Bloody nose?

[ItsMandy227]

I have a question...maybe someone can help. Everytime I'm done diving and at the surface I have a bloody nose. It's not pouring down my face or anything it's just enough to be aggrevating? I don't have any real problems getting down or equalizing...my mouth and throat do get really dry? Any answers or recommendations?

Thanks,
Mandy

 

[pipedope]

and have your sinuses looked at.

Probably not any real problem but it might be something easy to fix.

 

[Wristshot]

I am not contradicting the other advice to see an "Ear Nose and Throat Specialist", but I just wanted to let you know that I also experienced some blood and mucus when I first started diving. Over time it has mostly gone away.

My non-medical opinion FWIW, would be to not sweat it too much if it is just a small amount. Seek professional medical advice, but also see if it decreases as you dive more.

Just a thought,


Wristshot

 

[ItsMandy227]

Thanks a lot both of you, I really appreciate the advice!

 

[fgray1]

I get one when I forget to equilize often. You end up blowing to hard and you burst small blood vesils in your nose.
The answer is equilize more often. Every foot if nessisary. Most of all equilize at the surface before you even go under the water.
Fred

 

[The Iceni]

Hi Mandy,

Problems with equalisation of the sinuses is VERY common when they have not had much exposure to the violent pressure changes associated with scuba.

Many novice divers get "a bloody nose" and as Wristshot states, it soon settles as you do more dives. However, it is not something you can do very much about, since - unlike ear clearing - you cannot do anything active to increase the pressure within your sinuses.

I must emphasise, however, to stop your dive if you experience any pain.

You really only need to see your doc if it persists.

 

[ColdH20diving]

Same thing happend to me on my first open water dives, it turned out that I had the beginning of a sinus infection. After that I'd get a bloody nose about every other dive trip. After consulting with an ENT doctor I ended up having sinus surgery. No problems post surgery and haven't had a sinus infection since surgery.

 

[tonyc]

ItsMandy227,

My wife and I are new divers, and she got a bloody nose on almost every ascent at first. She doesn't even know it, so I don't point it out. It gets kind of old on the dive boat though when 800 people are like, "hey your nose is bleeding" Ascending really (really) slowly has helped her.

I've given her the nickname shark bait, but it's not funny when she clears her mask at the safety stop and that blood dissipates through the water, have to say I'm always nonchalantly looking around for that great white !

Tony.

 

[ScubaScott]

I get a bloody nose EVERY single dive - hasn't failed me yet. Warm water/ cold water.... I can make bets my mask has blood in it at the end of every dive.

I've been to a ENT, my family doctor and a walk-in clinic..... nobody can see anything out of the ordinary. The ENT was also a diver herself, and practised hyperbaric chamber medicine, so knew what I was talking about as a diver. They pretty much all said the same thing - as long as there is no pain, no dizziness or any other conditions, keep diving.

Now, to save comotion on the boat, I clear my mask a few times on my safety stop, and that eliminates most of the blood and makes things a lot less dramatic on deck.....

SS

 

[simbrooks]

Mandy,

just like ScubaScott and the rest i get bloody mucus at the end of each dive, i used to also get a similar mucus when i was just doing laps at the pool - must be water or something that frees anything in my nasal cavity! I try to equalise really often, slowly ascend and descend, but it still keeps happening - however it has dropped in magnitude from my first check out dives, hopefully it will keep on doing that too! Was a real shock when swimming around to see that little bit of blood trickle across my mask.

I found that my first few dives i tried the valsalva method (pinch and blow) didnt work for me, and seemed to aid the blood creation in my nose, however moving to the toynbee (swallow or pump tongue towards throat) has really helped and the blood in my mask is minimal now to the point where i hardly notice it.

Again the mask clearing before the rest of the boat sees it is helpful, however i always ask my dive buddy (girlfriend who started OW training with) if i have some just in case it has changed substantially.

Saw the ENT, nothing really there, so not much that could be done. However every morning i wake up a little congested, probably an allergy or something - only since i moved to FL however!