ear. In my last dive I had some pain (my first dive) during descent. From what I understand my left eardrum is pushed in, instead of being slightly pushed outwards like it is supposed to be and I have to wait a week or two to see if it heals. This really sucks. I was looking very forward to tomorrow morning to start AFF. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Yea me too. I tried cleaning out my ear with a take home kit today, but it apparently does not create a strong enough stream to remove any wax in the ear. None that I saw anyhow. At work we have a nurse and I had her look at my ear and she said she could not see my eardrum well enough due to some earwax in the way. All I know to do is consult the doctor at the DZ Saturday. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I wasn't asking for medical advice I was asking for personal experiences that may shed some light on what happened. I listened to that podcast and got some nasal spray, and I also got some hydrogren poroxide to clean out my left ear. I took some sudafed yesterday and will probably take some 6 or so hours before my dive Saturday. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Not at all. I took that into consideration after hearing about that causing a possible problem from some others, but I didn't have the slightest cold or congestion of any kind that a normal person is able to detect. I hardly ever get a cold for the entire season so I can usually tell when something is coming on. That is one reason I'm a little bit confused about what happened. I wonder if it's possible that due to the fact that I've only been on an airplane twice (three times counting my tandem jump - the first two were on airliners from Tampa Bay to Charlotte and back) maybe my body just wasn't used to it? Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Maybe the pilots should have a button in the cockpit to lock the door from being opened by anyone on the aircraft until he releases that lock. Sort of like those child safety locks in automobiles. Sounds like a damn good idea to me. Although I guess... that COULD be dangerous in a way. If.. I don't know the pilot passes out or.. has a heartattack during flight. Well even then they could just put the button where someone could get to it easily, but the pilot could smack their hand if he doesn't want them touching it. :) Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I don't think you should really be experimenting like that. Doesn't sound like a good idea at all. If you're getting bored, don't jump for a while and come back maybe? Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

My tandem instructor, Gene Stuart in Chester, SC has over 2700 jumps and not one main canopy failure. I was pretty impressed by that. I'm sure it has a lot to do with how well you are trained and how well you pack your chute. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Just be careful. If you have any concerns whatsoever in the slightest just make sure you ask your instructor/coach. I'm entirely new to this sport, but I realize you can not let any questions go unanswered because it could cost you your life. If you ever feel uncomfortable about a jump for any reason discuss it with your Instructor. Thats what they are paid to do and every one I've met so far is more than happy to answer any questions you have. And remember, never ever jump unless you're comfortable with your health, the altitude, the weather, your equipment and anything else. I think this can be a safe sport if you play it safe, cautious and follow those guidelines. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Saturday was my tandem jump and I am enrolled in the AFF class for this Saturday. Class starts at 8:30am Eastern and I should be in the air around 12-1pm. During my tandem jump, all was fine during the ascent. I swallowed to keep the pressure off my ears. My ears would both pop fine. During the descent after exiting the aircraft I begin to feel a lot of pressure on my left ear. The right ear was popping fine, but the left ear would not seem to pop as it should. When swallowing instead of hearing a pop in my left ear I would hear a sort of weird squish sound. It's hard to explain, though the pressure on my ear itself was painful. Not so much that I could not enjoy my dive though. As I got lower the pain subsided to a point that it wasn't bad at all anymore. The question is, has anyone else experienced this in their first skydive and if so did it continue on their next jump. If you did anything to correct the issue or found any problems that caused it, please tell me so I can take it into consideration. I spoke with the nurse here at work and had her look at my ear. She could not see my eardrum well enough and suggested that I clean out my ear canal with hydrogen poroxide and water and take sudafed 24 hours before my jump Saturday. I will also speak with the doctor at the DZ to see if he thinks that it is safe for me to jump Saturday, but I want to get input from others here in case someone else has experienced this. Thanks. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Mints? That's the secret? Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I completed my Tandem skydive at Skydive Carolina in Chester, SC this morning. I loved it so much that I scheduled another jump for next Saturday. I do also plan to do my AAF one day soon in the future. Video and photos available here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5247409162548633928 http://www.flickr.com/photos/93247914@N00/ Question: I was swallowing a lot during the ascent to 14,500 ft and equalizing the pressure in my ears. After jumping my left ear started to hurt really bad and when swallowing during freefall and under canopy I would feel/hear a sound sort of like pressure coming out of a baloon with a lot of air in it. I was a little scared about that. My ear still hurts a tiny bit but now I'm ok. It eased off a lot about 4000 ft. How can I stop that in the future? Edited by slotperfect to make the links clicky Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Oh ok lol. Well good luck. Hope the weather permits for you. I'll be pretty mad if I can't jump due to the weather. I'm pretty psyched about it. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

HOW GREAT!!!!!! Glad you're on the manifest and ready to go! I'm still planning for Saturday morning, but might have to go up earlier in the morning than expected as it appears that we're supposed to get rain. I hear that rain at 12,000' is ice and it's NOT fun to fly in----but we usually have decent mornings so I will try to jump before the weather has a chance to move in. You might as well download the SIM now. . . . Wait, you're going to jump in Chester on that Saturday? The same DZ as me? Or did I misunderstand? :-P I assume not cause who is predicting weather like 3 weeks in advance? :P Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Reserved my spot this morning for Sept 9th at 10am. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I think any sane person knows that skydiving has it's risks. You're falling thousands of feet from the sky at 120mph with nothing but two parachutes to save you. Dropzones are offering you the chance to take part in this activity. Why should they have to suffer, you happened to be the one that got hurt out of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of jumpers? There are people out there that don't understand this and that's probably more or less the reason for a waiver. Then you have those that for some reason do want to jump out of a plane at 14,000 feet, hoping to get hurt so they can sue. I don't know why they wouldn't just rather try and slip on some spilt butter at a local theatre, but some people are just screwed up. I'm doing my first jump on September 9th and I've done my research. I'm fully aware of the waiver and have absolutely no problem with it because I understand the reason for it being there. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

LoL. Well if you guys are actually going to the Chester, South Carolina DZ around September 9th let me know. My brother bailed on me because he is going on a honeymoon (late honeymoon) that week and won't be back in time. The other guy that was going, I talked to at work today and his girlfriend saw a Fresh Prince of Bel Air episode where Will Smith jumps and lands on his face or something so she is a bit against him going. He said he will let me know something for sure tomorrow because I'm reserving my spot THIS week regardless of who goes. I will most likely have a few there to watch me jump from the ground but that may be it. I'm doing it regardless of who goes with me or watches. No way I'm bailing on this. I've not second guessed my decision since the initial "I should skydive" thought. If I enjoy this I'm already seriously considering at least going through the AAF. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Thanks for the input. I feel a little better about stepping out that door now. I see what you mean by not feeling as if you are falling. Satre: No rollercoaster or ride whatsoever I've ever ridden has made me nauseous so the TI is safe lol. Heights don't necessarily bother me all that much, at least to a point of getting sick. :P Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Haven't made the tandem just yet. I planned on a September 9th jump to give myself time to find some people to go with me and reserve a spot. Will be reserving my spot this week. I've only got 1 confirmed person going at the moment. May have 2 tomorrow, but I'm not sure. Had a girl from work that was going to go, but she realized that her son's birthday was too close to the 9th so she could'nt go. That would have been interesting to see. I was really wanting to see her face when it was her turn to jump. lol Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

Sweet. How many times have you jumped there? Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I'm jumping in Chester, SC at Skydive Carolina on September 9th. So far I have one friend (this will be his second jump) that is coming along. If you're near the area and want to join us, let me know. You can reach me at chrisgrooms@gmail.com. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I think I get the idea of how it's going to feel now so I feel better about jumping. I always sort of imagined a freefall as a magnified downhill rollercoaster ride, but that's apparently not the case so I think I will enjoy it. :-) I've asked around and I may possibly have 2-3 people to go with me, but no definates yet. A guy I work with has been on one jump and looked excited about going again so he wants me to let him know something when I find out for sure when I'm going. The plan so far is the 8th or 9th of September. I'll make reservations when I find someone to go for sure. Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

I am planning tandem skydive next month for my birthday when I turn 24. I am entirely new to skydiving and this will be my first. I've done some research on the subject and the main question I have is how does it feel to freefall? I personally have been on a lot of rollercoasters and I'm sure the experience is entirely different, but my main fear is that I might feel that downhill rollercoaster feeling magnified largely. I've seen two explanations of the feeling of a freefall that say it is not similiar and infact you only feel the wind hitting your face and the sound associated with this and feel almost as though you are floating on a pocket of air. How true is this and what do you personally feel like when you are freefalling? Also, I was wondering if on your first jump does your body panic and try to catch hold of something that is not there or does your back arch itself (could this cause any pain in the fall) trying to stop the fall? Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033 Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan