severe sinus infection after diving fresh water

[tugboat-rusty]

hello, i have been out of diving for the past 10 years because i have been frustrated about sinus infections after diving. use to be saltwater or freshwater would clogg me up so bad i could barely breath through my nose, but i recently spent 2 weeks in cozumel diving almost daily and 2 dives a day in various depths from 30-100 feet and never once had sinus issues. i got back home and have since dove in various fresh water lakes in texas and oklahoma with max depth of 62 feet and low and behold after every fresh water dive, i have been clogged and sick for days on end. and now it has been one week since my last dive and im still clogged severely. what could cause this and any suggestions on ways to prevent it? i love diving more than anything and im starting public safety diver training in a couple months, but if i get sinus infections after every dive, wells its just not worth it to me. i guess my next step is going to a ear nose and throat specialist but im trying every other option first.
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DevonDiver]

I use a saline rinse/spray (Muconase) religiously, before and after, every dive. That was on the advice of my partner, an ENT specialist MD. It works, despite a hectic dive schedule in "not the cleanest waters".

Some of my sinus problems stem from allergic rhinitus - I live in Manila, Philippines, and it is heavily polluted. Saline spray work then too, supplemented with anti-histamine (Claricort).

 

[lionfish-eater]

I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the internet:
Man dies from seawater bacteria in Volusia Co. | News - Home

 

[DandyDon]

I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the internet:
Man dies from seawater bacteria in Volusia Co. | News - Home

I doubt that Vibrio vulnificus has anything to do with his problem.

It sounds like you're experiencing allergic reactions, perhaps with infections. Medical exams could tell you more, but as far as internet discussions - that'd be my bet. Suggested saline rinse/spray and antihistamines are worth a try. Netti pot and pseudoephedrine also may help. Antihistamines and pseudoephedrine are part of life in my family, with us search for the best deals on our supplies.

 

[tugboat-rusty]

thanks for the replies. ill give the saline rinse, pseudoephedrine and others a try before going to a ent. im at work for a month stuck on a boat so that should be plenty of time off from diving to clear my sinuses up where i can give this stuff a try and know for sure if it works as i have no doubt that it will come back full force (sinus infection) my first dive if it doesnt work!!! and i try and dive religiously while im on my days off. thanks again

 

[DandyDon]

A sterile saline rinse can be helpful. Pretty cheap in some stores. A few have actually died from forcing tap water rinses in their noses.

Antihistamines vary greatly and some work better for some better than others. I like cheap, generic, 24-hour Claritan purchased in bulk, while my daughter likes Allegra, etc. Many who take antihistamines and decongestants really don't know that they're totally different so a little study on those would be good.

There is only one really effective decongestant - pseudoephedrine, and it cannot be bought in bulk thanks to limits from the feds, states, and in some cases cities. Very restricted because meth cookers use it to produce that. You have to get it from the druggist from behind the counter after showing ID, with limits on how much you can get per day and per month, and making it difficult to shop for as well as much pricier than it was not long ago as marketing is now aimed at the OTC decongestants - that don't do much. Some folks cannot take pseudoephedrine as it is an upper, but most do ok with it. I take it at bedtime with no problems after all these years of it.

Walgreens in Mineral Wells should have their store brand of Actifed containing pseudoephedrine and an antihistamine together, called Wal-Act, pretty reasonably priced. Walmart carries varied choices, non appealing last time I looked. United grocery pharmacies carry generic Actifed, labeld Aprodine, but the closest is in Graham - too far unless you're going there anyway.

So where are you working on a boat? I drove thru Palo Pinto last spring shooting pics of pretty courthouses in that area, after figuring out that Google maps had it erroneously placed it 2 miles from where it really is. I exchanged a few emails with Google, finally got their map corrected - but I see they've since put it back in the wrong position, a mile west of town, then a mile south of 180, out in a field! :silly: I guess they spot it in the middle of Palo Pinto county since the town is not incorporated.

 

[TSandM]

The bacterial flora of the fresh and salt waters will be different, but neither should be heavily laden with pathogens. One thing I wonder about -- if the visibility in the fresh water sites where you dive is poor, is it possible that you aren't sufficiently aware of depth changes, and aren't equalizing well? If you experience sinus squeeze in the fresh water with exudation of fluid and/or blood into the sinuses, that would provide a very good culture medium for bacteria after the dive.

 

[dfx]

How quickly do the symptoms develop after a dive? Longer incubation periods would point to infection rather than allergic reaction.

 

[Wookie]

I get the most horrendous ear infections following dives in fresh water if I don't take care of my ears. It's not as bad in Salt water, but I still have to use Auro-dry or something similar. What I think is that I have a chronic ear infection and the water makes it kick back up, but none of the voodoo witch doctors in Key West (or Houston, or St. Lucia before that) could find anything wrong. I just don't think that they are looking hard enough.

 

[MNJoe]

I have experienced the totally blocked sinus on a few occasions, all fresh water and it usually sets in in a few hours. I believe it to be allergic to something in the water. I have never experienced this in the ocean.

I do sinus rinses, it helps keep passages open. Use only distilled water, unless you want to host a brain eating amoeba. NeilMed Pharmaceuticals - Sinus Rinse Isotonic This is the product I use. You gently flush, not force the saline solution into your sinuses. I do this because I have sinus polyps and it was recommended by my ENT, so I do not know if it will help with your reactions.