Headache After Diving?

[Alenzo]

I am having a sever headache after most of the dives. The strange thing is that the headache starts after 4 or 5 hours of the dive till the next day. During the dive no headache, i complete the diving smoothly without any problems.

I don't think this CO2 building, because i think i am breathing properly.
PS: I always have a runny nose, however i am equalizing my ears properly.

Please i need your ideas and advises??

Thanks

[Bubbletrubble]

Headache associated with diving can have many different causes. Divers Alert Network has an article about diver headaches. Read the article and see if you get any ideas about the cause.

If you are still concerned, see a physician for medical follow-up. I think a dive-savvy neurologist would be a good choice. If you don't know of one, Divers Alert Network should be able to give you a referral.

Good luck.

[Alenzo]

thanks for you reply, I read the article and read many other posts but i didnt find anything related to Headache that occures after 4 or 5 hours.

All headaches they speak about is within or directly upon surfacing..

[Bubbletrubble]

The thing that makes diagnosis difficult is: (1) the 4-5 hr. delay in onset post-dive, (2) any number of things can cause dive-related headaches, and (3) the fact that you are still a relatively new diver who has experienced these post-dive headaches a limited number of times (this speaks to reproducibility of the phenomenon and would mean something different coming from an experienced diver who was diving pain-free for years and then all of a sudden started getting such headaches).

You really haven't given that much detail about your headaches other than the onset of the pain. If you see a physician about this, he/she will ask many detailed questions about your headache: precise location of the pain, any associated symptoms (nausea, vomiting, dizziness, vision disturbances, lightheadedness, light-sensitivity,other neurological issues), duration of the pain, do you get this kind of headache when you aren't diving, were you "sick" at the time, what were your dive profiles like (aggressive, conservative), how fast did you ascend, what was the temperature of the water, were you wearing a tightly-fitting hood, were you biting down hard on the mouthpiece, is it possible you were dehydrated, quality/character of the pain (sharp, dull, pulsating, transient), what makes it better (aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, lying down, darkness), what makes it worse (certain body positions, bright light, exercise), any history of dental disease/TMJ disorder, how physically fit are you, any history of allergies/sinus problems, did you have a sinus infection at the time, any past history of headache/hypertension/cardiovascular disease, any of those issues run in your family, etc. The list of questions is very long, and it's impractical for someone to diagnose something like this over the Internet.

Headaches can sometimes be a sign of some other insidious medical condition.
If you are particularly troubled by these headaches, then see a doctor.

[JonKranhouse]

Alenzo,

Bubbletrubble offers sound advice.

I also suggest you carefully review this thread for a very complete list of possible causes. Unfortunately, as I detail in that thread, there's MUCH more than medical science involved in diagnosing your condition - business goals often play a large role in the diagnostic regimen.

IF your profiles are anywhere close to the edge of what's considered "safe," considering the long-delay of onset (and presuming you're not driving to altitude, boozing or exercising / stretching in a way that could create a nerve pinch), I would personally suspect a bubble-related phenomenon. The delayed onset, as you yourself note, is provocative.

If you were a military diver, and ruled out the other possibilities that BT and I've mentioned, you would probably have requested and received a "test with pressure" to rule out DCI. The "standard-of-care" for US Navy divers is superior, whereas the US recreational diving industry has a record of lowering their SOC to increase profitability for those at the top of the industry's pyramid (examples of how standards are lowered by mutual agreement in this other thread).

[Alenzo]

Thank you for your posts, i am going to see a physician very soon..

I have one more question, i heard that a hole in the heart will cause a headache post the dive in 4 to 6 hours.

Is this true???

Thank You

[Bubbletrubble]

I have one more question, i heard that a hole in the heart will cause a headache post the dive in 4 to 6 hours.

Is this true???

Not necessarily true...but it's certainly in the realm of possibility.
There is a significant amount of scientific literature on the association of patent foramen ovale (PFO) with migraine headaches featuring aura. Check it out if you have the time.

[Ally Matangi]

I am having a sever headache after most of the dives. The strange thing is that the headache starts after 4 or 5 hours of the dive till the next day. During the dive no headache, i complete the diving smoothly without any problems.

I don't think this CO2 building, because i think i am breathing properly.
PS: I always have a runny nose, however i am equalizing my ears properly.

Please i need your ideas and advises??

Thanks

Hey I had the same experience about two years ago...Well it turned out to originate from my jaw, thank goodness a tooth problem nothing serious. Please seek proper medical advise.

[Alenzo]

Hey I had the same experience about two years ago...Well it turned out to originate from my jaw, thank goodness a tooth problem nothing serious. Please seek proper medical advise.

Ally,
You had a post dive headache ( 4 or 5 hours after the dive)?

Thanks

[chrisski]

I would try the simplist thing first, stay hydrated.