Lung squeeze - what now???

[motek777]

Hi Everybody! Im a hungarian freediver from Dahab. A week ago i dove to 35 meter 5-6 times. After coming out of the water I felt great, there were no symptoms of barotrauma at all. The following day I was entertaining myself with some corals as shallow as 10-15 meters. After coming out from the water i started to feel a strange, stinging pain in the left side of my chest. I coughed up some blood and after talking to some experienced freedivers I was assured that i had a lung squeeze.
I was hoping that the pain( slight but continous pain in my left lung, especially when walking uphill or riding a jeep in the desert) would vanish. It didnt. No more blood though, except this morning when after blowing my nose I saw some blood( very little again) in my nepkin.
Im really worried and of course angry at myself. Anyone has an idea what should I do or should I not?
Do I really have to stay out of water for weeks or even months???
Is there any medical help that could put my lung back to its shape faster?
Thanks

Ferenc Veigert

 

[Merlin]

hi motek777

I have never experienced lung squeeze but here is a good thread that discusses it. I believe in page 2 some tips are given for recovery.

http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=51762&highlight=lung+squeeze

 

[Alun]

few tips....

stay out of the water whilst you're still feeling any pain or discomfort. stay out of the water if it hurts to exercise. having read your symptoms i would recommend you rest for 2 weeks to be safe and try some gentle aerobic exercise once the pain has gone. if that feels ok, then start diving again, gradually increasing depth.

what you should then do is figure out how you're equalising. it's highly likely that you're using the valsalva technique (which is bad - it will result in lung squeezes when done at depth). you need to learn the frenzel. you can find a tutorial here: www.ericfattah.com

another good thing to do is to work on your CO2 tolerance (statics etc) so you have fewer/weaker contractions at depth. you could also ask Lotta for practical advice about equalisation.

remember that any blood that came from your nose probably didnt come from your lungs. that could have been due to a minor sinus squeeze.

 

[Jee]

Sorry for the post not in English.
Szóval szerintem lehet, hogy adaptációs probléma volt. Úgy értem, ha szép fokozatosan egyre mélyebbeket merülsz,. akkor nem szokott ilyen sérülés előfordulni. Ez tipikusan akkor jön (jött) elő néhány esetben, amikor rövid időre megyünk le a tengerre, és valaki nagyon "tolja neki", minél hamarabb minél mélyebbeket merülni.
Ja, még lehet az is baj okozója, ha meg voltál fázva, vagy az is kockázati tényező, ha korábban volt tüdősérülésed.
Látogass el hozzánk a weboldaunkon, fórumunkon a www.aida-hungary.hu címen.

üdv,
Jee

Shortly: there happened this kind of hurt with some people I know, and in those cases, the problem was, that he wanted to dive too early, too deep. I mean some more adaptation was needed for the dives. I.e. the group arrived to the sea, and on the next day) on that dazÖ he dove too deep, not leting his bodz to adopt to the deeper dives.

Jee

 

[diver-marc]

I too have often finished my dive coughing blood, never really worried me that much, no pain ever, just one or two blood balls and off we go again.

I too heard that it was lung squeeze.

 

[samdive]

sometimes the blood comes from the trachea or sinuses - which doesn't tend to hurt. If it hurts and it really bright red or orange and clumpy - it is more likely to come from the lungs. Either way, trying hard NOT to cough loads and taking it easy until you feel normal again seems to be the best medicine. I had a bad one a couple of years ago and two months later had a scan on my lungs for a totally different reason, and they couldn't see any residual damage so it hasn't worried me too much

S

 

[motek777]

thanks for all the infos! i did learn the frenzel-fattah months ago, but you are right, Alun, that day i was using valsava. somehow i still feel very comfortable with valsava at that depth, but i know i should use the frenzel. actually i do know what might have caused the squezze, i just dont know what to do now. I dont really trust the local doctors and to go back to europe only to see a physician would be a luxury for me.
I hope you are right, and after 2-3 weeks of rest Id be ok again.

 

[motek777]

One thing I've wondered, if one did ever suffer squeeze to any degree, does it make one more succeptible to suffering squeeze again?(as happens for example to people who suffer hernias)