Unusual Pain Diving, first time after 10 Dives

[MichaelRyanSd]

To give a little profile of myself, I am young, run a lot, and overall in good health.

Today I went on my 10th dive, I have done deep dives up to 105 ft, I have done multiple dives in a day, and as of now, have had no issues diving as far as not being able to clear sinuses, headaches, or anything...so basically I have been pretty lucky.

Well today after about a 200 yard kick out from the beach, we caught our breath and went diving, immediately into the dive to about 24 ft there was like 2-3ft viz. I lost my buddy mid way through the decent, kept going till I hit the bottom, waited for like 30 secs and realized I wasn't going to find him. So I began my ascent, I believe my ascent was a little more rapid the normal, because my dive computer started blinking towards the top.

After bobbing around my dive buddy popped up and he and I both agreed the viz sucked, and that maybe we should work on compass nav to make the day worthwhile.

Well we began our descent again, I'm not sure how deep, maybe 10 ft or so, I started getting this sharp shooting pain right above my left eye, it didn't necessarily feel like it was my sinus, may have been, but more like the corner of the eye. But it felt like someone was stabbing me in the corner of my eye.

The higher I ascended, the better it got, but still at the top while I was bobbing around, it was still killing me pretty bad. I was literally checking my eye to see if it was bleeding because that was what it felt like. It gradually subsided after about 2-3 mins.

Well this whole time I have been a little light-headed, little fatigued, nothing major.


Thoughts? Comments?

Decompression Sickness or something else?

 

[diver 85]

"The higher I ascended, the better it got'....I would guess a sinus problem,.............VERY great chance it was not your (left) eye.......

 

[MichaelRyanSd]

I would say that the pain went from intense like 9-10 scale, and subsided to like a 7, so it did subside, but not by much

 

[irishsquid]

I would say that the pain went from intense like 9-10 scale, and subsided to like a 7, so it did subside, but not by much

Mask squeeze?

 

[diver 85]

I would say that the pain went from intense like 9-10 scale, and subsided to like a 7, so it did subside, but not by much

You sure you didn't go diving with an 'active' wasp nest inside your mask-------please tell me you don't store your mask 'out hanging in the barn'...lol

I missed it I guess but when(if ever) did your head return to 'normal' ?..

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The most likely diagnosis is sinus squeeze.
Definitely not DCS since you weren't adequately nitrogen-loaded.

In some people, the quick bounce dive you describe is enough to cause some stuffiness/inflammation in the sinuses. In others, there may be some pre-existing sinus congestion due to allergies, head cold, etc. At the surface, a pocket of gas gets trapped within the sinus. Upon descent, the greater ambient pressure seeks equilibration with the trapped air space...when it can't do this, it places lots of stress on whatever is preventing equalization. That's what was causing your pain. If you were able to finally equalize at depth, you might have noticed some blood coming from your nose when you eventually ascended to the surface. During ascent, you might have felt a "pressure release" of some sort. That probably resulted from the sinus pocket equalizing with the decreased ambient pressure.

OK, so you're probably wondering: "How do I prevent this ice pick-like pain from occurring again?" You could resolve not to do bounce dives. Or, if you must bounce, slow down your descents to minimize irritation to the membranes in your sinuses. You could choose not to dive when your sinuses are congested. If allergies are to blame, you could take appropriate measures (avoid allergens, take antihistamines, etc.). You could also look into taking a decongestant. Bear in mind that I'm not just talking about OTC meds such as pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, and phenylephrine. Some people have had good success with the Neti pot.

It's highly unlikely that it's anything to worry about. Hope this explanation satisfies your curiosity...

 

[toddthecat]

^ Agreed. Certainly not a decompression related problem. You'd be amazed how big the sinus cavity can be on some people. A sinus squeeze doesn't have to mean in the general vicinity of your nose or between your eyes.

 

[InTheDrink]

I'd second the sinus consensus. I've had it a couple of times and it hurts like buggery. For this reason I carry sinutab on diving trips, just in case.

J

 

[cutlass]

Was this pain in the area of the eyebrow; perhaps a bit below it and toward the outside half?

This area contains the lacrimal gland which is the source of tears. A branch of what's called the trigeminal nerve extends to this area. This nerve is known for a condition known as "tic douloureux" or "trigeminal neuralgia" which is a sudden, extremely painful stabbing pain, much more commonly about the cheeks or jaw (the 2 other main branches of the trigeminal) but in the rare case, occurring about the upper eyelid/lacrimal gland. The pain may last a few seconds or a few minutes (esp. 2-3 minutes) but hurts like the s.o.b. The trigger event could be an almost insignificant touch; pressure from the sinuses or mask are also possibilities.

For the moment, the good money is on sinus pressure as was well explained by Bubbletrubble. However, if you experience a repeat episode outside of diving or it happens about the cheek or jaw, and certainly if its frequency steps up, then you should go to your doctor.