Underwater Dizziness

[Scubabt]

Lately when diving after I have been down 10 to 15 minutes if I make any turns like up or down I become very dizzy and loose focus. Sometimes I can be still and it will go away. I have tried surfacing and it gets much worse with everything spinning. What would cause this? Has anyone else ever experienced this? I have not gotten nauseous but it is quite unnerving.

 

[Saturation]

There are several possibilities.

Benign positional vertigo, its more common in folks over 50 years old, all things being normal, simple head movements can trigger dizziness.

If both ears are not equally equalized, it also may make your ears sensitive to movement as a transient alternobaric vertigo.

If you have wax in one ear, and water temperature differs between one ear and the other, movement that allows more water to penetrate the less exposed ear could trigger a caloric vertigo that dissappears once the temperature equilibrates.

 

[CobaltWave]

Could caloric vertigo be caused by using ear drops "Gylcerin and Alchol" before a dive.

Today I went diving to get certified in Nitrox when I suffered 2 major bouts of vertigo.

I was diving with EAN32 to about 40' (deepest depth of the quarry) for about 40 minutes. I have made this dive several times before. However, this time I was wear my new hood to try it before using it later in the year and using EAN32. This dive was great and without incident.

My next dive, I deceided to go without the hood and my buddy suggested I try her ear drops she bought from the dive shop. I didn't see any problem with it considering its ingredients and thought it might help prevent a nasty ear infection I tried it. 15 mins later I was back in the quarry. My masked was fogging continually, and the vis was about 3ft, due to an OW checkout, when I hit the thermocline. A minute or 2 my world turn upside down and spun like a top on steriods. I managed to look at my compass, seeing it was stable, I made the decision to acend. Once above the thermocline, hovering at my saftey stop, 13ft, having a staring contest with a Bluegill, my vertigo subsided. I surfaced and told my buddy what had happened. (Time to refresh UW communication skills!!) After about 10mins of surface time, I deceided to drop down around 20ft, 6 ft above the thermocline, to head back to dry land. Then about 5 mins at 20ft, wham it hit me again. Again during my saftey stop, while staring down another Blue Gill, the vertigo abaited. This time at the surface I opted to surface swim back, not wanting to tempt fate a 3rd time.

Once on dry land, I told the instructor and he was unsure of what the problem might have been. That's when his divemaster said that it problably was the ear drops. The alchol in the drops conducted the cold and shot my equalibriam into "gryro-scope mode." I would have thought the alchol would have dried up in 15mins or washed out durning the inital stages of the dive. Would the glycerin in the drops or maybe earwax caused the alchol to persist or were the ear drops even a factor?

I also think it's important to note that my buddy didn't experience any problems, and she never wore a hood. I know phyisological different, but it still my have some bearing. I'm also 34 in reasonable shape.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Mike

 

[rmediver2002]

I would agree the drops would most likely have evaporated prior to the dive...

It could have been coincidence of course but maybe the ear drops stripped the layer of protective wax from inside your ear canal and made them more sensitive. I have not heard of alcohol acting as a conductor but would be interested in hearing about it if someone has some information...

I wonder if it could have been a problem with alternobaric vertigo, any difference in how your ears were clearing?

In either case i am glad it was transient and you made a good decision not to push it.

Jeff Lane

 

[CobaltWave]

My ears cleared just fine, although I did notice that I needed to clear them more frequently, both in decending as well as acending. I think the idea of stripping off the protective layer of wax has some merit. My ears, although feeling fine, do feel a bit different. I only can tell the difference when in a quiet room, the best way I could describe it is that they feel "free" or "unrestricted." This diference lends itself to the protective covering of ear wax being stripped.

I might also mention I went to my GP on Wed. for a physical and one of the test he performed was on my ears, because of my diving. I don't know what the name of the device he use, but it made a slight hum and a slight sucking sensation. He said that my ears looked normal and that the device echoed his opinion.

As for discontinuing the dive, that was a no brainer. I learned along time ago, in certain situations, if it happens once it might be a fluke, if happens twice its definitely a warning!!!

Thanks for the help,

Mike

 

[Saturation]

CobaltWave once bubbled...
Could caloric vertigo be caused by using ear drops "Gylcerin and Alchol" before a dive.

Today I went diving to get certified in Nitrox when I suffered 2 major bouts of vertigo.

I was diving with EAN32 to about 40' (deepest depth of the quarry) for about 40 minutes. I have made this dive several times before. However, this time I was wear my new hood to try it before using it later in the year and using EAN32. This dive was great and without incident.

My next dive, I deceided to go without the hood and my buddy suggested I try her ear drops she bought from the dive shop. I didn't see any problem with it considering its ingredients and thought it might help prevent a nasty ear infection I tried it. 15 mins later I was back in the quarry. My masked was fogging continually, and the vis was about 3ft, due to an OW checkout, when I hit the thermocline. A minute or 2 my world turn upside down and spun like a top on steriods. I managed to look at my compass, seeing it was stable, I made the decision to acend. Once above the thermocline, hovering at my saftey stop, 13ft, having a staring contest with a Bluegill, my vertigo subsided. I surfaced and told my buddy what had happened. (Time to refresh UW communication skills!!) After about 10mins of surface time, I deceided to drop down around 20ft, 6 ft above the thermocline, to head back to dry land. Then about 5 mins at 20ft, wham it hit me again. Again during my saftey stop, while staring down another Blue Gill, the vertigo abaited. This time at the surface I opted to surface swim back, not wanting to tempt fate a 3rd time.

Once on dry land, I told the instructor and he was unsure of what the problem might have been. That's when his divemaster said that it problably was the ear drops. The alchol in the drops conducted the cold and shot my equalibriam into "gryro-scope mode." I would have thought the alchol would have dried up in 15mins or washed out durning the inital stages of the dive. Would the glycerin in the drops or maybe earwax caused the alchol to persist or were the ear drops even a factor?

I also think it's important to note that my buddy didn't experience any problems, and she never wore a hood. I know phyisological different, but it still my have some bearing. I'm also 34 in reasonable shape.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Mike

Hi Mike:

Its unlikely the ear drops caused the problem, its more likely that water that did enter your ears didn't equalize in temperature. Not only do small amounts of fluid dry quickly, but the body can warm small amounts of water to near body temperature ... its the essence of the insulation in a wet suit.

A hood prevents water from circulating, so its warmed to near body temperature. This water is the water that then enters your ears. Without the hood, then ambient temperature water freely enters your ears. If one ear has wax or some anatomical difference [some people have smaller canals on one ear] and prevents water from reaching the ear drum at the same time as the other ear, caloric vertigo occurs.

Even if water has difficulty penetrating normal ears, it does so inevitably except in the most impacted wax [patient's often are deaf in that ear.] Since the hood keeps the temperature more constant, once ears are equalized changing temperatures at depth do little to change the difference in temp between both ears.

 

[CobaltWave]

I understand how a hood keeps the water in and surroung your ears warmer, and that having the hood on during the 1st dive could have prevented my vertigo on the 1st dive and the lack of hood in the cold temperture caused it. However, I have made this same dive numerous times, including the week before, the only true difference was the use of the drops. I could have been a little congested and had difficulty clearing my ears but that wasn't the case, at least if it was I wasn't aware of it.

In hopes to prove this theory of the drops, I performed an experiment, may not be true to sceintific form, but reasonabe enough to try. I filled a basin, larger enough to submerge my head in with luke water water, and plunged my head in with a snorkel for about 3mins, everything was okay. I filled the basin again will cold water, about 61f, to simulate the thermocline then submerged my head again for 3 mins. It was cold but no vertigo. I placed the drops in both ears and waited about 15mins and repeated the above. Soon after I put my head in the cold water, I became dizzy and vertigo set in. I don't know how long it took but it was less than a minute. I pulled my head out, sat down and tried draining the water out of my ears. A few minutes later, I felt fine. About 1hr later, I repeated this experiement without the drops and was fine but with a little uneaseness in the cold, nothing major and it dissapated within minutes.

After doing some research, and reading the label, I found that these drops can cause irritation and or dizziness. What I believe that happened in my case is that by using these drops my ear drum became slightly irritated and inflamed. Although the drops had evaporated, my ear drums were still slightly inflamed and a bit higher temperature than the rest of ear canal. When in the temperate water I was fine, but when I entered the thermocline the sharp change in temperature hit my inflamed ear drums causing a significant temperature imbalance between the ear drums and the rest of the ear canal. Instead off the entire ear climitizing to the same temperature, or propotional temp, my ear drums remained at a disproportional temperature causing the vertigo. Once I went above the thermocline in warmer water the rest of the ear canal was able to warm itself proportionally to my ears drums, or least enough to restore equalibriam, to relieve my vertigo.

Does this sound plausible, or am I reaching for straws?

Thanks for your insights,

Mike

 

[Saturation]

CobaltWave once bubbled...
In hopes to prove this theory of the drops, I performed an experiment, may not be true to sceintific form, but reasonabe enough to try. I filled a basin, larger enough to submerge my head in with luke water water, and plunged my head in with a snorkel for about 3mins, everything was okay. I filled the basin again will cold water, about 61f, to simulate the thermocline then submerged my head again for 3 mins. It was cold but no vertigo. I placed the drops in both ears and waited about 15mins and repeated the above. Soon after I put my head in the cold water, I became dizzy and vertigo set in. I don't know how long it took but it was less than a minute. I pulled my head out, sat down and tried draining the water out of my ears. A few minutes later, I felt fine. About 1hr later, I repeated this experiement without the drops and was fine but with a little uneaseness in the cold, nothing major and it dissapated within minutes.

oes this sound plausible, or am I reaching for straws?

Thanks for your insights,

Mike

Hi Mike, Kudos on your work. Its more than plausible, it is the cause in your case. Your little experiment proves its the culprit, the rationale is more of academic interest. I'd probably wait until after the dives to use the drops then.

 

[CobaltWave]

Thank you both for your help. This weekend I will be diving the same profile again without the drops and hopefully without incident.

I have always found it good to find a solution to a problem, but it best to also know the cause. This way you'll know have to prevent it in the 1st place.

Thanks again,

Mike

 

[knobber]

Saturation once bubbled...
There are several possibilities.

Benign positional vertigo, its more common in folks over 50 years old, all things being normal, simple head movements can trigger dizziness.

I've had this, and I was only 27. Very scary, but totally harmless. If it bothers you when you look up at an angle, this may be the cause. A trip to an audiologist may be in your future. IF it is BPPV, it's a simple cure, but is a 1-2 day process to work right. Do a search for BPPV on the net and see if you come up with similarities to what you have.