Hey guys, I went for my open water certification dives over the passed weekend and had massive equalization issues on all 4 dives. I also had large amounts of blood in my mask on all four dives. I understand these are all common issues with new divers, however its now four days after my last dive and my ears still haven't fully cleared, I still have a head ache, and am getting a bit of blood in my saliva still (very little) although its generally after trying to clear my ears. Is it normal for it to take this long or should I be getting to a doctor at this point? Thanks for any advice guys!
Ear Equalization Problems
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cmburch
Contributor
I have a problem with allergies and have had blood in my mask. I have had it where it felt like someone was drilling a pencil just under my inner eyebrow. Also cracking noises/feeling when surfacing between my eyebrows. Obvious to see a doctor is a must. I went in for a scan of my sinuses and all is well. I now use time released Sudafed and Afrin before diving.
Tabascocat
Registered
I have the same problems minus the headaches. Always came up with blood/mucous in my mask. What is weird is I never had any equalization problems going down, thought all was good.
I went to see a Dr(ENT) a few weeks ago for an exam to check things out(before I start my DM) and all was good. Having broken my nose a few times playing baseball, he said the capillaries will always do that but it shouldn't be that much as I have had. I took a line-drive below my left eye in a HS game that broke my orbital bone and it somehow affected a sinus above the upper teeth. I have very little wiggle room there now due to a broken tooth in the gums which I need removed soonish.
He suggested I go down at a slower rate to see even though all seemed good descending before. I went to a rig out of Galveston over the weekend and descended real slow clearing every couple of feet. After three dives, there was minimal blood, just a pinkish mucous and not much of it.
Basically, descend slow to see if it helps and don't equalize too hard, just let it happen using different techniques.....take your time.
I went to see a Dr(ENT) a few weeks ago for an exam to check things out(before I start my DM) and all was good. Having broken my nose a few times playing baseball, he said the capillaries will always do that but it shouldn't be that much as I have had. I took a line-drive below my left eye in a HS game that broke my orbital bone and it somehow affected a sinus above the upper teeth. I have very little wiggle room there now due to a broken tooth in the gums which I need removed soonish.
He suggested I go down at a slower rate to see even though all seemed good descending before. I went to a rig out of Galveston over the weekend and descended real slow clearing every couple of feet. After three dives, there was minimal blood, just a pinkish mucous and not much of it.
Basically, descend slow to see if it helps and don't equalize too hard, just let it happen using different techniques.....take your time.
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I've had similar issues. I'm still not completely cleared to dive due to an annoying eardrum rupture from a rushed descent. My bad. I'm going to test it this weekend just to see...
Don't wait until it hurts to equalize! If you do, then you will have to really pressurize to overcome a large pressure difference. This is how the damage happens. Hard to get it exactly right when you are pressurizing that hard. Worse yet, you may have a 'fast' and a 'slow' ear due to differences in eustachian tubes. With a large imbalance, unblocking one can damage the other. Equalize early, gently, and often on the way down. If you are descending, you need to be equalizing.
Ascents have never been a problem for me, 'squeaking' in my ears is a very good thing on the way up.
underH2Oman
Contributor
Blood in the mask can be an issue but should not be a common issue.
It sounds like you were deeper than you should have been. (in the sense that if your ears have not cleared you can not go deeper). IMO you should seek out your doctor.
If you were feeling the pressure in your ears at depth, you most likely experienced a squeeze. The body will try and balance the pressure by filling the inner ear with fluid (commonly blood from surrounding tissues)
You may be expelling a little blood from the Eustachian tube to the back of the throat (into saliva) after you attempt to equalize.
You could call DAN and ask them. They could probably even find a dive doc that would be more in tune what what is going on. They answer calls and help even if you are not a member. Being a member is a good idea.......
Scuba Diving Medical Safety Advice ? DAN | Divers Alert Network
Scuba Diving Medical Safety Advice ? DAN | Divers Alert Network
The persistence of pain and discomfort alone suggestes you should see a doctor. Your reported symptoms go beyond a typical clearing problem. I do not know if blodd in your mask is related to the ear problems, but the fact is you will not enjoy diving, and should not dive again, until the ear issue ( and other issues) is resolved.
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis
industrious95
Contributor
4 day nose bleed and clogged ears? I'd say it's time for a visit to the Doctor. The bleeding was probably just a symptom, not the actual problem. Maybe a head cold that hadn't cleared up as well as you thought? Maybe allergies? Maybe inner ear infection? What would it hurt by having a doctor examine you?
What you describe (large amounts of blood during the dives, and persistent signs / symptoms four days afterward) is not normal / common, for new divers or experienced divers. (I am a bit surprised your Instructor let you continue if s/he saw the blood).
Definitely get a referral to an ENT, preferably one with diving knowledge - DAN is a great resource.
Dive training has done a lot for the practices of a number of ENTs in our area.
Quite a few people come to diving with no awareness of their ENT health status, and are often better off afterward - in general and as a diver - for having been to see an ENT as a result of a dive training experience.
When I was a beginning diver, I had so much trouble equalizing that an instructor said I just might have to give up o the whole diving experience. Now that I have been an instructor for nearly a decade, I still have not had a student have as much trouble as I did when I first started. As much trouble as I had, I never had your symptoms with my ears.
When you equalize, you should start early (like at least the day before) and do it often. You should never feel pain. If you begin to feel pain, you should ascend until that goes away and try to equalize again and again and again. My problem as a student was that I was still up in shallow water while the rest of the class was down below waiting for me. As a beginning diver, I had a lot of trouble getting down to the planned depths of the dives. Once I finally got my ears to clear, I was fine. If you force yourself to go down without equalizing properly, then, yes, you will get blood filling those spaces instead of air.
I have occasionally had blood in my mask. That, too, is an equalization problem. This time the problem is in the sinuses, and when you get a bit of a squeeze up in your sinuses, they will drain down to you mask. A little bit is not a problem. All those spaces in your head--ears and sinuses--are connected, so if you are having problems with one, there is a good chance you will have a problem with the others.
Be patient when you dive. As a student and a new diver, I felt a lot of peer pressure to get down to with everyone else. I had to have the sense to get over that worry and just wait for things to happen.
Eventually, my problem went away. What it took was doing a whole lot of diving so that my Eustachian tubes got the idea and started working the way they are designed to work.
When you equalize, you should start early (like at least the day before) and do it often. You should never feel pain. If you begin to feel pain, you should ascend until that goes away and try to equalize again and again and again. My problem as a student was that I was still up in shallow water while the rest of the class was down below waiting for me. As a beginning diver, I had a lot of trouble getting down to the planned depths of the dives. Once I finally got my ears to clear, I was fine. If you force yourself to go down without equalizing properly, then, yes, you will get blood filling those spaces instead of air.
I have occasionally had blood in my mask. That, too, is an equalization problem. This time the problem is in the sinuses, and when you get a bit of a squeeze up in your sinuses, they will drain down to you mask. A little bit is not a problem. All those spaces in your head--ears and sinuses--are connected, so if you are having problems with one, there is a good chance you will have a problem with the others.
Be patient when you dive. As a student and a new diver, I felt a lot of peer pressure to get down to with everyone else. I had to have the sense to get over that worry and just wait for things to happen.
Eventually, my problem went away. What it took was doing a whole lot of diving so that my Eustachian tubes got the idea and started working the way they are designed to work.
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