I know that you're not supposed to dive when congested because of the
possibility of a reverse block, and I know that you are not supposed to
take decongestants when diving because of the posibility that they will
wear off during the dive and screw you up that way.

My question is this: What about *mild* congestion, the kind that a lot
of people (myself for example) have most or all of the time? Nothing
that impedes breathing in any really noticeable way, but the sort of
thing that, when asked, you realize, "Oh yeah, I guess I do have little
snot in that left nostril." Is even this level of congestion dangerous,
or even prolematic?

From those who have experienced reverse blocks: how bad are they? Are
they merely annoying, pretty painful, severely painful, or incapacitating?

If one is experiencing very mild congestion, mild enough that the risk
of a reverse block is minimal, which would be the lesser of two evils:
taking a decongestant, or going ahead with the congestion in place?

Email responses or public ones are fine, thanks.