Deco Gas and Clear Snot build up in the Throat

[Remy B.]

I assume this is a better place to post this as all have done Deco stops than the Diving Medicine section

I notice that I started to form more mucous saliva or clear snot when breathing high O2 on the stops, why does this happen ?, I produce as well when diving air, but the quantity sky rockets with me on high O2 ( only had done stops with 50%O2 ) to a point that I need to take out the regulator and spit out underwater to clear my throat.

My Instructor told me that it is normal, but, I feel actually that it is kind of dangerous as you let it buildup, is my body in particular having a worse reaction to high O2% ?, any way or tricks to reduce this ?, Thanks

 

[Kevrumbo]

Could be just a reaction to breathing the dry cold compressed air coming from your tank.

Where you have to worry is when you're having thick secretions coming up -like phlegm- and especially with a cough, while on Oxygen deco: probably a sign of Pulmonary irritation/inflammation from the high ppO2 exposure. To help mitigate this, for every 10min of pure O2 breathing -take a 5min backgas break.

 

[Remy B.]

Will it is like a phlegm, but I don't have a cough, we did 5min with 50%O2, no pain in my throat or chest, maybe like you mention it might be some sort or irritation in my respiratory system that I don't feel but for sure need to pay attention to it.

After each dive with air I need to spit out that clear phlegm, it might be that here in Nederland that the humidity that I breath prior to the dive accumulates some how in my system, I did post in Diving medicine to see what the Doctors can help, but have not had any answers yet.

 

[PfcAJ]

are these dives longer than dives you've done before? different type of regulator on your deco bottle.

i've done a few deco dives and never seen or experienced something like what youre describing.

 

[Remy B.]

No actually this was a practice dive for my AN, first time to use High O2%, it was only a 46min dive, yeah I used a very bad regulator unbalanced dedicated for shallow deco, breathed terribly.

My own regulators are overbalanced, very effortless breathing compared to that one, for sure as I advance in my learning and get to the point of owning my deco set it will not be a cheap piston unbalanced regulator.

Do you think that had played a role ?

 

[karstdvr]

For the longest time people would use their cheapest,lowest performance regulator as their deco regulator, and even though you are at rest, nothing is worse than trying "eat a Frosty through a straw". I use medium to higher performance regulators for deco, which makes the effort easier.

 

[Jack Hammer]

When doing deco on O2 my nose starts to plug up after 10 or 15 minutes. It goes away after a few minutes on back gas. It seems to happen irregardless of regulator or tank being used. I don't seem to get snot buildup, it feels more like overly dry.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

[PfcAJ]

No actually this was a practice dive for my AN, first time to use High O2%, it was only a 46min dive, yeah I used a very bad regulator unbalanced dedicated for shallow deco, breathed terribly.

My own regulators are overbalanced, very effortless breathing compared to that one, for sure as I advance in my learning and get to the point of owning my deco set it will not be a cheap piston unbalanced regulator.

Do you think that had played a role ?

Yeah, I do. Get a proper reg. Your deco times will be (if they aren't already) the same as your bottom times before you know it. Good to have a real regulator on your deco bottle.

 

[Remy B.]

Must definitely, overbalanced will be my deco rig, this exercise was for 2min at 9m and 3min at 4.5m, it was a switch and it was like driving a Rolls-Royce and changing to a Renault or a Daewo, can't imagine a deco for 1 hr on one of those cheap unbalanced regulators.