Orange saliva after coming up from dive

[UnderwaterMedic]

IMO, when your health is on the line, its better to have someone qualified check him out. As always, no amount of forum advice, great that is, will ever replace the assessment of a qualified provider. Also, better to catch most problems while they are smaller issues because they could represent a much bigger problem or develop into one. Have fun on the dive and BE SAFE!!!

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Wendy, is your dive buddy on any medication at all?

 

[Hatul]

Wendy, is your dive buddy on any medication at all?

Are there medicines that turn saliva orange?

Addendum: I see that the antibiotic Rifampin can do that, so maybe there are others.

 

[TSandM]

This does sound like a small amount of blood in the nasopharynx, which can have a wide variety of causes. If it is persistent, it's probably a good idea to have somebody take a look at him, and maybe even an ENT doc.

 

[WendyCayman]

We called DAN and they said it was blood from capillaries bursting under pressure and so long as the saliva went back to clear after diving, then it was fine.

 

[TonyErnst13]

orange from blood looks maroon - if it is orange like TANG it is from stagnant mucus in the sinus from an earlier sinus infection.. a saline rinse is the recommended way to clear your sinuses... so sucking in salt water would induce it.... clogged sinuses would also cause a more sensitive "gag" reflex. Tell him to go buy a 10 dollar things called simply saline from cvs/walgreens, etc and use it in the shower each day until it runs out.....

 

[tylerma]

Wendy's Dive Buddy can confirm that, he did phone DAN(whose contact details can be found, with a host of other information at DAN: Divers Alert Network - Scuba Diving and Dive Safety Association), where it was indicated that it was burst capillaries but as it clears up afterwards, it’s not something to worry about, unless it progress into pain, ie) headaches etc.

 

[TonyErnst13]

was it bright orange? like fluorescent? that's not from blood......