New to Scuba-Not feeling right after first pool dive; need advice

[DMdive]

Hi Everyone,
I'm excited to become a part of what seems like an amazing community of awesome people! I just finished my first pool session yesterday. My initial concern was being able to clear my ears b/c I've always suffered from year-round allergies. However, I did it! I was so determined and it didn't seem nearly as hard/painful as I thought it would be. What a relief. I didn't actually feel my right ear clear, but it never hurt, so I am hoping all is okay. After about two hours in the pool it seemed like it was getting harder to breathe out of my regulator-like I had to work at it, whereas when we first started it was easy breezy. My instructor tried it and said it was normal. After about an hour of finishing and getting home it hit me: I was completely wiped out and a headache started. Not a sinus headache, but one towards the back of my head. I'm wondering two things: a reverse block? Maybe I thought I was clearing my ears but didn't on the ascending? or could it be that I wasn't getting enough oxygen or breathing correctly? For as little activity as we were doing in the deep end I sure felt out of breath the whole time, and I'm a runner and in pretty good shape.

I welcome any advice. Our second pool dive is tomorrow. I woke up with a migraine and my entire body hurts. Help?

 

[00wabbit]

Hi Everyone,
I'm excited to become a part of what seems like an amazing community of awesome people! I just finished my first pool session yesterday. My initial concern was being able to clear my ears b/c I've always suffered from year-round allergies. However, I did it! I was so determined and it didn't seem nearly as hard/painful as I thought it would be. What a relief. I didn't actually feel my right ear clear, but it never hurt, so I am hoping all is okay. After about two hours in the pool it seemed like it was getting harder to breathe out of my regulator-like I had to work at it, whereas when we first started it was easy breezy. My instructor tried it and said it was normal. After about an hour of finishing and getting home it hit me: I was completely wiped out and a headache started. Not a sinus headache, but one towards the back of my head. I'm wondering two things: a reverse block? Maybe I thought I was clearing my ears but didn't on the ascending? or could it be that I wasn't getting enough oxygen or breathing correctly? For as little activity as we were doing in the deep end I sure felt out of breath the whole time, and I'm a runner and in pretty good shape.

I welcome any advice. Our second pool dive is tomorrow. I woke up with a migraine and my entire body hurts. Help?

Im no doctor - but when I et a reverse block I feel it in the front of my head in my sinuses.

You were probably breathing too shallow and getting some co2 buildup. This can come from breathing too shallow or too fast on the reg. it can make your head pound and give you a headache later


also be careful when equalizing not to push too hard. It shouldn't hurt you. I have allergy problems and have to take allergy meds to dive. You really need to start them days in advance. I also used a neti pot the nits before a dive to try and open things up

in time clearing got much easier although sometimes I still et a slight reverse block coming up. When it happens I stop ascending and wait for it to clear.

If you are concerned give Dan a call and the can help you out. Dan is divers alert network

 

[Dsix36]

Like 00wabbit stated, shallow breathing will cause CO2 buildup in your body. This can lead to a nice little headache. Problem develops because you do not exhale fully to get the CO2 out of your lungs.

I had this issue when I first started diving and had to make a conscience effort to breathe deep and full with each breathe and then also to remember to exhale fully.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

If you were not a runner I'd say it was the extra exertion with unfamiliar gear. And some of it might be. But the hard breathing is not normal with most modern regs that are balanced and designed to deliver air at the same rate no matter the tank pressure. Now if you were using an older reg it is possible it would get harder to breathe in a pool as the tank pressure went down but not as much as you describe.
I wouldn't expect a reverse block in the back of your head. It moslty manifests in the front in the sinus cavities. The one time I had one it paralyzed the entire right side of my face and 1600 mg of ibuprofen barely made the pain tolerable.
Did you note the tank pressure at the end and how did the instructor check the reg? In the water or on the surface? And clearing should not have been painful at all. Period. NO pain if done correctly.
Were you in a wet suit and if so how did it fit?
Was there any smell or taste to the air in your tank at all?
I am a little surprised that you didn't feel your ear clear. Suppose it's possible but never heard anyone say that.
As this is new and you are seemingly in good physical shape I would be hesitant to get back in the water without getting this checked out. How many pool sesssions are you supposed to have during this course. As an instructor had you told me this I'd first of all advise you to get checked, then I'd check the reg myself on the same tank in the deep end of the pool where you experienced the issues, and before you left the pool and were still feeling ok we'd have switched regs as well just to allow you to compare them. I'd also likely check the air in the tank for CO and maybe even empty, vis, and refill it. And check the compressor. What you are describing is not normal. Tired? Yes. Slight headache? Maybe. Ears feeling a little full? Ok. But migraine and entire body hurting? NO, see a doctor before you get back in the water and describe in detail to him/her the whole story.

 

[Quero]

I've had students think the regulator wasn't delivering air a couple of times during pool sessions. They felt that they had to suck the air in. Usually it's when the student is tired and stress has been building throughout the session, and it's usually those students who are worriers and had concerns coming in to the class. What happens is that they get all tense, their heart rate increases, and their breathing becomes shallow, causing too much CO2 to build up and making them feel air starved. It's not that the reg isn't delivering the air, it's that the perception of air starvation leads them to conclude that it's the equipment when in reality it's their breathing pattern. The resulting headache from the CO2 makes everything worse, the body tension makes it hard to perform the skills, which then adds to the stress. And the muscle tension causes body aches later on.

Tell your instructor what happened to you, and make sure you take your time doing everything during your next pool session. Don't let yourself get stressed out. And make sure you breathe from your diaphragm, not just your upper chest (stomach breathing, like in yoga). This will help prevent the CO2 headache, and deep breathing helps with stress, as well, both in preventing it and coping with it. When I get a student who is starting to stress and who tells me the reg isn't delivering air, I call it a day, get the student out of the water and out of the gear, talk it out a bit, and take extra care with the student during the next session.

 

[Diveflag UK]

I don't think I can add much to the excellent replies above, just to stress ~ please tell your Instructor tomorrow and explain what has happened. If you still feel unwell or get worse then seek medical advice. I agree with CO2 buildup and used to suffer this myself, however being careful is always better. Oh, and remember.. relax ~ it's meant to be fun!

Hope it all goes great tomorrow.

 

[DMdive]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.
Yes, I was a worried diver going into this b/c of my allergies/ear clearing fears. yes, I did feel like maybe I was worried so my breathing may have been too shallow, that makes sense. I have moved the pool work until Wednesday, I have spoken with my instructor (she's amazing by the way) and I think it's a combination of all the things you all mentioned: stress, worry wart, shallow breathing, new/unused muscles being worked, stress leading to a migraine. Also, my jaw is really sore this morning from biting down on the regulator.

All lessons learned. Thanks again everyone. Happy diving!

 

[MauiWOWSme]

Hi Everyone,
I'm excited to become a part of what seems like an amazing community of awesome people! I just finished my first pool session yesterday. My initial concern was being able to clear my ears b/c I've always suffered from year-round allergies. However, I did it! I was so determined and it didn't seem nearly as hard/painful as I thought it would be. What a relief. I didn't actually feel my right ear clear, but it never hurt, so I am hoping all is okay. After about two hours in the pool it seemed like it was getting harder to breathe out of my regulator-like I had to work at it, whereas when we first started it was easy breezy. My instructor tried it and said it was normal. After about an hour of finishing and getting home it hit me: I was completely wiped out and a headache started. Not a sinus headache, but one towards the back of my head. I'm wondering two things: a reverse block? Maybe I thought I was clearing my ears but didn't on the ascending? or could it be that I wasn't getting enough oxygen or breathing correctly? For as little activity as we were doing in the deep end I sure felt out of breath the whole time, and I'm a runner and in pretty good shape.

I welcome any advice. Our second pool dive is tomorrow. I woke up with a migraine and my entire body hurts. Help?

I was feeling the same as you after my pool dive (June, 2013), like I was not getting air, and the headache afterward, too. I was told that it was because of my breathing--that I was breathing in my own exhales, mixed with a little air from my tank. I used up more air than the others in my pool dive class, too. I was breathing shallow, almost hyperventilating due to my anxiety over learning the dive skills. I explained this to my Scuba instructor in Maui where I finished my certification, and he paid close and careful attention to my breathing, even giving me out of water instruction and signals for when under water breathing instruction might occur (if needed). With his attention, I was able to stay under for fifty-two minutes on my first ocean dive, and I still had plenty of tank air remaining after that dive. The ocean environment is better than the pool because you are dividing your attention between learning your dive skills and the new world under the surface that called us to Scuba diving in the first place. I saw Hawaiian sea turtles, and a white-tip reef shark in motion on my first dive! The pool is confined, claustrophobic, and it doesn't offer any diversion; the ocean does!

Make sure you smell and taste your tank air tomorrow. Also, think about your breathing, and stretch the inhale to make sure you are getting ample tank air, and not just your own exhaled breath.

 

[Quero]

Also, my jaw is really sore this morning from biting down on the regulator.

That seals it! Biting down hard on the regulator mouthpiece is a clear indication of stress. You are not alone in this, though! Like everybody who has rental dive gear for students' use, I have a whole box of rubber mouthpieces to replace the bitten-through ones!

Now that you've gained some self-awareness, and now that your amazing instructor is heads-up with your concerns and is willing to work with you on them, I'm pretty sure the next time you come back here, it will be with news of how much better the session went, how much more at ease you have become (even if not entirely at ease, but at least somewhat more), and how much less you feel as if you were hit by a truck when you wake up the next day. Diving is amazing, and you certainly appear to have the will to succeed or you wouldn't have come to us to talk about your worries. I'm confident you'll eventually be able to come to SB and give advice to new divers such as, "after my first pool session I felt like I had been hit by a truck!" and include a link to this thread!

 

[Stingray6062]

Hi dmdive, I've seen this before in classes. I think what you're doing is not fully exhaling. Which is normal when we first go under water, our brains want us to hold our breath. Think about taking a deep breath and then letting only half of it out. Then taking another deep breath and only letting a small part of that breath out. I've actually seen students be convinced that their regs had stopped working, because they inhale with out exhaling. All that air held in lungs starts to turn to co2. So you probably were not getting enough O2. Try inhaling for account of 4 and exhaling for a count of 6-8. That should clean out your lungs, and prevent those headaches. Also by emptying the lungs you become heavier and need less weight when you dive. I hope this helps good, luck