Anyone ever had a sinus infection from the dive regs and tanks in the Bahamas?

[BORG]

Hi guys,
Our family went to the Bahamas in mid July. My son and I went on a boat dive and used the regs. and tanks provided by the dive boat operator. I have had a prolonged sinus infection with chest congestion since the first week in Sept. I may or may not have picked up something in the Bahamas, I'm just trying to figure out where I got this stuff. I'm at my wit's end. I may have gotten here locally in the Atlanta area.
I've never had a sinus and chest congestion last this long. I have been to various Drs. I will see a local ENT again next Mon. in the Atlanta area to see if they can figure out how to end this sinus and chest congestion.
They put me on Amoxicillin the first week of Oct. and it helped some, but it hasn't knocked it out. Still have sinus congestion and some chest congestion when I cough.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi guys,
Our family went to the Bahamas in mid July. My son and I went on a boat dive and used the regs. and tanks provided by the dive boat operator. I have had a prolonged sinus infection with chest congestion since the first week in Sept. I may or may not have picked up something in the Bahamas, I'm just trying to figure out where I got this stuff. I'm at my wit's end. I may have gotten here locally in the Atlanta area.
I've never had a sinus and chest congestion last this long. I have been to various Drs. I will see a local ENT again next Mon. in the Atlanta area to see if they can figure out how to end this sinus and chest congestion.
They put me on Amoxicillin the first week of Oct. and it helped some, but it hasn't knocked it out. Still have sinus congestion and some chest congestion when I cough.

That seems unusually long for a respiratory infection. Have you had any sputum cultures done or any radiologic imaging like x-ray or CT?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[DreadnoughtNH]

Sinus infection from a reg? I think you're using it wrong...

 

[tursiops]

On a dive trip, the respiratory infections usually come from the rinse tanks, especially the infamous "mask bucket" that everybody dips their masks/mucus into.
Rinse your masks and reg mouthpiece in fresh running water, not some tank that everybody else has used.

 

[BORG]

That seems unusually long for a respiratory infection. Have you had any sputum cultures done or any radiologic imaging like x-ray or CT?

Best regards,
DDM

I had an X-ray done at a local urgent care back in Sept. and it was clear, then. I had a sinus CT scan(set up by the ENT Dr.) done about 3 weeks ago and will review that with my ENT Dr. next Mon. I need to have them do a sputum culture then too.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[arkstorm]

Am I understanding your question correctly…

You started exhibiting symptoms of a sinus infection in September, and you think it might have been a caused from using rental regs in the Bahamas back in mid July?

How do you eliminate every other potential source of infection which you encountered between July and September?

 

[runsongas]

@tursiops the shared rinse tank for masks/regs is fine if the operator is adding a disinfecting agent like they are supposed to. the main problem is making sure people don't stick wetsuits they have peed in into there.

 

[tursiops]

@tursiops the shared rinse tank for masks/regs is fine if the operator is adding a disinfecting agent like they are supposed to. the main problem is making sure people don't stick wetsuits they have peed in into there.

Perhaps you've never seen the infamous mask bucket on a dive boat.

Who is the authority that requires disinfectant? "if the operator is adding a disinfecting agent like they are supposed to"

 

[runsongas]

i have, i don't use it since i just spit in my mask

 

[chillyinCanada]

Indeed, I never use the mask rinse bucket. I do use spit for defog and sometimessurface with mask full of mucous, ergo, not using the bucket is mannerly/considerate. That said, even if I didn't spit, I wouldn't use the bucket for my own sake!

I have suffered long periods of respiratory infections and the source hasn't always been known to me. You have my deepest empathy.

Are you a smoker?