Sinus trouble

[phillip1]

So I was diving El Dudu on Sunday and had a bit of a cold but no big deal, felt a slight pressure in the sinuses but it equalized fine. We came out at the second entrance at the current end of the line to explore the dry cave and see if there is any possible ongoing passage, there is.

Anyway after about and hour or so we decide to head on back and as I go down at about 5-6mtrs I have intense sinus pain, no big deal (we had talked about this as I felt sinus trouble brewing after being out in the dry cave) Robert goes back the way we came and I decide to get out at Cueva de Lily were we just were exploring the dry cave.
Turns out it is much much farther down the road than I had imagined and no one to my knowledge actually ever went out that way before, got some really funny looks from the landowner who was nice enough to actually give me a ride back to the main entrance, even though I was in a wet, muddy and smelly wetsuit, a super nice guy.

Anyway my question is, what type of injuries would have I sustained if I had to intentionally pop my sinuses had there not been another exit? if I had to have gone back underwater I would have needed to go at least to -14mtrs to get out.

Is this the kind of injury that would heal by itself? is it serious? I have heard that although painful the sinuses are not a big deal as opposed to the ears not equalizing.

[LiteHedded]

i ruptured mine once and had tons of blood when I surfaced. it bled off and on for weeks. I guess it got infected. it was not a good time

[Greenwood_60]

I have seen them rupture so mildly, that the person didn't even know it was blown until a week later when he saw a doctor. He was in pain, but nothing serious. It got infected is why he finally went to the doctor. He blew it free diving to 10m without equalizing.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I had a reverse squeese that puffed up the side of my face to the point that I was half asian.

[phillip1]

so I guess its nothing serious then unless you get a bad infection afterwards.

[Greenwood_60]

It can bring on vertigo. I would say the biggest danger would be ending up off the line, and silting the **** out of the cave when it pops. If you know it's coming, know what to expect worst case then physically and mentally prepare for it.

[cavediver27]

I had a severe reverse squeeze that started at about 140' while exiting Eagles Nest. I had 120 minutes of deco to deal with and it was one of the most painful and scary incidents I've ever had diving. That led to a really bad sinus and middle ear / Eustachian tube infection that required many different antibiotics, numerous trips to the ENT and kept me out of the water for 4 months.

Yup, I learned my lesson about diving with some congestion. I never ever want to go through that again.

[LiteHedded]

it's bad enough to where I would never do it again

[FW]

My advice, if it ever happens, go see a doctor right away. I suspect all the incidents of infection were due to waiting until it got really bad before starting antibotics. Especially in water that might have nice things, like Cholera

[phillip1]

yeah really, especially in the Pedernales caves that area is under a national health warning for cholera, it is just a matter of time before it spreads all over the island.

This sinus thing happens to me now and then, after a cold for some reason I do not feel congested in any way out of the water, I only feel it when I start to go underwater.