micro-trauma? negligible?

[PvtStash]

Hellohello

I've got 14 dives logged so far in my latest Life Venture and I wanted to comment on something that I've found ever-so-slightly troubling...

Perhaps not every time, but Often after a dive... right after I break the surface and inflate my bcd I often have alot of mucus or the urge to "hock a lugie" (sp?) ...

The concerned part is that this mucus is often blood tinged... very little... so little as to not even be red, but a orangy-yellow...

also sometimes notice a lil' dried blood in one or the other nostrils...

dry air? micro-trauma ?

Is this indicative of anything or can I forget about it as its nothing ?

Is it something I build a tolerance against with repeated diving?



thx

[wgt]

Originally Posted by PvtStash

Hellohello

I've got 14 dives logged so far in my latest Life Venture and I wanted to comment on something that I've found ever-so-slightly troubling...

Perhaps not every time, but Often after a dive... right after I break the surface and inflate my bcd I often have alot of mucus or the urge to "hock a lugie" (sp?) ...

The concerned part is that this mucus is often blood tinged... very little... so little as to not even be red, but a orangy-yellow...

also sometimes notice a lil' dried blood in one or the other nostrils...

dry air? micro-trauma ?

Is this indicative of anything or can I forget about it as its nothing ?

Is it something I build a tolerance against with repeated diving?



thx

The fact that the blood is dried suggests that it is not induced by the dive. Rather, what may be happening is that the stuff already in the sinuses is forced out near the surface as gas within the otherwise fixed sinus cavities expands with decompression (Boyle's law).

It is possible that a dry climate could contribute to nasal irritation and minor bleeding (as revealed after a dive). An infection is another possibility, although less likely if you don't normally experience some discomfort, perhaps with a fever. Nevertheless, it may be worth a visit to your physician to confirm that an infection does not require treatment. I would hate to see you miss a dive.

[mselizann]

Do you have sinus problems usually? I do- and this happens to me sometimes. I see a ENT who is familiar with diving........

[PvtStash]

have periodic congestion issues, but nothing severe... havent Dove with a blockage yet..., havent even Pre-dosed myself with Sudafed or anything (tho' that remains an option)...I am averse to seeing a physician as I'm guessing they for the Most part they are Worse than clueless when it comes to diving and that due to liability issues will more often than not just say "dont dive" rather than giving me any usefull knowledge.I would have to be bleeding Much more than this very slight amount to run off to the doctor...

[wgt]

First you asked, "Is this indicative of anything or can I forget about it as its nothing?"

Next you said, "I would have to be bleeding Much more than this very slight amount to run off to the doctor..."

Do you really want an answer to your first question? If so, a physician (with or without expertise in diving) is likely required. None of us board jockeys are really equipped to answer your first question satisfactorily based strictly on the information presented. Even the most esteemed and responsible health care professionals on the board would decline to offer a definitive diagnosis and prognosis without an examination.

Asking whether it is a good idea to dive in the face of whatever unknown problem you might have is an utterly different question. Would you find it disturbing to fail to diagnose an improbable case of sinus cancer because you were afraid that a doctor lacking knowledge in diving might caution you against the activity?! I don't see much sense in that, but perhaps I am missing something.

Remember, good doctors aren't always the ones who know everything. Rather, they are the ones who know the limits of their knowledge and act accordingly, guided by good sense. Also remember that, if you get a recommendation that you don't like, you are free to seek another opinion from somebody who might know more about your situation.

All Mselizann and I are suggesting is to be a wise, safe, and ultimately happy diver. Knowledge and good sense (not "aversions" and "guessing") are key to that pursuit.

[Martin2]

I'm sure DAN could point you in the right direction re a doctor with some diving expertise.

[PvtStash]

Originally Posted by wgt

First you asked, "Is this indicative of anything or can I forget about it as its nothing?"

Next you said, "I would have to be bleeding Much more than this very slight amount to run off to the doctor..."

Do you really want an answer to your first question?

sure, I can see how some may be confused here... I've found that Sometimes things that seem intuitively small/inconsequential might in Fact be counterintuitive and because of this I find it beneficial to toss things out like this to the greater community and see what there is to learn.

If in fact my suspicions had been wrong and this particular issue Was indicative of something more serious/potentially serious I would have gotten A LOT of strident feedback, or more likely I would have known about this potentiallity ahead of time (actually I Did suggest some didnt I? dry air, micro-trauma?) and not have posted at all.

So, not Too confusing really is it? but thanks for your valuable contributions non-the-less...

[cummings66]

Lots of newer divers have this problem, normally it's indicative of improper equalization and nothing more. It could be sinus issues but with your amount of dives and the fact it occurs quite often I think it's benign.