Coughing up blood :/

[manicmunnday]

Hey guys,

Went for a freedive session yesterday, first one in over 9 months due to work commitments. Didn't do anything at my limit really, but after an hour I had a chesty cough and was bringing up blood (enough to give concern). The only thing I can think of that could have caused it was a powerful chest contraction or two at around 10m, but I didn't feel anything tear or have any pain.

Has this happened to any of you more experienced divers out there, or have you heard of it before? Any advice on when I should dive again? I just booked a dive holiday in Greece in 2 months and want to be fit for it.

Cheers folks,
Stuart

 

[manicmunnday]

Should have mentioned that I stopped coughing after about an hour and had no further problems later on last night. Chest feels fine this morning, and weather is perfect for diving, but don't want to exacerbate anything.

 

[Apneaddict]

Was it foamy blood (lung squeeze) or just mixed in with saliva (trachea squeeze)?

If either is the case, once it heals up, I think you should focus heavily (daily) on flexibility / stretching in order to be ready for your Greek trip.

 

[manicmunnday]

Hey, thanks for the reply.

It wasn't foamy, so must have been laryngeal. Haven't had it happen before, but it had been a long break from diving.

As far as flexibility goes, would you recommend some breath exercises and static apnea before diving again?

Cheers for the input!

 

[Apneaddict]

I'd focus on diaphragm stretching (uddiyana Banda), reverse packing, rib cage flexibility, CO2 tables / work and relaxation while having contractions.

Also, try not to move your head / neck while diving (looking to the bottom on descent or the surface on ascent), as this can lead to a trachea squeeze.

I recently had the same thing and attribute it to a lack of flexibility
/ stretching in the 2-3 weeks prior to the dive session (life gets busy and stretching was put on hold) combined with very poor turns at the bottom of the line.

I wasn't simply grabbing the line and letting gravity turn me around... I was flailing around to right myself and arching my back (extending my neck).

Silly mistake.

 

[Youbuur]

Where to in Greece? I just got home from there. Had a great freediving trip


Best regards Youbuur
--------------------------------------------
Check out my freediving channel on youtube. Tutorials on freediving and gear reviews

[ame]http://youtu.be/U2wGLXjEJv0[/ame]

 

[Mr. X]

Coughing up blood sounds potentially serious: see your GP or a dive specialist physician. You are very lucky to live in a country with a National Health Service - use it now .

 

[guanacaste]

Blood in the lungs is serious no matter what the issue. Go see a doctor!