Nose congestion

[parrothead600]

I have a problem with nose congestion while I'm diving. I have no problem with equalizing. I do have a mustache & my mask leaks a little, so I need to clear my mask a few times on every dive. When I get out of the water, it looks like I'm trying to smuggle a jellyfish in my mask. Anyone else have this problem? What do I need to do to correct it?

 

[uspap]

You could try taking Sudafed the day before and day of your dive. I sometimes get the same thing. Usually it's when I'm surfacing I have a sinus drain. I have allergies and that may be part of it. Doesn't happen all the time. I do have to check for green gobies at the end of every dive though.

 

[erparamedic]

I dove this weekend. When I dive, I tend to get a very dry mouth with a gooey throat.... and lots of "goo" in the nose pocket of my mask. I know... gross! But, I think all the nose "goo" (it's a nicer word than snot!! LOL) is from a sinus drain on ascent. I rarely have to clear my mask, so I don't think that is the problem. I just surface, remove my mask, and quickly "wash my face" in the water! LOL I'll tell ya... It's such a glamorous sport!

Try the sudafed on the day prior to the dive and the morning of your dive(s).... that's what I use, and I rarely have any problems with nasal congestion.

 

[altitudemike]

If I'm diving super cold water 3*c or colder I always take a reactine 30min before the dive & it usually helps to avoid "goo" LOL, in your mask.

 

[chad-purdy]

some times when i dive alot my nose bleeds from having a sinus congestion and i usaly have a hard time equalizing. but my nose is stuffed up all the time

 

[cummings66]

As a person who's always had problems with allergies I've found that I experience lots of the goo needing to come out every dive. I have on occasions removed my mask at 20 or 30 feet and blew my nose, then cleared to watch the fish eat. They're fast buggers so you miss them most of the time, but if you time it right you'll see the fish snap it up. They love it.

I do not take any medicine while diving because my usual standby of Pseudofed can cause problems if you dive Nitrox, so now I'm back to the snot. Pseudofed did a lot to lesson that for me.

I never get nosebleeds, that's almost always a result of improper clearing or too fast of a descent or both. I've experienced it a few times with new buddies who are overweighted and drop like a lead brick. If I'm diving with a competent diver I never have problems with a bloody nose. So for the bloody nose people I'd suggest a very slow descent and start that clearing at the surface and at every breath on the way down. Don't force it, let it happen gently.

I can clear without any maneuvers if I go down slow enough, otherwise a gentle clearing works fine.

To summarize, I don't believe in using medicine due to my usage of Nitrox, but if you do get the 24 hour pseudofed only. Too much risk in the 4 hour versions. Take your time going down and clear gently. Don't clear on the way up.

 

[Jamie_r]

yeah me and my buddy have to do "snot check" when we exit the water before we walk by the girls on the beach haha.

 

[mislav]

yeah me and my buddy have to do "snot check" when we exit the water before we walk by the girls on the beach haha.

LOL! Now here's a tip you won't find in any PADI manual!

 

[k4man]

You could try taking Sudafed the day before and day of your dive. I sometimes get the same thing. Usually it's when I'm surfacing I have a sinus drain. I have allergies and that may be part of it. Doesn't happen all the time. I do have to check for green gobies at the end of every dive though.

this was also the discussion of an article in this summer's DAN Alert magazine. Discussing inner and middle ear blocks, trapped air, etc and having the tubes sometimes blocked which required a more forceful clear (NOT recommended by DAN). Some situations suggested something like sudafed or other antihistimines....although a caution that Sudafed MAY increase blood pressure and should be used with caution when diving--especially for divers who may already have some form of hypertension.

 

[KazooDiver]

I have allot of nasal allergies, I use sudafed 12hr version when I am especially congested! Since I switched to Nasonex I have cut down on the amount of sudafed that I use!

Also a word of warning on sudafed: not only can in increase blood pressure, but it can cause tachycardia (fast heart rate), palpitations, and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat)--so avoid with any heart conditions unless cleared to use it by your physician!