Nausea & gastro-intestinal distress after diving...

[Dixie Chick Diver]

I have been diving three different times in three different locations over the past 8 months and each time I've ended up with nausea and diarrhea for a week afterwards. Has anyone here had any experience with this? I was just in the water on Friday, 6/22, and the nausea started about 30" into the dive. I was working on the hull of a sailboat and was no deeper than six feet. The doctors can't seem to explain it....please help!

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

You can get vertigo and nausea if one ear equalizes before the other, but that would not explain the diarrhea. It sounds like you may have a pathogen affecting your GI system. I wonder if your regulator or some other piece of equipment is colonized. You might try sanitizing your equipment.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Dixie Chick Diver]

Hi! Thanks so much for your response! No one has mentioned anything like that. How is the best way to sanitize your regulator and what kind of product would be best?? Bleach water?? Alcohol?? Thanks again for your help!!

 

[Pearlman]

Working on a sailboat hull at 6 feet - sounds like you are at a pier somewhere. Perhaps the waters may be polluted with sewage or animal/poultry farm or agriculture or industrial discharge and effluents around the place? Me - I feel a little down and sick with a fighting infection kinda feeling a few days after shore dives at some places.

P

 

[Lorenzoid]

Hi! Thanks so much for your response! No one has mentioned anything like that. How is the best way to sanitize your regulator and what kind of product would be best?? Bleach water?? Alcohol?? Thanks again for your help!!

Some ideas in these threads you can consider. There seem to be a number of products people like to use.

Rental Reg Disinfectant?

What chemicals for disinfecting regulators?

Best way to clean/sanitize a regulator

Reg disinfection

Cleaning/sanitizing/disinfecting your gear

sanitizing mouthpiece before putting in mouth

Disinfection of the rental gear

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Found this on the Amron International site:

https://www.amronintl.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1205/product/13911/sanizide_navy_diving_article.pdf

With any disinfectant, make sure the equipment stays wet with the disinfectant for entire recommended dwell time and rinse it with fresh water afterwards.

Best regards,
DDM