Congestion/cold symptoms after diving

[ScubaBackpacker]

Yesterday here in Palau I did 2 dives and had no noticeable cold/congestion symptoms prior to diving. Normally I have no or only very rarely a problem with ear clearing. But on the first dive my left ear was difficult, and on the second dive my right ear more so. After the second dive I noticed some congestion and right ear popping , and that evening a runny nose and during the night a great deal of congestion and headache on waking. The cold/allergy symptoms seemed to appear while/after diving, not before!! No diving for me today, but since I’m in Palau I would like to get back in the water. Any knowledgeable input would be helpful. Thank you.

 

[brphilli]

What you are describing could be consistent with mild sinus barotrauma. The challenges clearing you describe, congestion from damaged and swollen sinuses and the headache would be consistent. Any blood in the discharge from your nose? That would be the next symptom I'd be looking for.

Not uncommon on a dive trip where you are doing a lot more diving than typical, minor damage on one dive, makes clearing difficult on the next and pushing the decent or ascent too fast can cause more damage.

Obviously, really hard to say with any certainty on a forum post. I've linked the DAN page below on barotrauma for you to check out. Do you have dive insurance? Best advice is call DAN and/or get help from a local medical professional familiar with dive injuries.

https://dan.org/health-medicine/health-resources/diseases-conditions/sinus-barotrauma/

Hope it proves to be minor and you are back in the water soon! Good for you, doing the right thing and not diving today. Passing on diving for a day in Palau was no easy decision, but it was the right one.

 

[ScubaBackpacker]

What you are describing could be consistent with mild sinus barotrauma. The challenges clearing you describe, congestion from damaged and swollen sinuses and the headache would be consistent. Any blood in the discharge from your nose? That would be the next symptom I'd be looking for.

Not uncommon on a dive trip where you are doing a lot more diving than typical, minor damage on one dive, makes clearing difficult on the next and pushing the decent or ascent too fast can cause more damage.

Obviously, really hard to say with any certainty on a forum post. I've linked the DAN page below on barotrauma for you to check out. Do you have dive insurance? Best advice is call DAN and/or get help from a local medical professional familiar with dive injuries.

https://dan.org/health-medicine/health-resources/diseases-conditions/sinus-barotrauma/

Hope it proves to be minor and you are back in the water soon! Good for you, doing the right thing and not diving today. Passing on diving for a day in Palau was no easy decision, but it was the right one.

Thank you for taking time to reply. I appreciate your empathy/support- my wife is diving and I’m sitting at the hotel- they will probably see a sperm whale today for the first time in the history of Palau !!”
Nasal discharge is drippy clear fluid- no sign of blood.
On the second dive yesterday we dropped down one of the blue holes so I probably descended too quickly.
Historically I have had almost no trouble ear clearing and haven’t paid it much attention on descent. But several years ago on a dive trip to Cozumel on experiencing ear pain I went to a local doctor that happened to be a part time doctor in tne hypobaric chamber and he put me on high dose ibuprofen due to barotrama , saying my nerve endings were not as sensitive as normal . He emphasized that I should clear early and often whether I feel like I need to or not. I’m afraid I forget this a lot.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Yesterday here in Palau I did 2 dives and had no noticeable cold/congestion symptoms prior to diving. Normally I have no or only very rarely a problem with ear clearing. But on the first dive my left ear was difficult, and on the second dive my right ear more so. After the second dive I noticed some congestion and right ear popping , and that evening a runny nose and during the night a great deal of congestion and headache on waking. The cold/allergy symptoms seemed to appear while/after diving, not before!! No diving for me today, but since I’m in Palau I would like to get back in the water. Any knowledgeable input would be helpful. Thank you.

From your description it sounds like you may have picked up an upper respiratory infection. If you can get hold of some oxymetazoline (Afrin) nasal spray, that might help. It's ok to use daily short-term, but be prepared for some rebound congestion if you use it for more than a week then stop it. If you choose to use it, try clearing on the surface first, then if you're able, try descending slowly and abort the dive if you can't clear. Also, if you don't time it correctly, it can wear off while you're on the bottom which could lead to reverse barotrauma - no fun at all. Ibuprofen might also be of benefit. Of course all the other standard disclaimers apply: follow the directions, use at your own risk, and internet advice is not a substitute for in-person evaluation by a trained provider.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[ScubaBackpacker]

From your description it sounds like you may have picked up an upper respiratory infection. If you can get hold of some oxymetazoline (Afrin) nasal spray, that might help. It's ok to use daily short-term, but be prepared for some rebound congestion if you use it for more than a week then stop it. If you choose to use it, try clearing on the surface first, then if you're able, try descending slowly and abort the dive if you can't clear. Also, if you don't time it correctly, it can wear off while you're on the bottom which could lead to reverse barotrauma - no fun at all. Ibuprofen might also be of benefit. Of course all the other standard disclaimers apply: follow the directions, use at your own risk, and internet advice is not a substitute for in-person evaluation by a trained provider.

Best regards,
DDM

Thank you for making the effort to reply. I had some consolation in that it rained all day yesterday and my wife wound up diving in a cave(not my thing) !
I’m also experiencing some sneezing and puffy eyes so I’m thinking it may be primarily allergy/cold. Irritatingly, I missed a couple of days of diving 3 weeks ago in the Philippines due to a similar infection. In looking at other discussions and recommendations on Scubaboard oxymetazoline also came up.
I bought some and then realized it is contraindicated for someone on tamsulosin/flomax- I’m 70- so I returned it and wound up with saline solution. Perhaps it will help. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
I am a Dan member. Scubaboard has been much more helpful than Dan in trying to figure out my best course. After reading the article referenced by brphili above, I filled out a medical form with questions on the Dan web site but they wouldn’t accept it. Then I filled out an iPhone chat form repeating the same info but they wouldn’t accept that either, saying call the number. My phone plan doesn’t work in the Philippines so I gave up in frustration.
Thanks again.