Should I see a doctor about this?

[hypertech]

Completely understandable, and I thank you for your advice. The problem is even with going to a doctor, you can get a mis-diagnosis, so you're not completely free from that risk regardless since there's well skilled and poorly skilled people in every profession.

To get a definitive answer anyway, I would need to see a specialist, and you're talking a significant amount of money at that point just for the office visit itself. And unfortunately, it's easy to say that it's worth the money, but when I'm a starving college student and I live check to check, the prospect of a $300 medical bill isn't worth it to me.

If you are a college student, I don't know how you are getting by without insurance. I've been through a couple different schools, and they have always required insurance info before they allow you to register or they make you buy it from them. At the larger schools, often your student fees cover minor stuff. When I was an undergrad, the walk in clinic was free as was one dental cleaning and an eye check each year. I'd guess half the people there didn't know they had that available to them, so you might want to check it out - you're school may have something for you.

Your first comment made me laugh a little. A good buddy of mine just finished med school. I remembered the day he realized that the lowest guy in the class is still a doctor and most of them wind up in primary care since they can't get into the programs for specialties. I don't think he ever plans to see a primary doc again :blinking:


(I do know there are people who choose that field and are very good at it)

 

[emttim]

If you are a college student, I don't know how you are getting by without insurance. I've been through a couple different schools, and they have always required insurance info before they allow you to register or they make you buy it from them. At the larger schools, often your student fees cover minor stuff. When I was an undergrad, the walk in clinic was free as was one dental cleaning and an eye check each year. I'd guess half the people there didn't know they had that available to them, so you might want to check it out - you're school may have something for you.

Your first comment made me laugh a little. A good buddy of mine just finished med school. I remembered the day he realized that the lowest guy in the class is still a doctor and most of them wind up in primary care since they can't get into the programs for specialties. I don't think he ever plans to see a primary doc again :blinking:


(I do know there are people who choose that field and are very good at it)

Well, we are required to have insurance, Davis isn't any different than any other four year university...however, it only covers you during the academic summer and its still summer. The fall quarter doesn't start until Sept 25 and I can't get health insurance through my employer, so it's kind of just an odd situation.

Lol!! Yeah, I know there are some good primary care doctors out there, but I know better than to assume one is a good doctor simply because he/she is in primary care. Although that reminds me of a semi-joke I've read somewhere recently, I think it may even be in someone's signature on here: "What do you call the guy who was dead last in his class in medical school, barely passed residency, and had to retake the boards several times to pass? Doctor."

 

[fisherdvm]

I got slammed by a huge wave of dizziness/vertigo and felt like the world was tilting 90 degrees left and right for about 45 seconds to a minute.

This suggests an inner ear barotrauma. So in my opinion, would warrant evaluation immediately by a physician to make sure that damage to the oval or round window did not occur. www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=45 American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF) Barotrauma

You might want to seek an opinion from the ENT doc who occasionally visit the medicine section of SB.

 

[fisherdvm]

I remembered the day he realized that the lowest guy in the class is still a doctor and most of them wind up in primary care since they can't get into the programs for specialties. I don't think he ever plans to see a primary doc again :blinking:


(I do know there are people who choose that field and are very good at it)

This comment is very hurtful to the majority of doctors who are pediatricians, internists, psychiatrists, and family doctors. Not only is it inaccurate, it is very offensive.

Three out of the 6 residents in my family practice residency were Alpha Omega Alpha - usually the top 10% of their medical school class. My medical board exam scores were in the top 5 to 2%. These people chose primary care because it is a committment to patient care and the community. While I am no longer a primary care physician, the fact that I have the opportunity to train and work with them make me respect them even more.

While what you said about it is harder to get into some specialties is true, and the less qualified candidates often have to settle for primary care.... It is purely ridiculous to suggests that primary care physicians are less intelligent than the specialists.

 

[Goonerone]

Seems like you have made up your own mind but just be carfull if you did split an ear drum then you may end up with an infection, just keep an eye on it

 

[White Knight]

Same thing happened to me. I took a ton of over the counter pain killers--Aleve worked the best because (my doctor told me) is helps with the inflamation/reducing swelling, etc. For this type of thing, it is really the best I have ever used! I understand the no insurance thing, so no worries. It took me two weeks for it to completely pass, but it did--finally. Good luck!

 

[TSandM]

The brief episode of vertigo could easily have been a reverse block. Since the vertigo is not persistent or recurrent, it argues against significant damage to the inner ear. If there is no hearing loss, no persistent pain, no recurrent vertigo, and you can now equalize easily, it does not sound as though you need a physician's examination.

No matter how carefully you equalize, a certain amount of trauma is done to the ear when diving. Recurrent diving over days can gradually cause some Eustachian tube swelling and more difficult equalization. Any allergy or cold symptoms can aggravate this a great deal. Since this was an isolated event, I wouldn't be unduly concerned.

 

[DocVikingo]

This comment is very hurtful to the majority of doctors who are pediatricians, internists, psychiatrists, and family doctors. Not only is it inaccurate, it is very offensive.

I, too, find hypertech's remark quite inaccurate and offensive.

IMHO, s/he has spoken pejoratively of many doctors; chided the OP regarding medical coverage, his financial concerns and coming to the Diving Medicine forum for information; and added nothing constructive to the thread.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Rick Murchison]

** I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.**​

Based on your lack of any significant post dive symptoms, it sounds like a simple case of swollen Eustachian tubes and subsequent reverse block and alternobaric vertigo to me, without any damage needing attention. i.e. you actually did get your ears at least partially cleared - got some additional gas into the middle ear at depth - and only one of 'em cleared when you surfaced. This can be extremely disorienting and cause the symptoms you describe, or even worse... some folks experience tumbling and nausea so severe they actually vomit, just from one ear clearing (particularly on ascent) before the other!
Difficulty clearing the ears occasionally happens to just about everyone, including me... and as hard as it is, when it does it's wise to cancel the dive and spend a day topside.
​

** I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.**
​

Rick​

 

[hypertech]

I, too, find hypertech's remark quite inaccurate and offensive.

IMHO, s/he has spoken pejoratively of many doctors; chided the OP regarding medical coverage, his financial concerns and coming to the Diving Medicine forum for information; and added nothing constructive to the thread.

Regards,

DocVikingo

I didn't chide anyone regarding medical coverage. If you need to see a doc, you need to see one no matter how good your coverage. That doesn't have anything to do with what level coverage you have. You will see I also suggested to look into what his/her student fees cover as such a visit would have been covered when I was an undergrad. I thought that was constructive.

It may have changed, but I was also covered during the summers - at the time, if you bought the policy in the spring and were enrolled in the fall, you would get coverage over the summer. It is kind of strange that they would drop you for the summers. I'm not even sure that's legal - don't you have to be offered bridge coverage when your current insurance is terminated such as when you lose a job? Anyway, that's not what this thread is about.

My last comment related to an off-the-cuff remark by a friend of mine who recently graduated from med school. It seems that some appreciated the humor while others didn't. It included a smiley and immediately following a statement that I know there are many very good primary care docs out there who do what they do because they enjoy it and they are good at it. Oh well, I guess if you are going to be offended by that, there isn't much I can do about it ....