Nausea underwater/after getting out of water

[DandyDon]

Salt water poisoning. It happened to my wife. no one knew what it was including DAN and the LOcal MD. We only found out as a result with the daughter of a resort owner who had seen it before. WE got her a rentL REG, AND THE PROBLEM WENT RIGHT away. Needless to say we bought her a new setup as soon as she got home. and she has never had any further problems.

Interesting stab. I normally don't offer my guesses after the good Doc has posted, but since the cause has not been yet established, this is probably worth considering.

Another question on my mind would be: Where exactly were the sites associated with the nausea? Perhaps check with the local authorities to see how the water tests have been at those sites. Puget does have a few questionable areas, or so I have heard.

And one more? How was the viz for those dives? I know an experienced divers who became so nauseated that she vomited in her reg from baby sponge particulate in he water. She is prone to motion sickness, and the sight of particles moving in the water set her off.

Oh, and how many dives have you logged? It's not on your profile, and could come into play here.

 

[Diving Doc]

just a thought here. I had the same problems when I started diving without a hood in cold water, something about water swirling around the ear producing vertigo.

When I started diving with a hood again it seemed to clear up.

 

[DocVikingo]

RE: Repeating salt water intake/poisoning hypothesis.

Quote from post #3 in this thread:

"Nausea with onset during or shortly after a dive also can be brought on by swallowing sea water or air. New divers seem prone to this phenomenon and it can be prevented by breathing regularly, slowly and easily off a properly serviced reg, taking care not to gulp down water or air."

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Diving Doc]

s per normal, maybe the simplest answer?

 

[paschen]

I too suffer from this phenomenon. Believe me when I say it is NO fun. I actually found this thread because I got a shocking case of it last night.
Me:
70+ dives.
Just picked up my regs from their service.
Shore dive.
Flat conditions.
12m vis.
10.6m max depth - majority around 8m with the final 10 mins at 5-6m.
3mm suit.

I tend so start to feel ill about 20mins downs and the more I change depths the more it effects me.
The first symptons are just an "icky" feeling.
Then sinus pressure.
Then very cold.
Then extreme nausea.
Then crazy headache and violent (sometimes throwing up but not last night) upon exiting.

The post dive symptons are made worse through exertion - ie moving my gear, taking off wetsuit etc.

I find I can barely think during a bad case of it, if I don't throw up.

It takes me approvimately 7 hours to recover to be able to be functioning again but feel like crap the next day.

Only once have I had this experience when I have been diving consistently before hand - it is generally the fist dive after a month or so off.

My solution (which I didn't do last night because I forgot) is to take ONE sinus cold and flu tablet about 30 mins before I dive. Now I don't know whether this actually works or not, but I haven't had it happen WHEN I have taken one. Conincidence or solution I don't know.... but I hate it.

I feel your pain and hope my maybe solution assists you

PS. Any advice in my direction is also greatly appreciated.

 

[lynny_lynny]

I have thrown up in my regulator many times. I had horrible instances of seasickness that do not fully resolve until I am well into my dive. I think the cascade begins up top. If you get car sick, you likely get sea sick. Even though most of the time it resolves after going down, many times it doesn't because the cascade has already begun, and your brain is telling your stomach that it thinks it is poisoned, so throw up.

Since using scopalamine patches, I have yet to have another episode of this. You could also try Meclizine an hour before your dive. I do think that if you prevent the cascade from starting it will not try to "resolve" on your dive. <I am not only a diver, I am a physician> Anyway, Trial and error and ruling out had me come to this conclusion, and I have it under control now.