Sinus Problems After Diving

[lynnemari]

My husband and I have been diving for 2 and half years we have 60- 80 dives. The last two dive trips he has come home with some really bad sinus problems, bad pressure. When we are diving he never has trouble clearing but he says he gets salt water in his mouth from his nose while diving, like a little drainage while he is diving. No water in the mask problem, he has no problem clearing his mask either. Just wondering if any one else has this problem. I hate to see him come home sick after every dive trip.
Thanks
Lynne

 

[miketsp]

If he is tasting salt water there would appear to be only 3 possible sources:
a) he is inhaling from mask without realising it - try always exhaling a little air from the nose to keep mask empty
b) reg is wet breathing - try using another
c) just possible he has a burst eardrum which didn't totally heal up - during Valsalva maneuver under water do any bubbles appear?
Can't see any other way of salt water getting into throat.
Let's see if the specialists have any other suggestions....

 

[ArcticDiver]

My husband and I have been diving for 2 and half years we have 60- 80 dives. The last two dive trips he has come home with some really bad sinus problems, bad pressure. When we are diving he never has trouble clearing but he says he gets salt water in his mouth from his nose while diving, like a little drainage while he is diving. No water in the mask problem, he has no problem clearing his mask either. Just wondering if any one else has this problem. I hate to see him come home sick after every dive trip.
Thanks
Lynne

You seem to say this is something new for him. So, has anything he is doing changed? Has any of his gear changed? If so maybe like the poster above says he is either inhaling or swallowing the sea water.

If he is not having vertigo or a hearing loss problem then the eardrum itself is probably intact. Or, so the text books say. Maybe he has had a change in his sinuses.

To me this is an excellent example of a situation when there is no substitute for a visit to a qualified, capable ENT Dr. who is familiar with the FESS protocols. They will in a systematic way track down the cause and the recommended solution.

Good fortune in getting back to a fun hobby.