Inner Ear Imbalance – similar experiences?

[fin_diving]

From your description, I'm having a hard time associating this with diving. When you say you were on the way to another dive trip when the symptoms first appeared, exactly where were you and what were you doing at the time? Was there a change in altitude prior to your symptoms appearing?

Best regards,
DDM

Thank you for your comment!

I first noticed the symptoms while walking to the gate at the airport before my flight to Spain for a dive trip. Suddenly started feeling unwell, not so much dizzy as just off. The dizziness and nausea/vomiting developed in the following days, especially in the mornings on the way to the dive shop. As soon as I got out of the hotel and started walking/moving about, it would worsen. I was doing regular 2/3 dives per day for a week, and my deep speciality. But the 19-degree water during diving with no hood probably didn't help either.

No change in altitude before the symptoms appeared, but of course, I was on the airplane after. As I noted in another comment, when I came back home after I had just started diving (before symptoms appeared), I did go through a heavy flu and was taking antibiotics. The symptoms came 1-1.5 weeks after that. Not sure if that is related somehow.

I attributed it to diving since I have never had issues with vertigo, seasickness, balance, or my ears. For the symptoms to appear a couple of weeks after a long diving trip seemed too unlikely to be a coincidence.

 

[Germie]

Thank you for the info, will look into it more and consult with my ENT. So far from what I am reading, the symptoms do fit. I had a heavy flu treated with antibiotics about 1-1.5 weeks before the initial onset of the symptoms, so perhaps it could be a contributing factor.

I have had this and did not remember anything about a flu or cold, but the only thing is that I was not hungry in the morning. And probably a side effect of Naproxen I took for the menstrual problems a woman can have. Nausea and vomitting is on the list of side effects.
I have been vomitting for 1.5 day, could not normall read my phone as words were going from left to right over the screen. After 1.5 day the vomitting was gone, I could walk, but not stand on 1leg, you still felt it in your head and your eyes. There was still some 'all turning around in the world'. It was not a good idea to drive my car, so a friend suggested to bring me to a divesite as I could clear ears and sudden movements felt very bad. So we did 2 dives that day, and as soon as I was laying in the water, all the nausea was gone. So when diving there was nothing strange, I did not make any fast movements.
The next day we drove something further and did 2 decompressiondives with air as backgas and pure oxygen as decogas, max dephth was only 35m. Maybe not the best thing to do, but the doctor said that diving would be no problem if I felt fit again. So I had decided that I felt fit enough to dive again.
Every day it improved. I think it took a week till all words everywhere were standing still again. I decided to drive again. That went fine. In the next 2 weeks all felt normal again, but standing on 1 leg was still not possible, and the most strange thing was that I got motionsick on my own horse. But even that standing on 1 leg started to come again and I could ride my horse every day longer. I think after a month or so really everything felt normal again. I never had a weakness in muscles during this period. But in the timerange the doctor said the healing would be, I was faster But it happened as explained. And it seems that quite a lot of people have at least 1 time in their lives this, and then more or less serious.
And the Naproxen as painkiller for the menstrual monthly pains is banned by me. I have refused it as prescription years later. (you can buy it over the counter, but they gave it to me after a dogattack).
The other drug that I have banned because of very serious side effects is Cyproflaxine, an antibioticum.

 

[crabapple58]

Sounds like residual flu complications. Epley manuever (look at videos) easy to do and quite effective if in fact you have calcium crystals. No harm in trying.

 

[rmorgan]

On this subject generally, we have an otic (in-the-ear) antibiotic in our traveling pharmacy. I administer it at the VERY first twinge of ear pain—as in, I will interrupt dinner to go get it. I’ve had great success with this approach.

 

[scubaozy]

To my layman’s ears, this sounds like a typical alternobaric vertigo related to cold&congestion. If it was me, I would do nasal/sinus rinse using neti pot few days prior my trip and practice equalization daily a week before the trip.

 

[ofg-1]

Do you find that it's better during diving at all, whenever you move around underwater? Or no difference?

I have not noticed any difference diving.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Thank you for your comment!

I first noticed the symptoms while walking to the gate at the airport before my flight to Spain for a dive trip. Suddenly started feeling unwell, not so much dizzy as just off. The dizziness and nausea/vomiting developed in the following days, especially in the mornings on the way to the dive shop. As soon as I got out of the hotel and started walking/moving about, it would worsen. I was doing regular 2/3 dives per day for a week, and my deep speciality. But the 19-degree water during diving with no hood probably didn't help either.

No change in altitude before the symptoms appeared, but of course, I was on the airplane after. As I noted in another comment, when I came back home after I had just started diving (before symptoms appeared), I did go through a heavy flu and was taking antibiotics. The symptoms came 1-1.5 weeks after that. Not sure if that is related somehow.

I attributed it to diving since I have never had issues with vertigo, seasickness, balance, or my ears. For the symptoms to appear a couple of weeks after a long diving trip seemed too unlikely to be a coincidence.

I wonder if maybe this was alternobaric vertigo like @scubaozy mentioned. Speculation of course, but if you were coming down with an upper respiratory infection that resulted in inflammation, it's possible that your ears didn't equalize the same way. ABV typically resolves very quickly when the affected ear clears, but it can be persistent. Inner ear DCS can't be ruled out via the internet but it seems less likely given the information you've provided.