bloody mask

[MrConclusion]

I wonder if he gets a bloody nose when not diving? That happens to my brother a lot, and doctors say it's no big deal. Just sitting on the computer or driving, watching TV, etc... and he's bleeding all of a sudden.

I never thought about what it would look like if it happened when he was diving. If it happened to me, it would be time to practice the remove and replace mask drill - all that blood would gross me out if it got in my eyes!

 

[lobbolt]

It's happened to me when I first started diving and couldn't equalize fast enough for my descent and would almost get an unbearable pain. The water in my mask during the dive would be dark with blood.

 

[scubaren]

I'm a new diver and get the blood in the mask now and then. I am equalizing the mask so I don't think that's what it is. I get an excruciating pain across the forehead, then the nosebleed. The pain stops, I continue the dive. Not sure what it is but am no worse for it.

JE

 

[Diversion]

I'm a new diver and get the blood in the mask now and then. I am equalizing the mask so I don't think that's what it is. I get an excruciating pain across the forehead, then the nosebleed. The pain stops, I continue the dive. Not sure what it is but am no worse for it.

JE

Excruciating pain shouldn't happen. Have you talked to a Doc about it? Maybe post in the Medical Forum.

 

[pennypue]

Buy a black mask.

 

[Henryville]

Something that sounds similar used to happen to me, eventually it went away as I became more experienced.

The cause was a sinus block. Picture your sinuses, lined with capilaries. Seal them up. Now dive down to say, 3ATA. You have created inside the sinus cavity a vacuum that wants to be filled. Since the sinus is blocked, the capillaries will tend to rupture and bleed into the sinus, reducing somewhat the pressure differential between the sinus cavity and the "unsealed" parts of your body.

At some point in the dive, maybe because you ascend to a point where the pressure in the closed sinus is now higher than ambient, the mucous "dam" breaks and the blood leaks out, into your mask. That's what used to happen to me on about 25% of my dives. By the way, I never felt any pain whiel this was happening to me.

It hasn't happened in probably 10 years, either because equalizing became second nature, I scarred my sinuses so they wouldn't do it anymore, or I developed strategies like not diving when congested to avoid the problem.

It's not what I would call a mask squeeze, which I associate with ruptured vessels in the facial skin and the whites of the eyes. No mistaking what one of those looks like (see photo attached.)

 

[DrSteve]

I was advised in the medical forum on SB that there was the possibility of getting a secondary infection if you "bleed out" as described in this thread. Might be worth seeing a doc, maybe his nose needs cauterizing or there is something else wrong?

 

[DiveGolfSki]

Buy a black mask.

Actually, a green mask would be better ... Red is one the first colors in the spectrum to go.... Clearing your mask becomes a benefit though ... all those nice fish come to feed!!! :bfish:

Seriously, it's no big deal. I occasionally have nose bleeds which eventually stops. As long, there's nothing else physically wrong. Further, if the bleeding doesn't stop, you'll have to be clearing your mask a lot and that can be a hassle (not to mention a waste of gas).

 

[pennypue]

The cause was a sinus block. Picture your sinuses, lined with capilaries. Seal them up. Now dive down to say, 3ATA. You have created inside the sinus cavity a vacuum that wants to be filled. Since the sinus is blocked, the capillaries will tend to rupture and bleed into the sinus, reducing somewhat the pressure differential between the sinus cavity and the "unsealed" parts of your body.

At some point in the dive, maybe because you ascend to a point where the pressure in the closed sinus is now higher than ambient, the mucous "dam" breaks and the blood leaks out, into your mask. That's what used to happen to me on about 25% of my dives. By the way, I never felt any pain whiel this was happening to me.

Henry, that makes perfect sense, since I tend to get some snot too. (BET you all love hearing that!) I have an allergy to dust mites......lol. I was given some nasal spray for it, but refuse to use it because it left me barely conscious. I hate meds, don't wanna take 'em, can't make me.

But that picture of the mask squeeze was just plain nasty!!!!!!