Blood from nose after dive

[octgal]

ok there was no flow! My weekend was over with that dive, so no one told me to keep diving. i agree i should not have dove with my sinuses like that, nor will i do it again. I can admit I was wrong, but that wasn't the reason for the post, i was more concerned with having done some damage.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I understand your concern but if you reread my post I asked speciically if we are talking about a FLOW OR BLEED, as opposed to some minor blood smudges, which would indicate some minor capillary or small vein ruptures from clearing too hard.

I've rarely seen "flow" after a dive. It's usually an interesting mix of blood and snot that shoots out when the air in the blocked up sinuses expands on ascent. Either way, since I'm not a physician I wouldn't make any disinction between "flow" and "minor blood smudges" when as a diver and dive instructor I know that niether should be happening. Congestion all by itself is a contraindication to diving and the instructor, IMO, should put on the brakes as soon as he/she is aware of it.

I won't say it can't happen from equalizing too hard but I don't know that I've ever seen it. Why would the student be equalizing too hard? That alone can be a danger to the inner ear. In this case too, it sounds like medical problem that needs to be cleare up unless the student just never learned to equalize and that's supposed to happen in confined water.

 

[octgal]

i had the flu earlier that week and was feeling fine, but woke up one morning stuffed up that weekend. I would never force anything while equalizing, and if i did, i would expect my great concern would be my broken ear drum. I suppose i will check this out with my doctor, i guess i'm just worried she'll say never dive again as a non diving doctor. Maybe i should just look one up

 

[MikeFerrara]

ok there was no flow! My weekend was over with that dive, so no one told me to keep diving. i agree i should not have dove with my sinuses like that, nor will i do it again. I can admit I was wrong, but that wasn't the reason for the post, i was more concerned with having done some damage.

I understand the reason for your post. Based on personal experience I doubt you did any permenant damage. Since I'm not a doc though take that for what it's worth...and if I was you'd owe me $75 for the opinion. As a diver and former dive instructor though, I would not discourage you from getting it checked before you go diving again.

 

[MikeFerrara]

i had the flu earlier that week and was feeling fine, but woke up one morning stuffed up that weekend. I would never force anything while equalizing, and if i did, i would expect my great concern would be my broken ear drum. I suppose i will check this out with my doctor, i guess i'm just worried she'll say never dive again as a non diving doctor. Maybe i should just look one up

some doctors won't give you permission to dive no matter what. Others will do it over the phone. Like always you'll be left dependant on your own judgement in the end but hopefully from a well informed position. If you can find a doc that knows something about diving you're probably better off.

 

[DiveGolfSki]

As someone who's viens are very close to the surface, I get nosebleeds some of the time (I tried cautery the viens but somehow that didn't work) even while diving. It eventually stops and it can be a nuasance and requires clearing my mask (what's all that green stuff??? ) until it does. It's not a big deal unless it's a sign of something more serious (which doesn't seem to be the case here). If you're prone to nosebleeds, you can minimize it by placing a bit of lubricating cream or ointment about the size of a pea on the end of your fingertip and then rub it up inside the nose, especially on the middle portion (the septum).

Many physicians suggest any of the following lubricating creams or ointments. They can all be purchased without a prescription: Borofax ointment,® A and D Ointment,® Mentholatum,® Vicks Vaporub,® and Vaseline.®

 

[TheRedHead]

I understand your concern but if you reread my post I asked speciically if we are talking about a FLOW OR BLEED, as opposed to some minor blood smudges, which would indicate some minor capillary or small vein ruptures from clearing too hard.

I was on a dive trip and was experiencing some congestion (mold seems to set it off) and I had a sinus squeeze with blood in my mask. On the next day's dive, I came very close to a reverse block ascending from 110'. I finally forced a clear (I didn't have a lot of time to dicker around), but my ear cleared so forcefully that I heard a screaming EEEEWWWWWW and had instant vertigo at about 80 feet. I began drifting up and down (couldn't tell the difference) and almost threw up. It was the scarriest thing that has happened to me underwater.

I even had to go and see Dr. Piccolo in Cozumel (which was worse than the vertigo as he has some ingenious ways of saying, NO, NO, NO and NO Diving). He advised 12 hour sudafed which is what I now use before diving in moldly places like Coz. A lot of dive instructors do not like Sudafed, but the good doctor assured me that the 12 hour formulation taken at the appropriate times will not result in a wearing off in the water like some people fear.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

he would still go through the motions of equalizing out of habit and when he did he blew bubbles out his ears. If he smoked he would have been able to blow smoke out of his ears like Popeye!

Too funny!

And I agree with your point, just saying that sometimes its nothing. If the instructor pushed another dive without checking it out, that's a horse of a different color.

Octgal-

I'd go on your own feelings, if you are anxious or continue to have issues see a doc of course.

 

[octgal]

thanks everyone....i missed that part about popeye, the first go around. That made me laugh!!!!
I'll let u know how it goes!

 

[DiveGolfSki]

I was on a dive trip and was experiencing some congestion (mold seems to set it off) and I had a sinus squeeze with blood in my mask. On the next day's dive, I came very close to a reverse block ascending from 110'. I finally forced a clear (I didn't have a lot of time to dicker around), but my ear cleared so forcefully that I heard a screaming EEEEWWWWWW and had instant vertigo at about 80 feet. I began drifting up and down (couldn't tell the difference) and almost threw up. It was the scarriest thing that has happened to me underwater.

Vertigo? :11: Are you sure you didn't bust an eardrum?