crazy headache and nitrox?

[KentB]

So last weekend we went to Vancouver island and dove some wrecks, even though I did my nitrox class last year these were my first dives with nitrox, and I surfaced with a massive headache every time which subsided in 10 min completely on the boat. no deco dives and not even close by surface
dive 1 Saturday we did the Capilano on 28% 122ft max depth, 24 min run time it was super bad vis 3-5 ft from surface to 80 feet where it opened right up. perdix said I had 85 min of NDL left by the time i reached 15' for a 5 min stop this was the first wreck Id done without a line and was a free descent and ascent in whale snot. lowest NDL got to was 5 min
dive 2 saturday 1 hr 51min surface int. 28% we did a wall near the ship 117 feet 39 min total time lowest NDL got to was 4 min

dive 3 sunday- HMSC Saskatchewan totally fantastic dive worst headache from the 3 dives
101 feet 37 min total time on 32% lowest NDL got to was 11 min . I opted not to do dive 2 on it.

the more experienced divers said they figured it was CO2 retention.
the same guy filled all the tanks for the 5 of us at same time for the 5 of us diving OC the 6th member was diving a rebreather

I didn't notice if i was skipping breathes or anything my air consumption was right where it normally is unless I unconsciously do this with air and its just not as noticeable on air as nitrox.
Ive been to those depths before on air as well quite a few times but not quite as long.
I was also stressed out at work so im sure this may have played a factor.

anybody have any thoughts or insights?

 

[WetRocks]

By chance did you test the tanks for CO?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Diving wrecks you tend to swim more than just looking at a reef. You could have easily skip-breathed or even over exerted yourself a bit which could cause headaches as well. There is no magic ingredient in nitrox that changes your physiology so it was likely a breathing issue.

 

[Zef]

Your headache could have been due to the cold water exposure. How tight was your mask?, how much were you biting down on your reg mouth piece? How snug was your hood, especially around your neck?

-Z

 

[northernone]

Here's my guesses in order of likelihood from what I've experienced post dive in cold water. Co2, tight gear/mask, tension/discomfort, cold/brainfreeze, CO/bad air.

I'd guess the stressed out might be the culprit in your case... As a blind guess.

And perhaps check with a dr, I'd hate to brush off headaches post dive if it's a symptom of something more serious.

Cheers,
Cameron

 

[Dan]

By chance did you test the tanks for CO?

I second this question.

I start carrying my Sensorcon CO detector & test the CO level in the tank before use. Breathing air / Nitrox containing 100-200 ppm CO for 1-2 hr will give you headache.

Just to give you perspective on the CO levels that you can breathe on;
1. Max TWA Exposure for 8hr workday is 25ppm
2. NIOSH 10hr TWA is 35ppm
3. Max possible exposure in workplace is 50ppm

 

[Gareth J]

On the basis that the other divers in the group had gas from the same source at the same time, its unlikely that it is a CO issue. I would also expect the CCR diver to suffer more if it was contaminated gas.

Also, you don't say if the cylinders are your own, and you arrived with your cylinders full. If so that also adds weight to it not being contaminated gas.

As others have said, the most likely reason is skip breathing. Or a combination of skip breathing, workload and poor ventilation (very tight suit).
Diving an unfamiliar site, in challenging conditions in cold water would have added stress to the dive, which may also be a factor.

If you have the opportunity to do another dive in a more benign environment, perhaps at a site you know well in good conditions. If you get a repeat of the symptoms, then it would be worth checking with your doctor to ensure you don't have some underlying medical issue.

 

[Gareth J]

I don't think you can lay this on Nitrox as the cause, Its either
Contaminated Gas
Skip Breathing
Poor ventilation
Stress
Cold
A medical issue
Or a combination of the above.

I don't think there is any argument that diving Nitrox you feel better dive for dive. If nothing else the subclinical DCI is significantly reduced. If you do get DCI after a dive, having been on Nitrox improves your chances of a full recovery.

The only issue I wonder about is long term effects of breathing a high PO2, and for recreational divers, I think the 'dose' and exposure time is so low as to not be an issue. But we do know, that despite the positive effects of taking part in sport, there are some negatives, i.e wear and tear on the body.

 

[Gareth J]

One other thought, is high breathing resistance. i.e. a poorly maintained regulator. Which I guess falls under poor ventilation.

 

[Gareth J]

subclinical DCS?

Are you saying divers regularly get DSC that they don't even know about?

Sounds dangerous

By definition, diving, and ascending properly, results in micro bubbles, in the tissues and bloodstream. i.e. if you analyse a divers blood and tissue after a dive (doppler measurements I believe), then you will find micro bubbles of gas.
The diver is not symptomatic with DCI, but the fatigue suffered by divers after diving is an indication of subclinical dci.

There are no adverse effects from subclinical dci - other than the fatigue - i.e. Its not dangerous.

There are those far more knowledgeable about this on these boards, I am just a layman, not a medical specialist. The information I have is from limited background reading, and having spent time learning and doing mixed gas diving.