tired jaw/puking/headache

[Sepandee]

1) Sometimes when I dive, I get really really really annoyed by the ... umm, was it called valve??, after biting on it for more than 15 minutes. It gets so annoying that for the next 30-45 minutes all I can think of is going up sooner. i find my whole jaw aching. Perhaps it's just my jaw though, or maybe the equipment?

2) On more than one occasion (at least 4), when we're making a safety-stop, I felt ill and starting throwing up (yes, under the water, which is a really crappy experience bcz first of all, you try to get a bit further from your buddies so they can't really see what's happening, and two, because you swallow water, keep taking the valve out of your mouth and putting it back in, etc.). But more often when I feel like this, I can hold it until we're at the top, and that's when it really kicks in and I feel like puking. My instructor told me it's probably the current and all the motion near the top, which might be true because it only happens at the end of my dive at the safety stop or after that. Anyone else experiences this?

3) Especially on the first days of diving, when I'm back on the boat, I feel this EXTREME pain in my head, as if my head's going to explode. It usually gets better after as I keep diving more, only to come back on my next diving trip (usually 6 month intervals). Maybe I breath bad during the first day and improve it as i dive more, i don't know. But the pain is just horrible, and goes on for 10-20 minutes. I find though that if I lie down (as opposing to sitting or standing vertically), the pain gets better.

Needless to say, with all this trouble, I love diving so much that I keep doing it. And #1 is the biggest problem, even if # 2 and 3 sound worse.
var dd1 = new YAHOO.util.DDProxy('maindiv');dd1.setHandleElId('titlediv');

 

[SkullDeformity]

CO2 headache? Clenching the mouthpiece too tightly? I'm not sure what to do about the throwing up, but you can puke into your regulator. Just push down on the purge button as you let loose. I would really get help and advice from an instructor in person.

 

[almitywife]

re: tired jaw... shop around for a new mouthpiece, took me a while to find the one i like and its no effort at all to have it in my mouth for 90min dives.

and, when you find the one you like buy a few of them! i ran out of my fav mouthpieces after almost 10yrs so i was lucky to find something similar thats just as comfy

as far as sickness at safety stop... if im in surgey or alot of kelp with movement i start getting sea sick and disorientated pretty quickly so i have to look for a patch of something that isnt moving and concentrate on that

cheers and goodluck

 

[Steve50]

1 mouthpiece - try a comfobyte (spelling?) type mouthpiece.

2 Are you constantly looking up and turning on ascent? can cause nausea. Are you taking meds for seasickness?

3 Take it easy and slow deep breathing.

 

[SkullDeformity]

Isn't trying to breathe slowly and using other funny breathing techniques what causes CO2 headaches in the first place (assume that's what it is)?

 

[HowardE]

1) Mouthpiece - Try a "seacure"

2) Puke away... just don't remove your 2nd stage (the breathy thingy) from your mouth. The puke will all come out; and that will be that. Just make sure you rinse your reg's 2nd stage really well - to get any remaining chunks out.
- Don't push the purge on the 2nd stage - while you're puking, unless you want to blast it all back into your mouth at high pressure. *ick*

My wife is a champion puker (she gets sea sick) and has puked in her reg several times. It's like fish food

3) As others have said... Breathe more slowly and steadily. Don't hyperventilate. That you're saying it gets better on subsequent dives tells me that you're getting more comfortable as you go...

- Laying down after a dive isn't a great idea. You want to keep your metabolism up to help off gassing (see Dr. Deco's article on that)

 

[Sepandee]

Thanks peeps. This forum is great (just found it yesterday).

My instructor told me to keep the mouthpiece in my mouth while I puke. But honestly, it tastes nasty and I'd rather take it off so I can also give my mouth a good rinse after I'm done.

My wife is a champion puker (she gets sea sick) and has puked in her reg several times. It's like fish food

.
Haha I laughed for a good 30 seconds!

And yeah, the headache must be from my breathing, or perhaps because I don' t equalize properly on the first day. I get so excited the first day I forget to do most things :14:!

 

[tstormdiver]

I have one of those Seacure mouthpieces. I really like it because you mold it to your mouth shape. It almost holds itself in place. I noticed a big difference almost immeadiately. I had to do a lot of molding & trimming because I have such a sensitive gag reflex. As for the nausea & headache, I'm not of much help there.

 

[TSandM]

Are you diving locally, or only on vacation? I ask because, if you are wearing a hood, that can contribute to jaw fatigue and pain. My first hood was just a little tight, and shoved my jaw backwards. By the end of the dive, my temperomandibular joints (the ones where the jaw meets the skull) would ache like crazy. A better fitting hood solved the problem.

I agree that the headache is most likely CO2 retention. Make sure your breathing is deep and even and continuous.

 

[mwhities]

I second the SeaCure. I experienced the samething with a sore/fatigued jaw and elevated air consumption. Once I had the SeaCure in, my jaw felt better and I actually was able to stay down 10 minutes longer. (I'm sure it's a mental thing and I was able to relax more, so I figured that helped it out.)

Michael