Repeated Bloody Nose

[pipedope]

Staying well hydrated helps keep the nose and sinuses moist and clear.
Also daily sinus rinse with saline is good to keep clear.
I use the NeilMed system available at WalMart (and others) because it makes it easy.

Lots of divers get blood in the mask and it is rarely a real problem.
Good to check to be safe if you are at all worried.

 

[magicwanz]

might have a nasal polyp, but probably not.

I think if half the country is uninsured we might have to get more creative with health care than telling everyone to see a doctor right off the bat. People can often rule out the simple causes with information.

Just a guess but if this person has the resources to take a cruise to Coz and go snorkeling than chances are the person has the resources to be medically insured.

Personally I would prefer not to get too "creative" by ruling out symptoms of a problem that may or may not become very serious. I'm sure there is lots of good "information" out there but I would prefer to be evaluated to make sure I'm not putting myself and/or a buddy at risk in diving situations.

There is a lot of good "information" on cave diving too. But would I enter an overhead environment without being evaluated first... certainly not.

 

[Cacia]

Oh, I missed the part about cave diving.

Of course, you are correct. Everyone should see a doctor for their health problems. I just usually try and rule out the simple causes first.

Something like a few nosebleeds falls in that category for me, but everyone draws the line for themselves.

(can you speculate if you have an appointment and it is next week?)

Information can be handy if you are stuck in a remote place and there is no ENT.

 

[Ann Marie]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

While there has been quite a few posts from members I'm going to move this thread into Diving Medicine in hopes that one of our Medical Moderators can post an answer.

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[Ann Marie]

I would suggest giving Divers Alert Network a call on Monday morning and ask them if one of the medical moderators hasn't had a chance to answer.

Non-Emergency Medical Questions
1-800-446-2671 or 1-919-684-2948, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm (ET)​

You don't have to be a member to call and get advice. If you aren't already a member I would suggest joining!

DAN Divers Alert Network - Scuba Diving and Dive Safety Association​

 

[magicwanz]

Oh, I missed the part about cave diving.

Information can be handy if you are stuck in a remote place and there is no ENT.

It was an analogy, not astonishing that you missed it though.

 

[Cacia]

Some of you with your "don't talk about any health issues" crack me up.
The medical consumer must become more and more sophisticated to even navigate.
It's a new era. Even pedestrain HMO's like Kaiser Permante have published entire volumes and given to members, meant to address common health issues before you run to the doctor. Several "coagulated" signs of some bleeding in your mask is not usually a major health threat.

I am SURE the poster realizes she/ he could go straight to a doctor, without any reflection.

On other forums (like cycling, etc) the members do not start emphatically telling the posters of various physical symptoms to go straight to the doctor when they post questions.

I find it very lame to have this "I might guess wrong if I have information and die" everytime somebody ponders some minor sign or sensation...

Wake up, we are in 2008 and you need to know about your own body.

 

[wylerbear]

When I first started diving, this used to happen to me. It never bothered me so I pretty much ignored it. It did bother my dive buddies a few times seeing blood in my mask. I was told not to worry about it and after a while of diving it would stop happening. Within my first 25 dives or so it did. I dive pretty often so don't know if that has anything to do with it-if the pressure and equalizing is just something your body gets used to. If you only dive occassionally it may happen every time, don't know.

 

[stevewirl]

as i said earlier on in the thread . nothing to worrie about unless it persists or the bleeding is prolonged .

if a child has a bloody nose does the world stop :no . no we treat it our selfs unless it persists or is of heavy flow .(or other ailments are known / present )

our body experiences changes whilst we dive . this can effect people in different ways . a nose bleed is a minor side effect of decompression on sinius .

relax . its all good . everyone take deep breaths :11:

 

[magicwanz]

I would suggest giving Divers Alert Network a call on Monday morning and ask them if one of the medical moderators hasn't had a chance to answer.

Non-Emergency Medical Questions
1-800-446-2671 or 1-919-684-2948, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm (ET)​

You don't have to be a member to call and get advice. If you aren't already a member I would suggest joining!

DAN Divers Alert Network - Scuba Diving and Dive Safety Association​

Now this is a good suggestion. To the thread poster can you tell us what is the diagnosis when you find out? I would be interested to learn from this.