Headache

[Diver Dan 28]

Hey everyone. Long story short made a dive to 104' the other day. Made a deep stop at 60' for 2 mins and then my safety stop at 15' for 3 mins. I surfaced with my buddy and went to get the tanks filled and ate a good lunch. The SI was 3:45 mins. The last dive of the day we stayed above 60' and did our safety stop at15' for 3 mins, and I surfaced with a head ache that came on like a tornado. And then started feeling ill. So ill in fact I threw up the $12.50 lunch I bought. I have had this happen before and can't seem to understand why it happens to me. My buddy was fine.
We ate about an hour and a half before diving and I always get my tanks filled from the same DS when I'm in the area. I drink lots of water. I felt exhusted, sick and my head felt like it was in a vise. Any recommendations or ideas?

 

[kr2y5]

Could it be sinus barotrauma? In any case, call DAN, it does not cost anything...

 

[TSandM]

What was the dive like? Were you fighting current, or having to swim hard? The symptoms sound very much like CO2 retention, which is typically seen in people exerting underwater, people who skip breathe, or people doing very deep dives where gas viscosity is an issue.

The alternative, of course, is bad gas . . . CO would give you the same symptoms.

 

[bumcikaz]

I get headache when skip breathing, but never throw up

 

[TSandM]

My first day of diving at the Devil's Ear at Ginnie Springs, I came out of the second dive thinking my head was going to explode. I later got extremely nauseated, although eating something heavy in Jalapeños for lunch probably didn't help much. That was pure CO2 retention, and I've had it almost every time I've dived Ginnie, except when katepnatl gave me a birthday present of 260 cubic feet of 21/35

 

[Dr Deco]

This sounds like CO2 retention.

 

[Diver Dan 28]

Thanks guys, what's skip breathing? It was a lake dive and we're were just swimming through pvc obstacles. Nothing super crazy. If it was co2 retention what is the best way to not retain it.

 

[TSandM]

Skip breathing is where you hold your breath for a little while between breaths. It's a common technique for people who are trying to stretch their gas supply. But you can also retain CO2 if you aren't breathing enough to keep up with a high level of exertion (thus my headaches at Ginnie). Another thing that can lead to CO2 retention is a poorly tuned regulator with high work of breathing.

 

[DocVikingo]

If it was co2 retention what is the best way to not retain it.

1. First & foremost, take full, slow and, most importantly, regular, rhythmic breaths.

2. Make sure your reg is sharply tuned to factory specs.

3. Decrease exercise rate & avoid overexterion.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Dan,

Concur with the other posters here. Most likely CO2 retention but could also be sinus barotrauma or carbon monoxide poisoning. Did you notice any neurological symptoms like a disturbance in your gait, loss of balance, or inability to think clearly? Did you have a cold or sinus infection? Any difficulty equalizing? Did you take any medications before the dive?

Best regards,
DDM