Question Please HELP - persistent swaying/vertigo/imbalance after successful first dives

[NewDiver117]

Hi,

I got my PADI open water 18m dive certification in June. As part of the course, I did 1 day in the pool, 2 shore dives & 2 open water dives. The dives were amazing and nothing went wrong during or immediately after dive. The only minor 'issue' was I had trouble equalising when we went down for our first shore dive at 10m. My right ear wouldn't equalise- so the instructor and I ascended a few meters, tried again and it equalised fine. I did 1 more shore dive that day and 2 open water dives (max depth 12m , for 20 minutes each dive both days and plenty of surface time between dives) the following day. Everything was fine, no issues on either of the days and I was fine 30 hours until after the dive.

I took a plane back home (4 hour flight) 30 hours after the last dive. (Last dive was Sunday 5pm, I flew back home Tuesday morning around 1am)

Ever since I've landed back home - I've had constant swaying or imbalance. Sometimes it feels like I'm on the boat, most times I'm just dizzy/feel like the ground moves. This happens usually when I'm standing, walking or sitting down, and sometimes when I change my posture during sleep. Its worse when I'm tired/anxious. I've taken a few flights after and it's definitely worse immediately after flights too.

After about 4 days of experiencing this constant symptom - I went to emergency as I panicked. They cleared me out for dcs (only verbal checks no tests) and the ENTs cleared me out for any hearing loss or perforations (through audiometry tests). They said it'll be fine over time and nothing fatal or anything they can see and prescribed me beta histine. I followed up with a few GPs and ENTs and they all couldn't find anything (one even said it was anxiety - no such history and never been an anxious person before this symptom)

It is going to clock over 3 months soon, and I'm still not over this symptom. I'm scared as even though it may not be fatal, it's still affected me considerably. I am finding it hard to work, and gym/surf/ski has all stopped. I just keep feeling this all the time.

Can you please help and suggest some potential solutions? Do you know anyone with similar symptoms ? What do I do???

Thanks for reading. Any advice is appreciated!
H

 

[grantctobin]

Have you called DAN?

 

[Searcaigh]

Thanks for reading. Any advice is appreciated!

Go see a medical doctor, preferably an ENT physician familiar with scuba diving.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Hi,

I got my PADI open water 18m dive certification in June. As part of the course, I did 1 day in the pool, 2 shore dives & 2 open water dives. The dives were amazing and nothing went wrong during or immediately after dive. The only minor 'issue' was I had trouble equalising when we went down for our first shore dive at 10m. My right ear wouldn't equalise- so the instructor and I ascended a few meters, tried again and it equalised fine. I did 1 more shore dive that day and 2 open water dives (max depth 12m , for 20 minutes each dive both days and plenty of surface time between dives) the following day. Everything was fine, no issues on either of the days and I was fine 30 hours until after the dive.

I took a plane back home (4 hour flight) 30 hours after the last dive. (Last dive was Sunday 5pm, I flew back home Tuesday morning around 1am)

Ever since I've landed back home - I've had constant swaying or imbalance. Sometimes it feels like I'm on the boat, most times I'm just dizzy/feel like the ground moves. This happens usually when I'm standing, walking or sitting down, and sometimes when I change my posture during sleep. Its worse when I'm tired/anxious. I've taken a few flights after and it's definitely worse immediately after flights too.

After about 4 days of experiencing this constant symptom - I went to emergency as I panicked. They cleared me out for dcs (only verbal checks no tests) and the ENTs cleared me out for any hearing loss or perforations (through audiometry tests). They said it'll be fine over time and nothing fatal or anything they can see and prescribed me beta histine. I followed up with a few GPs and ENTs and they all couldn't find anything (one even said it was anxiety - no such history and never been an anxious person before this symptom)

It is going to clock over 3 months soon, and I'm still not over this symptom. I'm scared as even though it may not be fatal, it's still affected me considerably. I am finding it hard to work, and gym/surf/ski has all stopped. I just keep feeling this all the time.

Can you please help and suggest some potential solutions? Do you know anyone with similar symptoms ? What do I do???

Thanks for reading. Any advice is appreciated!
H

Sounds like alternobaric vertigo, maybe.

Alternobaric Vertigo - PubMed

Alternobaric vertigo is a benign condition that affects individuals traveling in environments with changing ambient pressures, such as SCUBA diving or aviation, though it has also been reported in patients utilizing positive airway pressure breathing assistance. It is the direct result of an...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

My general experience with doctors who don’t dive is that they don’t know squat about potential complications from diving. I’d suggest calling DAN.

 

[softgrapes]

subscribing as a friend went through this last month, it just went away and ENT didn't find anything. She was also cleared of DCS. Hope you are ok!

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi,

I got my PADI open water 18m dive certification in June. As part of the course, I did 1 day in the pool, 2 shore dives & 2 open water dives. The dives were amazing and nothing went wrong during or immediately after dive. The only minor 'issue' was I had trouble equalising when we went down for our first shore dive at 10m. My right ear wouldn't equalise- so the instructor and I ascended a few meters, tried again and it equalised fine. I did 1 more shore dive that day and 2 open water dives (max depth 12m , for 20 minutes each dive both days and plenty of surface time between dives) the following day. Everything was fine, no issues on either of the days and I was fine 30 hours until after the dive.

I took a plane back home (4 hour flight) 30 hours after the last dive. (Last dive was Sunday 5pm, I flew back home Tuesday morning around 1am)

Ever since I've landed back home - I've had constant swaying or imbalance. Sometimes it feels like I'm on the boat, most times I'm just dizzy/feel like the ground moves. This happens usually when I'm standing, walking or sitting down, and sometimes when I change my posture during sleep. Its worse when I'm tired/anxious. I've taken a few flights after and it's definitely worse immediately after flights too.

After about 4 days of experiencing this constant symptom - I went to emergency as I panicked. They cleared me out for dcs (only verbal checks no tests) and the ENTs cleared me out for any hearing loss or perforations (through audiometry tests). They said it'll be fine over time and nothing fatal or anything they can see and prescribed me beta histine. I followed up with a few GPs and ENTs and they all couldn't find anything (one even said it was anxiety - no such history and never been an anxious person before this symptom)

It is going to clock over 3 months soon, and I'm still not over this symptom. I'm scared as even though it may not be fatal, it's still affected me considerably. I am finding it hard to work, and gym/surf/ski has all stopped. I just keep feeling this all the time.

Can you please help and suggest some potential solutions? Do you know anyone with similar symptoms ? What do I do???

Thanks for reading. Any advice is appreciated!
H

Hello @NewDiver117 ,

Alternobaric vertigo, which happens when one ear equalizes but the other one doesn't, is almost always transient. This far out, given your persistent symptoms and your report of difficulty equalizing during your dive, I would be concerned for unresolved inner ear barotrauma. I strongly recommend that you be evaluated immediately by an ENT physician who is competent to assess divers. I'm pm'ing you information on a diving physician who is closer to your time zone and would recommend you contact him post haste. He is not an ENT but he is a world-renowned expert on diving injuries; he may be able to refer you to someone who's close to you.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[NewDiver117]

Have you called DAN?

Thanks @grantctobin , I should've called them sooner. I got in touch with them today and they've referred me to 2 doctors near me in Melbourne, Australia.

 

[NewDiver117]

Go see a medical doctor, preferably an ENT physician familiar with scuba diving.

Thanks @Searcaigh - I've had 2 referrals from Dan, will do that ASAP

 

[NewDiver117]

Sounds like alternobaric vertigo, maybe.

Alternobaric Vertigo - PubMed

Alternobaric vertigo is a benign condition that affects individuals traveling in environments with changing ambient pressures, such as SCUBA diving or aviation, though it has also been reported in patients utilizing positive airway pressure breathing assistance. It is the direct result of an...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

My general experience with doctors who don’t dive is that they don’t know squat about potential complications from diving. I’d suggest calling DAN.

@nippurmagnum - thanks, I've reached out to DAN who've pointed me to the right doctors (should've done it sooner) - agree with you , most doctors who don't dive don't realise the gravity of any dive related issue. Unfortunately I've met about 6 GPS and ENTs and none of them dive.

 

[NewDiver117]

subscribing as a friend went through this last month, it just went away and ENT didn't find anything. She was also cleared of DCS. Hope you are ok!

Hi @softgrapes - glad to hear your friends recovered. I'm not doing too good - my mental state has definitely taken a beating. Being an active 27m, and never having experienced imbalance or swaying before - I'm struggling to cope with this.

May I ask - did your friend do anything or take any medication? How did she come out of it?