bloody nose

[sueellen]

sometimes right after a dive I notice that I have a bloody nose in my mask when I get back on board - don't feel as if anything is happening during the dive and feel AOK after the dive - why?

 

[joewr]

Sueellen,

Is it a lot of blood or just a smear? If the latter, I have seen a fair number of divers with that affliction and have assumed that it is due to broken capillaries caused by clearing one's ears. However, this is practicing medicine w/o a license! So, what's the word, Doc?

Joewr

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi sueellen,

Given no other explanation, blood in the mask is most frequently caused by either rough equalizing or mask squeeze.

Be gentle in your handling of your nose & the vigor of your clearing efforts. Equalize early, often & as gently as possible. Also, during descent occasionally exhale a small amount of air through your nose to prevent mask squeeze.

If these steps do not help, see an ENT.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

During my OW class I had a couple of bloody noses and my instructor suggested I see my Doctor just to make sure I didn't have a sinus blockage. I had been experiencing a couple of sinus infections per year my whole life because of seasonal allergies. I had a CT Scan of my sinuses and they found an infection in my sinus above my right eye. I took a round of antibiotics and went back to diving because my doc said that should do it. Approximately 4 dives into the weekend after I finished the antibiotics I had a really bad nosebleed followed by a week or so of sinus drainage. I went back to the doctor for another CT scan and this one showed completely clear sinuses. I think the pressure changes of diving along with antibiotics cleared some blocked stuff that had probably been in there for a long time.

The good news is that I haven't had a nose bleed, sinus infection or even allergies in almost a year. I truly believe that taking up diving cured my chronic sinus problems.

Probably not something that the certifying agencies want to put on the brochures but it worked for me!

 

[Swamp Rat]

I feel since I've started diving that my sinus do feel better. Think we can get someone to pay us to go to cozumel and do some research on this? Now that's the ticket.

 

[The Chairman]

I agree with da KC_ScubaBunny,

I had a Partial palatal pharyngoplasty (100 pts if I even came CLOSE to spelling that one right) and a rhinoplasty for snoring/sleep apnea and a deviated septum ten or more years ago. Well, I have had a morning drainage of blood (not much) ever since. Never would heal completely. Blood in the mask sorta pushed me to have this area re-visited, and the steroidal nasal spray they put me on really cleared up it up. Now, I rarely have an allergic reaction to pollutants or pollen, I can equalize with a swallow, and the morning drainage is gone.

Unfortunately, I still snore, still use a cpap for that and the apnea. Maybe that labotomy will cure that...

 

[keralucu]

Maybe Pete, but doubtful And you get 1,000 pts for spelling pharyngoplasty correctly! *golf clap, golf clap*

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi keralucu,

It was impressive, but sadly he loses 10 pts each for
"draininge," "alergic" & "labotomy."

The stickler,

DocVikingo

 

[The Chairman]

I bow to your wisdom... and on more than just the spelling front!

BTW, drainage was spelled correctly later on, and I was only one "l" off on allergic. Labotomy, I do not know how to spell, and cannot even pretend to offer "fat fingeritus" (phalangus obesitus -sick, I know) as the reason for it's curious spelling. Perhaps the first "a" should have been an "o"???

Aye captain, I got my spell checker on stun...

 

[keralucu]

LOL DocV & Pete - I didn't want to be too much of a stickler on the rest of it so just stuck to Pharyngoplasty... however it seems there are no holds barred in this thread! (and only 10 pts each?)

Aye, Scotty, that would be an "o"....