Quote Originally Posted by rubber chicken View Post
Lottie, you can never be "too careful" Try equalising on every breath during your descent and at the first sign of trouble STOP descending, go back up a metre or so and try again. Like so many things, your body seems to get used to it after a while and it becomes easier over time.
This is exactly what I tell my open water students. Equalize on every breath until you get down to your "cruising" depth. Also, the healing process may have left your tissues a bit less stretchy than they were before, so take it slow. There is evidence that frequent divers have an easier time equalizing than occasional divers--perhaps the tubes become more pliant or something--so you can expect improvement over time.