tingling arms, chest, legs after diving

[Distraction]

This is lengthy, but here goes:

Symptoms: tingling (like when your arm is asleep) in face, chest, arms, torso and legs. No chest pain, but numbness so bad that I couldn't feel the bottle of water in my hand. Slight headache, slight queazy feeling.

It went away when I was munching on some food. Once it started to go away, I started to breathe very slowly in case it was hyperventilation, and I felt better very quickly.

Here's the background:

It's happened twice. The first time was before a dive, when I was seasick. I was wearing my Farmer Johns, but didn't feel well enough to wear my jacket. I never dived that time, but the tingling that time was chest and arms.

This time, I had finished a dive. Was wearing my jacket and farmer johns. Moderate surface swim back to boat. Felt a tad queazy the minute I started to get on the boat. (But seas were much calmer this time.) I felt very constricted in my wetsuit, so I got it off as quickly as possible. I think during diving my breathing was slow and regular (I concentrate on that, since I spearfish...too many bubbles spook the fish). I'm not sure about during the surface swim.

So here's the question: is it that my wetsuit is too tight, or is it hyperventilation? Or is it something else.

I'm wondering if maybe when I get seasick I start to breathe deeply and heavily and hyperventilate. I've worn the wetsuit before, but have put on some weight since then (5-10 pounds), and don't remember having that problem before.

I don't think it's diving-related since the tingling happened the first time before I entered the water.

Any ideas would be helpful.

Thank you.

 

[detroit diver]

question.

1. Did you ever have that wetsuit on before? Did this happen before?

2. Did the symptom abate after taking off the wetsuit?

I'm getting at some allergic reaction to neoprene. I'm not a doc, nor have I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express....

 

[Distraction]

Good questions. That thought crossed my mind, too. But I've ruled that out for two reasons:

1. I've worn that wetsuit (and others) before without the symptoms. But I was a little thinner...that's why I thought it might be circulatory...like the wetsuit is messing with my blood pressure.

2. I wear a dive skin under it, so my skin isn't really in contact with the neoprene.

 

[Distraction]

I just did a little clinical study.

I sat on my couch and pretended I was seasick. I breathed in and out, very deeply and about the same rate I would if I were trying to control my seasickness.

My arms went all tingly.

Mystery solved, I guess. That explains why it went away so quickly when I was eating...my breathing slowed while I woofed down some Lays. (And you can't eat just one of those things!)

Anyone else ever experience that?

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

Distraction: please don't take this wrong as I don't know your experience ;
it appears you might be hyperventilating some , probably from anxiety .
this most of the time comes from lack of experience and comfort in the water for this best suggestion I have is to practice more dive more maybe spend some just extra time in the pool just playing and practicing skills , . and remember this isn't meant to be bad but just as a suggestion possibly some help !!!

 

[Distraction]

That's exactly what I would suggest.

The funny thing is that this happened on the boat after the dive, not during the dive.

I am very comfortable under water, and my breathing is controlled. I'm very conscientious about that because of safety reasons, and because trying to stalk prey while spearfishing requires some stealth and slowed breathing (but still 'ABC') is best for that. I totally understand where you're coming from, but I honestly don't think it was anxiety while diving.

I just gotta stop trying to control my seasickness by taking deep breaths. In that case the cure was worse than the disease.

Like I mentioned before, the first time it happened I hadn't even been diving...just seasick. It actually happened one other time, when I was deep sea fishing. Everyone was sick, and I was fighting to keep control of my nausea and my arms were tingling. Back then I thought it might have been a reaction to the Bonine, since that was the first time I tried it. I think I was probably breathing too deeply then, too.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

well hear is a good link for you to read one article written by
DocVikingo
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33186&highlight=sea+sickness
also go to Dan web site research this subject and you will find lots of info there and hopefully solve your delemia .