Is vomiting a DCS symptom?

[Ginny Smith]

Hubby and I just returned from diving in Cozumel, where something strange happened to him. During the ascent at approximately the safety stop level, I noticed him holding both hands to the sides of his head. I thought he might be experiencing a headache or even earache, but when I gave him the OK sign, he returned it. He told me later that his head felt very cold, and when he put his hands on the sides of his head and applied slight pressure, it felt warmer. Then a few minutes later when we got to the surface, he was siezed with really violent projectile vomiting that lasted for several minutes. And yet, after a few mintues, he was better and able to get back on the boat with no assistance, though the nausea lasted for about 10 minutes longer.

We weren't totally happy with our Mexican dive master on that second dive. The safety stop was at 20-25 feet, and the dive master only stayed there for less than 2 minutes. The rest of the group surfaced with him, but we lingered longer, until he put his head back under the water and gestured to us from above to surface. Then during my husband's vomiting episode, the dive master totally ignored him and returned to the back of the boat to help the other divers out of the water.

Could hubby have had a mild case of DCS? This was our 51st dive in about 7 years, so though we're not experts by any means, we're not newbies, either. Hubby has had occasional instances of nausea and even heartburn after a dive, but this violent vomiting was something new. And he's not too anxious to repeat the experience.

Any thoughts?

 

[Rhone Man]

Doesn't sound like DCS to me. Not classic DCS symptoms, and more than half of DCS symptoms take more than an hour after the dive is over to manifest themselves (according to the TDI Decompression Procedures manual, anyhow) - this started to come on during a safety stop (which, assuming you stayed within NDLs, also makes DCS unlikely).

My best guess with either be non-diving related illness, or possibly hypercarbia (was it a strenuous dive, or a poorly performing regulatory?) which can sometimes produce similar symptoms.

Those with more weighty medical experience on the board will probably weigh in shortly, but that is my 2 PSI.

 

[Thalassamania]

Going on just the symptoms, I'd bet on it not being DCS, but rather cooling of the vestibular apparatus, quite possibly as a result of a small hole in the ear drum.

 

[whaler23]

Ginny, That's an interesting story. I was diving Monday am in Playa Del Carmen on a two tank morning dive.There were six divers one DM and we were running in a small boat out of Playa first to Tortuga then on to Barracuda reef. The ride was relatively short, however, the wind was up creating an uncomfortable chop. My first dive went well, relatively long drift dive. I felt fine although my mask was too tight and caused me a slight headache and an occasional pulling my mask away from my face underwater to provide relief. I was also using a new to me regulator I brought with me. On surfacing on our first dive we had a safety stop at about 15 feet for three minutes. That went ok too but when we began to surface and I hit about 6 ft the wave action became very noticeable and I became nauseated. When I hit the surface I felt like vomiting but didn't. I felt lousy for the next 15 minutes or so. During the surface interval I got back to normal and went on the 2nd dive. Dive was drift again, same safety stop. This time when I hit the wave action the nausea was stronger and I vomited when I surfaced. I thought I was going to have to do it underwater, never fun... I immediately felt better after vomiting and climbed aboard the boat and was fine the rest of the day. I blame it on my typical to me susecptibility to motion sickness not on any part of the dive. I'm currently looking at a better remedy to help me with this in the future without affecting any part of my diving. I usually dive no further than 70'.. Thanks for posting.

 

[wreckchick]

That actually sounds a little like a migraine symptom to me. I have experienced migraines with varying frequency and intensity for much of my life and I've had that kind of presentation before although rarely.

Just another 2 psi.

Rachel

 

[Sue Sue]

Were you diving NITROX ?

 

[Ginny Smith]

No, not nitrox.

Hubby is ridiculously healthy (a gym rat), and has never had a migraine in his life. But does have a slow ear, so it sometimes takes him a while to get down. So maybe it was an ear problem after all. Never had problems on the ascent, though, but who knows?

Thanks for the thoughts, all!

 

[Thalassamania]

Bad headaches are often CO2, skip breathing is usually to blame. The tip off in this case is the vertigo, which can result from sudden cooling of the middle ear.

 

[Diver0001]

Even without knowing your profiles I wouldn't suspect DCS. Maybe.... (not a doctor, just speculating) an inner ear issue. I would suspect Vertigo caused by a pressure (or temperature!)imbalance in the inner ear. One of the classic symptoms of vertigo is nausea and vomiting.

It fits what you said. one slow ear (causing a pressure imblance) and happening during ascent.

Fix for this (if indeed this is the issue) would be to ascend more slowly, expecially in the last 33ft.

R..

 

[Ginny Smith]

Thanks, everyone.

Just curious -- would you complain about the dive guide who led the group's quick ascent and didn't stop for the full safety stop? We were on a cruise, and the dive shop is the one the cruise line selected for the shore excursion. We've used that shop several times before and have never had any problems.

Besides the safety stop issue and the fact that the guide ignored my obviously ill husband on the surface, the dive itself wasn't great. He kept going around the same spot for the last 10 or 15 minutes, no reef, just a sandy bottom with very little marine life. It was obvious to all of us he was just trying to extend the bottom time.