New Diver and Sinus Barotrauma

[jw2013]

I am looking for advice on Sinus Barotrauma.


When I dive, after most dives I have a little blood in my spit as a result of pressure building on my sinuses. Yesterday (for the first time) I had a watery blood in my mask. This didn't worry me but I know it shouldn't be happening. I've done only 19 dives in my diving career and always listening to advice of other divers - and this would help me as I don't want this to ruin my career so early on.


I had two dives planned yesterday, I did one and after 4 mins I terminated my second and last dive because I had an headache when trying to equalise.


We are told from the first time in the pool as a beginner about equalising ears and yesterday when waiting for the others to completed their dive, I was thinking about equalising. The first 10 meters or so when going down I equalise very often and the deeper I get, I don't seem to have to do the valsalva to equalise that often, I open my throat and I can feel the air movement. Could this be affecting my sinuses?

When equalising the Valsalva way, does this help to "pressurise" your sinuses too? If I stop the valsalva at depth and equalise via throat control, is this what's causing pressure on my sinuses; resulting in the barotrauma?

I am sure I don't have underlying problems with my sinuses - I did a Dry Dive to 50m in a chamber and equalised using valsalva all the way, no pain, no problems, no bleeding. When in the water it's different, I am wondering if my decent is too quick and I am not equalising correctly - focusing on buoyancy etc. -resulting in this problem?

Any advice - please?

Thanks guys!

Jonny

 

[tengsr]

About the blood, I had it at first, because I wasn't equalizing my mask when I did my ears. The mask pushes against your nose. I equalize both, every couple feet, instead of waiting until I can feel the pressure. Just do the same thing as if you were trying to clear water from your mask to equalize it. Now though I can really feel the pressure on my eyes if I don't equalize the mask

 

[jw2013]

So I would hold my nose, equalise my ears and then essentially blow through my nose to "clear" my mask, which is equalising the pressure inside?

 

[tengsr]

Yeah exactly Don't drink to much alcohol the night before either. You'll feel it push away from your face and become more comfortable

 

[chillyinCanada]

Yes. But that may not be the problem. Equalizing your mask is also to keep the pressure from trying to suck your eyeballs out of your face.

With regard to your nose bleeding, it's possible that you are squeezing too hard when pinching your nose for the valsalva.

Do you know how you clear you ears on the plane? Do that a few times before you get geared up. Do it once or twice after geared up and again before descending. Start to valsalva clear as soon as you descend, don't wait to feel any pressure. Don't honk too hard.

If you find you are feeling pressure as you descend and feeling you have to really honk on it to clear, it is much better that you slowly ascend a bit until the pressure eases off. Try to equalize again.

Remember, equalize early, equalize often.

It is normal not to have to clear so often once at depth but stay aware.

 

[tengsr]

About that too much alcohol point, its not that I can't clear my ears, but it feels like someone stabbed me in the forehead and proceeded to push the knife behind the eye and out the nostril.

 

[jw2013]

Yeah exactly Don't drink to much alcohol the night before either. You'll feel it push away from your face and become more comfortable

I never drink any alcohol the day before or on the day if I know I'm diving.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

 

[TSandM]

jw2013, it does sound as though you are experiencing sinus barotrauma. This can be due to a number of things, including nasal polyps that block the Ostia of the sinuses and make equalizing more difficult, or certainly can be caused by chronic sinus disease. I'd highly recommend a visit to an ENT physician who can take a look and figure out if there is an anatomic or functional problem that is causing your symptoms. It's worth doing, because severe sinus barotrauma can injure nerves like the infraorbital nerve, which serves your teeth. You don't want to end up feeling as though you are permanently at the dentist!

 

[Pedro Burrito]

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[dvankirk]

DAN can refer you to a dive ENT - just give them a call. I had some polyps removed after I first started diving and have been good ever since. I like going to see her anyways since she is a diver.