Post Boat/dive vertigo question...

[Christina0701]

So I got back from vacation/diving in Turk & Caicos Monday November 5th. I got sick for the first time on the dive boat but as soon as I vomited my breakfast I felt amazing so went ahead with the two dives...then a couple days later did another two tank dive and was fine, I had a slight problem equalizing my right ear had a squeeze but diminished. The water was extra choppy since Hurricane Sandy had past through earlier in the week. I've been home and back to work now since Tuesday and I keep getting bursts of vertigo and the sensation of being on a boat on and off consistently throughout my day. Its not lessening or getting worse...just really annoying and makes me slightly nauseous....any suggestions? Should I be concerned and go see a ENT or does anyone else experience this and how long should this last? Thanks...

 

[ReneeDr]

Do you have Dan Dive Insurance? If so, perhaps you should give them a call and discuss your symptoms.

 

[fisheater]

You don't need DAN dive insurance, or even DAN membership, to call DAN and have them help you.


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[TSandM]

It's very hard to diagnose over the internet. If you are simply having a sensation of movement, that can be a result of spending time on a boat. But if you are having true vertigo, where you lose your orientation in space and feel that you are spinning, that raises a significant question of whether your difficulty equalizing resulted in inner ear injury. If you are having episodes of true vertigo, you need to see a doctor, and preferably an ENT doc who knows something about diving. DAN can help you find one near where you are.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Concur with TSandM in her advice to see an ENT, or at least your primary care physician. I do think that if this was diving-related your vertigo would be constant rather than intermittent, so I think it's more likely that this is related to having been on a boat. However, you should get your land legs back within a day or so of being back on dry land; if it takes longer than that, it's possible that you have a disorder called mal de debarquement. Of course this could be also completely unrelated to your trip, so it's best to see a local practitioner who can see you face to face and perform a complete examination.

 

[Christina0701]

Thanks for the responses. It is intermittent and feels like the ground I'm standing on turns into being on a boat again sensation, doesn't really make me dizzy or give me the spins. I've had true vertigo before and it was years ago before I ever even tried scuba diving, came out of no where and lasted for three days straight! I went to an ENT then and he couldn't find anything wrong and suggested it was possibly caused by my neck being diss aligned? I also went to the ENT one year ago before a Mexico dive trip just to get an ok to go diving because I felt a slight congestion and deafness in my left ear. He checked me out and said everything looked great and to dive away...I'm not in any pain or discomfort, just feel like I'm on a boat every few hours.... Really strange.