dangerous?

[babar]

I called DAN. They said that with vertigo, the room spins. With dizziness (motion sickness), you spin.
???? how do I tell which is which?

Vertigo is any subjective feeling of movement, whether individual spinning or the room spinning around you. Dizzyness is not really a medical and could mean one of several different things, including, vertigo, lightheadedness, or general weakness. What you describe sounds like vertigo to me, most likely due to some degree of middle or inner ear problem. It could just be something as simple as a little congestion.
Dramamnine and scopalamine are different classes of drugs, but both can have some interactions, for example both can dry you up. The pseudophed should not be a problem, and might help with the vertigo, if it's due to congestion.
I probobly wouldnt take the scop and dramamine together, but you shouldn't have trouble with scop and pseudophed.

Babar

 

[Nay]

Glad that the Jupiter went fine and that your Doc is a diver.
Have you ever been tested for hypoglycemia? Your doc knows better than I do, but your comments about "Had dinner, felt fine." made me think it might be a contributing factor. I can get sea sick sitting still so I totally know the pain of that but I also get dizzy and a little weak if I haven't eaten.
Happy diving

 

[cra2]

I've never been tested for hypoglycemia as far as I know.
But then again, I've never felt weak or dizzy from not eating or anything.
The ONLY time I've felt the dizziness I describe is when you've had a few drinks and are just starting to get that buzz.

Don't know what to say. I've got an appointment to see the ENT in a couple of days. Hopefully he won't cancel my Nitrox class next week, or my nitrox diving weekend in West Palm the weeknd after.

I can say that I dove the Marineland aquarium yesterday.
Only 10 - 17' deep for an hour. And sure enough, soon after putting our regulators in, I started feeling that same subtle queasiness. Not nauseas but still there. And when we came up to the surface after,.. I had that slight buzz feeling.
If I whipped my head around to look at someone... my eyesight didn't quite keep up. Very subtle.

So, we got out, cold, tired, queasy, eye-sight slightly off if I moved my head too much. Went and had lunch and water as always after a dive. Was back to normal (though tired) within an hour.

Does anyone else feel funky on air?

Glad that the Jupiter went fine and that your Doc is a diver.
Have you ever been tested for hypoglycemia? Your doc knows better than I do, but your comments about "Had dinner, felt fine." made me think it might be a contributing factor. I can get sea sick sitting still so I totally know the pain of that but I also get dizzy and a little weak if I haven't eaten.
Happy diving

 

[Groundhog246]

Had a friend with something similar. Turned out to be CO2 buildup from breathing too shallowly. Make sure to take a nice deep breath every few. Fully inflating your lungs will make you buoyant, so you may find you're not.

 

[cra2]

hrmmm... yeah, someone else suggested that yesterday.
They said I might be breathing too quick, too shallow, or holding my breath too much, being a new diver.
I said I didn't think so - I'm totally comfy underwater, but then I recalled that I do hold my breath from time to time (not while ascending). I think I hate the bubbles in my face when I'm trying to look closely at something, so I'll just sit there not breathing for a minute or so studying a piece of coral.
Or if I'm trying to get real close to a ray or fish, I don't want the bubbles to scare them off so I stop breathing.
And, just like on land, if I'm trying to do something strenuous or something that requires finesse or concentration, I'll hold my breath for a moment.
You know - like when you lift something heavy up to the counter, you sorta clench off the air for a second? Well, if I'm trying to right myself underwater or do some maneuver, or fiddling with my gear - I think I find myself holding my breath for a sec and then I start breathing again once I'm back to swimming/hovering.
I didn't think I was doing this a large percentage of the time, but maybe I am.
I'm going to really focus on my breathing (even if burns up more air) next time.
Thanks

 

[Groundhog246]

RULE # 1 NEVER (NEVER!!!!) hold your breath. Even a small rise could cause serious injury if your holding your breath. And holding your breath generally uses more air, as you generally take 2 or 3 quick breaths as your body tries to clear the CO2. Nice steady breathing and max exchange of the air in your lungs is the way to go.

If the exhaust bubbles are bothering you, try a different model (or make) reg. On a decent reg, bubbles should be exhausted to the side and away from your face.

 

[cra2]

Thanks for the warning groundhog!
I will focus extra attention this next dive.
Should I be doing normal, steady breaths, as when watching TV?
Or extra-long, intentionally deeper breaths as when meditating and focusing on your breathing?

Aside from the risk of injury from slight ascents, could these small moments of breath-holding be contributing to O2 build-up? Or does that require longer bouts of breath-holding, like when trying to swim across the pool without breathing?

 

[Groundhog246]

Yes normal steady breaths (an occasional really deep one with a strong exhale also a good idea, I find I do that above water too).

It's CO2 buildup that you want to avoid. A very slight pause should have much affect, shallow breathing is the primary cause. Please note, you can 'pause' breathing momentarily without 'holding your breath'. The important point is you do not ever want to close your airway.

 

[cra2]

Well, just got back from the ENT who is also a diver himself, and sees lots of divers.
They tested my ears and hearing and said I'm fine - my (inner) ears are working great.

So, for all of you who suggested my dizziness might be an inner ear problem, I just wanted to update you & let you know I followed your advice and got that checked out.

With that out of the way, and it still occuring EVEN in shallow dives with little movement, the doc cleared me to dive (nitrox this weekend) said it's one of two things;

1) a form of motion sickness - my ears sensing my rise/fall in the water, but my eyes not really noticing it, causing my brain to get mixed signals. The solution - he gave me a sheet of paper with exercises to perform that have to do with tracking moving objects while turning my head, etc.

2) C02 build-up (which some of you have suggested)

So, this weekend, I'm going to pay EXTRA EXTRA attention to long, relaxed, deep breathing right from the start and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks guys! Hope this thread will help others diagnose that same buzz/dizziness upon reaching the surface.

 

[DocVikingo]

Good news.

Please keep the forum posted on your progress.

Best regards.

DocVikingo