mild discomfor

[Justwander]

Quick update-
Went diving yesterday and today-
1. floaty feet gone, and much better buoyancy
2. ate full meal before
3. no wierd stomach feeling, no exhaustion, still feel like I'm breathing from my tank out of water, but maybe I'm just wierd.
4. Focused on ascents going SLOW and was much better at them
5. Wasn't racing any fish below which again helped me to slow everything down.

Thanks again for all the help. I feel so great today.

 

[halocline]

Well, you're in NY, so of course the bagel would be an H&H bagel, which explains the theraputive effect. When you go diving someplace else, you better remember to bring some with you, because if there's one thing I've learned in life so far, it's that you cannot get a real bagel outside of NY.

Regarding the exhaustion, maybe I could gently inquire about your fitness level. Floaty feet are sometime an indicator of, well....too many bagels. Now you have a real problem!

I'm pretty convinced that extremely slow ascents, especially from 15 ft to the surface, have substantially reduced post dive tiredness for me. Next time you dive, spend an extra few minutes at 15 feet, and then take 2 full minutes to get from 15 ft to the surface; you'll be stopping along the way and that's fine. Maybe a minute at 10 ft, another 30 seconds or so at 6 ft, something like that. You might feel quite a bit better.

 

[ocean chemist it]

I have stomach ulcers. Stressful situations coupled with not eating enough during a day cause them to flare up. It sometimes causes my stomach to noticably increase in size (it is slight, but noticable if you look for it.) This is referred to as gastritis. Ulcers cause pain in the stomach, feels like you want to eat but just can't because that would hurt, too. Only thing that helps me is curling into a ball and going to sleep.

I don't know if you have these. I am just thowing this out there as something else you might consider. Stomach ulcers are commonly caused by H. Pylori (bacteria?) that live in the gut and cause some people problems. This is easily treated with a few doses of meds, and easily diagnosed by bloodwork (i'm not lucky, I don't have it, but I think something upward of 90% of ulcers are caused by these.)

You also might consider taking something like TUMS prior to diving if you're having this problem. And, definitely eat. Eat before, and maybe between dives and after you're done. I find that I have very few problems with my stomach as long as I eat regularly (every couple hours.)

GL.
-Angela

 

[Bob Vincent]

Find a diving Doc and have an exam.

A lot of people get tired when they first start diving its a different group of muscles. Years ago they use to say 1 hour of diving is like working 6 hours. I'm a big guy and not in the perfect shape. I'd be in the water swimming out to a descent line and have these college jocks (my students) swimming with me when we arrived they was huffing and puffing and was saying they couldn't believe I wasn't breathing hard they couldn't believe I was in such great shape. Boy if they only knew. I was used to doing it they were not if we did any other activity they didn't know it but they'd of seen the truth.

A lot of people breath more at depth until they become more experienced. You said you went to the pool to practice buoyancy this tells me you might of had problems that deep. Sinking to fast? Ascending to fast? Not being able to stay neutral? Breathing is very important taking a big lung full of gas then expending it you'll never get neutral plus you was hitting the inflater a lot.

Did I call it right?

If I don't eat before I dive my stomach says it wants something in it. And if you have dry mouth drink a lot of water before and after every dive this will help some of the stomach distress.

Your new and I'm not surprised about feeling like your still breathing from the tank. Ever take off a hat and it feels like its still on your head? Thats the best way I can explain it.

But still make an appointment with a diving MD.

 

[Bretagne]

I had some time stomach pain when I was a beginner, even more if I had swimmed with a snorkel before the dive. It was due to gulping air at the same time I was breathing it. With experience, it does not happen so often, but still from time to time with a snorkel.

 

[Justwander]

Update:

Went diving last weekend- 4 dives over 4 days.
1. Eating a full meal (non greasy of course) helped with the stomach feeling acidity after. I haven't felt that since the first few dives I made. And I'm on dive 15 now.

2. Exhaustion has eased considerably now that I have my buoyancy worked out (for the most part) and things are just getting smoother and easier

3. Really working on slowing my ascents. When I started I was always zooming to the top, figuring I wasn't deep enough to worry about it. I'm much slower now.

Thanks all for the insight and help.

 

[spectrum]

It sounds like you're learning the dance. Keep up the good work!

Pete