sick for a looooonggg time after diving. HELP!

[flyingsherpa]

I used to be an avid reader of this board, but i've been sick lately... possibly related to diving... and i'm looking for some new ideas. here's my (long) situation:

i went diving in ginnie springs at the end of august. these were my first dives after completing basic OW cert. my DM buddy and i did two dives... i don't have logbook handy but they weren't aggressive at all... approx 40 minutes each, max depth 40', 1.5 hr SI. the second dive did involve surfacing a few times since we were exploring devil's ear / eye and whatever else is near there. but i always came up slowly (slower than my DM buddy, just to be safe) and kept the timer running. immediately after surfacing from the second dive, i felt weird. the best way to describe it is that i felt sort of drunk. these feelings got a little worse and lasted the pretty much the rest of the day. i was a somewhat dizzy and cloudy-headed (like when a lightweight like me has a few beers).

i told my DM buddy this of course, but we went over the profile and couldn't possibly see how i could have DCS. i had no joint pain or tingling. he said its normal to feel somewhat crummy after a dive, so maybe i just am more susceptible to that (seeing as how these were my deepest and longest dives to date... it wouldn't have come up before).

well, the rest of the trip i continued to feel crummy. the dizziness pretty much left, but i still had what i kept describing as a "brain cloud". it felt like when you have the flu... your head just feels big and you can't concentrate... but i had no other flu symptoms (no runny nose or nausea etc). i took some motrin allergy and it didn't seem to do much. i slept almost 10-12 hrs a night and still woke up feeling bad. in retrospect we should have called DAN, but we were sure we had been safe so we thought it must have been something else causing this.

i was home a week later and still feeling the same way. i figured it was a pesky cold or virus or something. i kept waiting to feel better, but i never did. finally i went to a doc in early october. he said my throat and ears looked infected and gave me zithromax. it didn't seem to help. a few weeks later he gave me biaxin w/o any help. finally i found a local dive physician and he immediately gave me an aural test and said my ears were perfect. he thinks that i hurt my jaw (TMJ) on those "long" dives with a rental mouthpiece and that it just hasn't been able to heal. he told me to wear a night guard, eat soft foods, and take anti-inflammatories. Didn't help.

Next we did some blood work... nothing. saw an oral surgeon, he didn't think TMJ could cause my symptoms and he didn't even think i had TMJ. Finally did an MRI last week and I expect the results any day now. but the dive doc told me he doesn't expect to see anything on the MRI.

so i'm getting frustrated. i have a terrible time concentrating, my head feels likes its fogged in all the time. i've been doing awful at work and can't even enjoy my time off. i've been searching for what is causing this, and after exhausting all scuba possibilities i could find... i discovered that i have a LOT of symptoms of lyme disease, but that doesn't make sense since i first noticed problems after a dive.

you're a diving doc, so i don't expect you to comment on the lyme possibility, but i just want to know if you see anything that my local diving doc might be missing? he said he ruled out DCS stuff right away because the symptoms were wrong or wouldn't have lasted this long. then he went righ to TMJ. isn't there anything else it could be? i've talke to DAN a few times and they kept referring me to the local diving doc i saw. i'm just looking for any ideas for help because i'm going crazy here.

chris

 

[DocVikingo]

No doubt this situation is very frustrating for you. However, I'm not sure that we can offer you much at this point.

You reportedly have been seen by least 3 physicians, including one with some dive medicine knowledge. Additionally, you are awaiting the results of an MRI, so your diagnostic work up is ongoing.

Given this, it would seem most prudent to allow your treating physicians, who have the decided benefit of having examined you & ordering various diagnostic procedures, to follow through in your evaluation & care.

I would add that attempts at self-diagnosis through searches of whatever sources is not likely to be helpful, and may well just make you more uncertain & anxious.

As regards Lyme's disease, based on what you have reported I agree that this seems rather unlikely. Although it can cause concentration difficulty & dizziness, these generally are not of such rapid onset and tend to be just part of a larger complex of signs & symptoms such as fatigue, chills & fever, headache, muscle & joint pain, swollen lymph nodes & skin rash. However, if you are greatly concerned you can mention this to your doctor.

BTW, could you please inform me of the ultimate outcome of your situation.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Happy holidays.

DocVikingo

 

[JeffAustin]

I'm no doctor, but... If you are getting dizzy, etc... it could be your ears. I have a history with with ear problems, they can make you feel funky, hard to concentrate, etc... menuires syndrome causes the fluid in your balance tubes to thicken, with resulting nausea when you turn your head. Sounds like you've already checked your ears out, but just in case. Good luck!!
Jeff

 

[DocVikingo]

As regards "Meniere's Disease," one typically expects to see largely episodic hearing loss, sensation of pressure in the ear(s), tinnitus, imbalance & vertigo. Flyingsherpa's complaints of continuing difficulty concentrating & feeling in a "fog" all the time following the rapid resolution of a brief period of mild dizziness would not generally be recognized as diagnostic of Meniere's.

As regards Meniere's disease causing the fluid within inner ear structures to thicken, this is a new one on me. I am aware of a number of possible causes of the condition, but this not among them. Have you any published references from reputable medical sources that support your statement?

Happy holidays.

DocVikingo

 

[JeffAustin]

Hi Doc, My experience with Meniere's disease was largely vertigo, with it's accompanying nauseau. There was no hearing impairment . I had just returned from a backpacking trip to the top of Mt. Whitney,Ca. ele. 14,495 ft. approx. I woke up in the middle of the night with vertigo from moving my head in my sleep. I crawled to the bathroom thinking I was sick, after a few minutes I realized (and woke up) that if I didn't move my head around I was OK. The event lasted about one week, then resolved itself. Had a couple of episodes since, but not as bad. My sister also has symptoms on occasion. It was explained to me that the fluid, for some reason, thickens and does not respond as quickly to movements of the head, thus the conflicting message to the brain from your two ears. No, I don't have any published data to support what I am saying, just my own experience. As my ears are important to me, and really important in regards to diving, any input you have, including new studies, would be of interest to me. thanks, Jeff

 

[DocVikingo]

I am not refuting the validity of your experiences. Rather, I am suggesting that there isn't any evidence that Meniere's disease is the result of fluid within inner ear structures thickening.

Truth is, medicine is not yet quite sure what causes the condition. The inner ear contains two types of fluid, known as endolymph & perilymph, and current thinking is that Meniere’s disease is caused by an imbalance in fluid pressure between chambers or sacs containing one or the other of these fluids. Either as the result of the overproduction or under absorption of endolymph, it builds up excessively, swelling the sac and impacting on nervous tissue associated with hearing & balance.

If the pressure becomes great enough, the membrane separating endolymphatic & perilymphatic containing chambers can rupture, causing these fluids to mix. Because they are chemically different, their mixing raises havoc with the electrical charge of the ear and results in the rapid onset of severe signs & symptoms.

Suggested causes of the overproduction or under absorption of endolymph include excessive intake of alcohol or caffeine, excessive sodium or sugar in the diet, high cholesterol, low levels of thyroid hormone, and processes that can cause inflammation of the inner ear such as allergies (especially food allergies), autoimmune disorder (condition in which the person's body creates antibodies against itself), syphilis & viral infections. Congenital narrowing of inner ear structures & head trauma can also be associated with the condition.

As regards the "thickening of fluid" hypothesis, again, I can find no credible source that suggests it as a cause of Meniere's disease.

Happy holidays.

DocVikingo

 

[pescador775]

Sherpa, I suspect that the diving was only indirectly related to your symptoms. The stress of diving could have triggered something which was already latent and impending. Agree, it doesn't sound like Minere's, Lyme or TMJ. The observation of infected throat is interesting. You have some of the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome which, BTW, may have sudden onset and is sometimes confused with Lyme. A tilt table test might be instructive. There are also some experimental blood tests. Usually, with CFS, there is some slight fever, sore throat, swollen glands. Sometimes, instead of fever, there is depressed body temp and low blood pressure. Anyway, CFS screws up the involuntary nervous system. The patient has reduced ability to compensate when the body changes attitude (sitting, standing) causing dizziness. A 'fog' is definitely characteristic. Treatments are varied and speculative. Sometimes, the use of magnesium (Slow Mag) and antiviral such as Valtrex are helpful. Ampligen is a prescription drug which has been useful in some cases. This is all guesswork but perhaps this may be another avenue of inquiry for you and your medical care provider.
Pesky

 

[JeffAustin]

Hi Doc, Thanks for the info !!
Jeff

 

[nikkimaree09]

Lyme disease is a spirochete bacteria which basically produces its own toxin. When this bacteria dies off it releases all of the toxin at once rather than a controlled rate. Each one of your symptoms sound like something referred to as a Herx or Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. I believe the latest statistic is that 80% of people who have lyme or tick borne disease do not ever remember a bite or bullseye. Being that you are in CT it is very possible this is what you experienced. Every person's body reacts different and can take a different amount of time to remove the toxins from the body so the severity and length of time someone herxs is never the same. Unfortunately the CDC has not educated doctors properly on TBD. Scuba, HBC, antibiotics, antiparasitics and some herbs can all cause herxing. If you are still having exhaustion, joint pain, brain fog, heart palpitations, confusion, dizziness or other symptoms that you used to not have PLEASE find a lyme literate medical doctor LLMD.

 

[krawlings]

Lyme disease is a spirochete bacteria which basically produces its own toxin. When this bacteria dies off it releases all of the toxin at once rather than a controlled rate. Each one of your symptoms sound like something referred to as a Herx or Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. I believe the latest statistic is that 80% of people who have lyme or tick borne disease do not ever remember a bite or bullseye. Being that you are in CT it is very possible this is what you experienced. Every person's body reacts different and can take a different amount of time to remove the toxins from the body so the severity and length of time someone herxs is never the same. Unfortunately the CDC has not educated doctors properly on TBD. Scuba, HBC, antibiotics, antiparasitics and some herbs can all cause herxing. If you are still having exhaustion, joint pain, brain fog, heart palpitations, confusion, dizziness or other symptoms that you used to not have PLEASE find a lyme literate medical doctor LLMD.

Do you relize this thread is from DEC. 2002, The last poster was Dec. 17 2002