Facial pain after diving-Balloon Sinuplasty

[realife mermaid]

Hi! I have suffered from sinus, eye, maxillary and mandibular tooth pain, headaches and facial pain/pressure for over a year now. I lived in Key West for a few months and dove a lot...thinking it is related...this is when symptoms first appeared.

I have been to 3 ENTs, 5 Dentists/Endodontists, 2 Opthamologists, and a Neurologist. 4 CAT SCANs and 4 MRIs have revealed nothing. Blood work and physical exams have revealed nothing. No medication or sinus regimen has helped significantly. I feel like I ruputed my right(only) Maxillary or Paranasal sinus; however, the imaging doesn't show this...?
I am considering Balloon Sinuplasty...has anyone had this procedure or any experience with these symptoms? I am desperate for pain relief. I will be grateful for any advice!

 

[Pedro Burrito]

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[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi! I have suffered from sinus, eye, maxillary and mandibular tooth pain, headaches and facial pain/pressure for over a year now. I lived in Key West for a few months and dove a lot...thinking it is related...this is when symptoms first appeared.

I have been to 3 ENTs, 5 Dentists/Endodontists, 2 Opthamologists, and a Neurologist. 4 CAT SCANs and 4 MRIs have revealed nothing. Blood work and physical exams have revealed nothing. No medication or sinus regimen has helped significantly. I feel like I ruputed my right(only) Maxillary or Paranasal sinus; however, the imaging doesn't show this...?
I am considering Balloon Sinuplasty...has anyone had this procedure or any experience with these symptoms? I am desperate for pain relief. I will be grateful for any advice!

Hi @realife mermaid ,

Tagging @doctormike here because he's the real expert, but my thoughts for whatever they're worth: If you had ruptured a sinus, i.e. fractured the bone, you would have known it at the time. It would have almost certainly happened on ascent. You'd have felt extreme pain in the immediate area. Air would have likely entered the surrounding tissues and, depending on the depth you were ascending from, resulted in additional symptoms.

Have you had difficulty equalizing your sinuses during diving? If so, when did you notice it? How long has it been since your last dive?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[brsnow]

I had ballon done in 2016 was big impact on quality of life for me. I had almost complete blockage. I only had a couple sinus issues a year but they were pretty painful and when I dove it didn’t hurt but they sang loud enough for others to hear. I no longer get painful infections and much less noise underwater. I would suggest talking with a doctor who does it perhaps? They cLiam of a pain free recover is a bit overstated, it hurt for awhile.