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While on a diving
holiday every minute in the water is worth a fortune and it does happen that the
ears start protesting or that the stomach gets a bit upset. If it does you need
to get better a.s.a.p. not to lose valuable time diving. Here's a few hints that
might be helpful.
Note:
Obviously; I'm not a doctor and all the medications suggested on this page
should only be
taken after carefully reading the information pamphlet in the box.
If you should need to
contact a doctor or a hospital you should always ask your tour operator
but in case you can't reach them and there is an emergency you find
contact information HERE.
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If you print this card
and show the Arabic side to the taxi driver he'll be able to take you to Dr.
George. It should cost you about 10 Egyptian pounds from Segalla.
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EAR/SINUS PROBLEMS:
You try
to be careful not to get contaminated before a dive holiday. You stay well clear
of coughing co-workers and children with snotty noses. Right? The last thing you
want to do is to spend a couple of hours with a few hundred strangers in a
confined space without ventilation. Especially if this space is air
conditioned... This is the perfect description of a commercial airliner. So...
unless you're driving here yourself it's hard to avoid it. You will be
sitting there breathing recycled air packed with the germs from everybody on
that flight...
Then
you come here. You jump into the sea where the water has suspended particles
that the natural defence in your ear is not used to nor prepared for. Tropical ear, Swimmer
ear, there are many names for an ear infection amongst divers. Whatever you call
it, the question remains: How do I avoid it and how do I get rid of it if I get
it?
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Do not put alcohol
or vinegar or other bacteria-killing solutions in your ear, the only thing
that help with is to take away your natural defence system your body built up
in your ear.
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Rinse your ear with
fresh water after every dive (bottled water not tap water) and that should
take care of getting the sea out.
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Do not sleep with
the air-conditioner on!
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If you can, avoid
smoking...
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If you anyway get some
problem seek help right away. Don't wait a day and see if it'll go away.
It won't. The best E.N.T. doctor in Hurghada is Dr. George Youssef. You
find him in El Dahar right behind "The Central". Call first, Dr's keep
different hours in Egypt than in Europe.
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What to do?
For temporary remedy
you can always take an Actifed, Otrivin or Flixonase but do not
medicate to be able to dive, take one before you go to bed to help
your ear or sinuses relax over night.
And turn the bloody
air conditioner off... |
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Ear Plugs? For Sure not... Or?
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You
probably remember from your OW course that you should never use ear plugs while
diving. This is now not as true as it used to be... There is a new plug on the
market that keeps your ear completely dry to a depth of 6m. then it lets a small
amount in through a filter just for equalizing. This means that you won't get
new cold dirty water in and out of your ear for the entire dive. You don't have
to warm up cold water, the water is the same so your natural defend
mechanism-bacteria in your ear don't have to combat a steady exchange of dirty
water. Everybody I know that tried them could not be more happy about the
result.
Read
more about the plugs
here.
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STOMACH PROBLEMS:
Some people think that
you can't visit Egypt without having stomach problems (or yalla belly as I call
it) but this is not true. It's not the food you get sick from it's the money. As
long as you don't lick the bills (or your fingers right after you handle the
money) you should be all right.
If you do get stomach problems it's important to keep hydrated and you probably
need to take some rehydration salts (see section about "dehydration" below)
This money has been to the fish
market, the camel market, the petrol station and everywhere before it ended up
as change in the taxi just stepped out of.
As long
as you're not licking the money you'll be fine.
Don't
scratch the street dogs before biting your nails you'll be fine.
Be
careful with what you touch if you plan to suck on your thumb and you'll be fine.
A lot
of people say "Lets have Mc Donald's, then we know what we get" Then they pay
with the dirty bills and start eating French fries with their fingers...
So you tell them about this. The
same people go and wash their hands after paying, then pull the chair out sit
down drag the chair in and start eating French fries with
their fingers...
Most important is to make sure
your food is served steaming warm. You are less likely to get sick from sizzling
hot plate of shawerma from a "hole in the wall" than a hotel buffet that's been
on the medium warm heater for hours.
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If you anyway get some
problem, seek medical help if it's not gone after 24 hours. That's the normal
duration. Longer than that and you might get in trouble from dehydration and so
on.
The best stomach doctor in Hurghada is Dr. Kosman. You find him in El Dahar
right behind the Coptic church. He gives you an injection and half an hour later
you're having steak in Groucho's.
Dr
Kosman's phone number is +20 (0)12 33 15 440 Call first, Dr's keep different
hours in Egypt than in Europe. Normally he opens at 9 o'clock at night.
There
is no use bringing stomach medicine from Europe. These are Egyptian bugs and it
takes Egyptian remedies to combat them. Leave the European stuff at home and get some Antinal
from the nearest pharmacy on arrival to Egypt and you'll be fine. |
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Advice from Clare -
Dive Bunnie
"Do not take Imodium
to resolve any tummy issues. The problem with this drug is that it
simply stops your bowel movement, it doesn't get rid of any poisons
that you may have consumed, and you will continue to dehydrate into
your bowel, which over here is potentially very dangerous, as I am
sure you already know. It also allows the bug to enter your system
further, as the whole reason you have a dodgy stomach in the first
place is your system attempting to purge itself of the toxin." |
DEHYDRATION:
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 It's
very easy to get dehydrated when on a dive holiday. You spend time in the
sun and sweat while the wind is keeping your skin cooled down so you don't
really realize just how warm it is. You also lose some fluids by inhaling dry
air from your tank and exhaling moist air after it's
been passed through your body. Recommended amount of water intake is minimum 4
litres a day.
If you feel
dehydrated (the symptoms includes tiredness, headache and dark coloured urine) it's really important that you do something about it. Diving in a
dehydrated state increases the risk for DCS. There should be rehydration salt in
the MFA kit on the boat but just to make sure bring some with you. Read the
instructions carefully so you get the right mix or it might have the opposite
effect. What you want is to get the same percentage of minerals in the water you
drink as you have in your body tissue. That way your body can absorb the fluid
without any unnecessary osmosis going on.
You find rehydration
salts in any pharmacy in Egypt and the price is only a few Egyptian pounds for a
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DENTAL PROBLEMS:
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Some
Problems with equalizing might spring from dental issues. If you by any chance
need to take care of a dental problem while in Hurghada, the man to see is Dr Ahmed Kamal. It may
also be an idea to plan the yearly dentist visit to coincide with your dive
holiday since you probably get a lower price on the complete deal. Flight,
hotel, diving and the dentist in Egypt is likely to be cheaper than just the
dentist visit in Europe! And the dentist is probably better than the one in
Europe as well.
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