Minor headache after diving?

[natew]

Ok, getting back into diving I've noticed that after the last few dives I have developed a slight headache. Nothing at all major, i've had much worse not diving, but none the less it is there. I've also only noticed it shows up several hours afterwards, and doesn't seem to be there immediately when I get out of the water or on the way up. I'm fairly certain it's not any type of squeeze as I've had one of those before and that was about 100x worse than this.

Another oddity is that it seems to move around my head as just small points of pain, sometimes near my upper sinuses, sometimes behind my cheeks, sometimes off to the side of my head. It's seriously, quite strange.

Anything to worry about? See a doctor about? I'm in fairly good health, no medical conditions. I do have constant allergy problems, mostly indoor allergies, which actually seems to go away while diving I guess from taking in all that nice well filtered air.

 

[promocop]

I get the same thing at times. Not to worry

 

[Quero]

It may be due to poor breath control. If you fail to take long, slow breaths (instead of quick shallow ones), you get a carbon dioxide build-up in your system that causes headaches. The solution is to work on your breathing rate and volume. For more information, check these SB threads:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...0623-co2-buildup-cause-effects-solutions.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/323977-headaches-scuba-diving.html

 

[DocVikingo]

It may be due to poor breath control. If you fail to take long, slow breaths (instead of quick shallow ones), you get a carbon dioxide build-up in your system that causes headaches. The solution is to work on your breathing rate and volume. For more information, check these SB threads:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...0623-co2-buildup-cause-effects-solutions.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/323977-headaches-scuba-diving.html

C02 mediated headache can and does occur in divers, but the symptoms described by the OP, "… it seems to move around my head as just small points of pain [mild], sometimes near my upper sinuses, sometimes behind my cheeks, sometimes off to the side of my head," are not particularly consistent with this type of headache.

C02 retention headache tends to be dull, pulsing, diffuse and can be quite intense. It is not characterized by moving about the head. It tends not to respond to routine headache meds (e.g., aspirin, ibuprofen) and may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abnormalities of vision or hearing, muscular twitching or shortness of breath.

Something about the OP's description makes me think sinuses: "...sometimes near my upper sinuses (frontal sinuses?], sometimes behind my cheeks [maxillary sinus?], sometimes off to the side of my head [sphenoid sinuses?].

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual and should not be construed as such.

 

[natew]

I do take long slow breaths typically, i've also been at pretty low depths initially (less than 30ft) so i'm not sure CO2 buildup would be an issue.

Something that occurred to me this morning is the fact that the pain is always on my left side, coincidentally I have always had a harder time clearing my left side than my right. Typically my right side clears practically on its own, I then have to put a little work into getting my left side to clear. Even right now if I clear my ears I can tell that most of the air goes straight to the right side and very little goes to the left.

So if this is some type of clearing problem, any suggestions? I've tried to clear as frequently as possible but maybe there is something else I need to consider?

 

[SkimFisher]

Sounds like sinuses...

Do you have sinus problems?

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi natew,

You might find this video helpful --> "The Diver's Ear - Under Pressure" Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page

It is important that divers be gentle on their ears and sinuses.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[TSandM]

It sounds as though maybe you're dealing with some allergic or other congestive process. If you look through the Diving Medicine forum, you'll find a bunch of threads about equalization, where people talk about solutions they've come up with. These range from saline irrigations with something like a Neti pot, to OTC decongestants or antihistamines (always try medicines on land, before you try diving while taking them) to a visit with the doctor and a prescription for nasal steroids.

But I agree with Doc V -- sounds like sinus problems to me.

 

[natew]

Thanks!

I do have a prescription for nasonex, but I don't really use it. Doesn't seem to work all that well IMO, just makes my nose runny (but maybe that's good). I used to take sudafed occasionally when diving but now it's such a PITA to get thanks to all the drug addicts out there!

Maybe I need to make an appointment with an ENT to figure out why my left side always feels a little more congested than my right side.

 

[a22shady]

My doc recomeded claritan D-12hr. and when ever I was clogged or slighly congested took this 2-3 hours before dive and felt great no Issues