Valsalva during FC1

[NABO]

Hi all, Headed to Wright Patt for my FC1 soon.

Can anyone give clarity on what the flight doc looks for when you're asked to perform the Valsalva? I know they look for movement of the tympanic membrane/eardrum but I was hoping to find more clarity on this.

I have some scarring my on eardrums from childhood ear infections that otherwise do not affect my hearing or ability to equalize. The Valsalva in particular allows me to clear my ears, though I only hear the "pop" in my left ear. I had a civilian ENT observe this as well and they were able to verify seeing movement in the left ear drum but not the right. 

I have much better success clearing both ears with the Toynbee Maneuver (swallowing with nose closed) and have used this for scuba diving and unpressurized flights with zero issues (I hear a equally loud pop/clearance for both ears). If I combine this maneuver with the Valsalva, my ears will clear 100% of the time, however I'm not sure that this would generate the ear drum movement in my right ear that the doc may be looking for.

That being said, should I expect the flight doc to be evaluating this solely on eardrum movement? I'm guessing they will also ask if your ears cleared, which in my case the answer would truthfully be a yes, even if not visible. In others' experience, could I expect the doc to "take my word for it?" If not, would additional baro chamber testing be expected or allowed?

 

Upon recently reviewing my MEPS paperwork, the doc marked UNSAT for my Valsalva after previously marking and crossing out SAT, which has prompted my concern around this issue.

This test seems partly subjective and it would be helpful to know the general outlook that the flight doc may have on this as far as eardrum movement and non Valsalva equalizations go.

 

Interestingly, the Valsalva is mentioned in the Waiver Guide as the standard benchmark for evaluation but mentions the Toynbee and Frenzel maneuvers as safer alternatives to achieve the same result in the very next sentence. 

 

Any insight, advice, or recent experience would be greatly appreciated!

Edited March 23, 2022 by NABO