Long term Midday Lightheaded

[Eric Muscat]

Hi I did the Free diver and Advanced Free diver course in 4 days on 14 august was the last day and we did the deep dives at 40m and also got a loss of motor control in the warm up.

That day i was 100% even after the long dive session. The next morning I felt the first time lightheaded, vertigo and confusion cause i feel that i cant think clearly or focus sometimes so I stayed home and relax for 3 days. The vertigo was gone but that lightheadedness/ confusion stayed on me.

After a week of lightheaded I went to a normal doctor to check my ears and he said that everything is fine and i was still feeling lightheaded. 3 weeks later I was still the same and went to ENT specialist. He checked my ears and balancing and he said that everything is okay and you're good to dive so I kept free diving for like 2 hours sessions. The day after a free diving session sometimes I be worst then the previous day.

Also one day I went to free dive and the sea was rough and I just did 3 dives of 20m in 30mins and got seasick and I went back home and the day after I was horrible with lightheadedness (I also get seasickness but i take seasickness pills)

A week ago I stopped free diving completely to maybe get better, but the recovery from this lightheaded is so slow even when i don't Free dive. Today 1st October I am still lightheaded in midday at work mostly. I am waiting for blood-test result to begin from scratch again to check what I have.

I searched so many on the internet for my type of situation and none of it hit what I have directly.

The research that I made I think that It can be a lot of things related to lightheaded like hypoxia or something with the brain function or heart.

I am posting this post because when I learned that I can dive deeper and longer I was so mad to keep doing it and training free diving as my hobby but I cant do that!
I will appreciate so much if someone had like what I have and tell me some tips what I can do please
Thanks!

 

[Kodama]

When you mentioned being light headed AND confused I immediately thought of Taravana.
However you would think that the symptoms would have disappeared by now.
Where you wearing a dive computer during the day you got the first symptoms?
It may be worth sharing your dive profile.

Anyway I am just guessing here and my best advice is to seek medical help from a doctor specializing in freediving. Sometimes physicians with limited knowledge regarding freediving overlook critical aspects that may lead to curing your issue.

 

[Eric Muscat]

When you mentioned being light headed AND confused I immediately thought of Taravana.
However you would think that the symptoms would have disappeared by now.
Where you wearing a dive computer during the day you got the first symptoms?
It may be worth sharing your dive profile.

Anyway I am just guessing here and my best advice is to seek medical help from a doctor specializing in freediving. Sometimes physicians with limited knowledge regarding freediving overlook critical aspects that may lead to curing your issue.

That day I didnt had the dive computer, we did facial immersion npsa and 2 exhale dives and then the deep dives. Thanks very much kodama

 

[hteas]

Since you are in Europe, I would contact AIDA and ask about good diving physicians with freediving experience..

 

[Eric Muscat]

I think it would be nice, cause every doctor i asked told me that iam ok, even blood results and ear results

 

[Mr. X]

Eric, A non-diver I know recently starting complaining about "vertigo" while using her computers and driving at dusk. After 3 visits to doctors' surgeries she was diagnosed with a possible inner ear infection. She was given a drug that sounds like it might be brain related; I forget the name, I think it might have started "Cor"/"Cort"/"Coretex" (any doctors/pharmacists out there?) , which is not an anti-inflammatory (she can't take them). Anyway the medication seems to be helping and there was an visible improvement the day after she started taking it (it was getting worse before that). She said the medication (one tablet a day I think) "knocked her out", i.e. made her very sleepy, so she went straight to be bed after taking it for the first time.

BTW sudden caffeine intake withdrawl/reduction or very low carb intake can cause lightheadedness.

RE. seasickness, separate from the potentially more serious vertigo issue. I am a chronic sufferer myself and sometimes barf while spearing in choppy seas - don't even need a boat I was watching one of Oz/Brit spearo Dan Mann's excellent youtube videos recently, Q&As, and he mentioned that he uses a particular travel sickness tablet to combat seasickness. Worth considering I think. Other possible remedies for seasickness, eating a fatty full English breakfast (my favourite, I would also suggest not having cereal, milk or lots of carbs, like bread/croissants/... but, if you do, use plenty of butter, to slow down absorption and boost fat content ). People balk at that traditional advice, I know I did, but it works surprisingly well for me. The other one will likely not appeal to you: train on a trampoline - I suppose it gets your body used to be thrown around all over the place

 

[cdavis]

Agree with Kodama and, if it is DCS, going to a doc who is not intimately familiar with both freediving and DCS is a waste of time. A DCS issue on your profile is pretty unusual. One thing that might have contributed. Do I understand that you had a LMC on warmup and continued diving, getting to 40 m?

 

[Eric Muscat]

Eric, A non-diver I know recently starting complaining about "vertigo" while using her computers and driving at dusk. After 3 visits to doctors' surgeries she was diagnosed with a possible inner ear infection. She was given a drug that sounds like it might be brain related; I forget the name, I think it might have started "Cor"/"Cort"/"Coretex" (any doctors/pharmacists out there?) , which is not an anti-inflammatory (she can't take them). Anyway the medication seems to be helping and there was an visible improvement the day after she started taking it (it was getting worse before that). She said the medication (one tablet a day I think) "knocked her out", i.e. made her very sleepy, so she went straight to be bed after taking it for the first time.

BTW sudden caffeine intake withdrawl/reduction or very low carb intake can cause lightheadedness.

RE. seasickness, separate from the potentially more serious vertigo issue. I am a chronic sufferer myself and sometimes barf while spearing in choppy seas - don't even need a boat I was watching one of Oz/Brit spearo Dan Mann's excellent youtube videos recently, Q&As, and he mentioned that he uses a particular travel sickness tablet to combat seasickness. Worth considering I think. Other possible remedies for seasickness, eating a fatty full English breakfast (my favourite, I would also suggest not having cereal, milk or lots of carbs, like bread/croissants/... but, if you do, use plenty of butter, to slow down absorption and boost fat content ). People balk at that traditional advice, I know I did, but it works surprisingly well for me. The other one will likely not appeal to you: train on a trampoline - I suppose it gets your body used to be thrown around all over the place

Since then, I went to a neurologist and sent me for an MRI, results of MRI are not out yet cause I did it yesterday...The MRI was about pictures of the inside of the ear mostly and parts of the brain.

I think computer makes me worst but when I stopped using it the condition was healing but I didnt healed 100% still. Also when I have work pressure or life problems the condition get worst

Once I took Caffeine and it was like I took a heavy drug.

seasickness pills I was using Navidoxine.

Since then, I think maybe it can be anxiety/depression or in need of a glasses.

the question is how this lightheadedness is connected to freediving or maybe it was just triggered by freediving or maybe its not connected at all.
At the moment I didnt dived for about 6weeks and iam still feeling it

Always Thanks for helping

 

[Eric Muscat]

Agree with Kodama and, if it is DCS, going to a doc who is not intimately familiar with both freediving and DCS is a waste of time. A DCS issue on your profile is pretty unusual. One thing that might have contributed. Do I understand that you had a LMC on warmup and continued diving, getting to 40 m?

Agree with Kodama and, if it is DCS, going to a doc who is not intimately familiar with both freediving and DCS is a waste of time. A DCS issue on your profile is pretty unusual. One thing that might have contributed. Do I understand that you had a LMC on warmup and continued diving, getting to 40 m?

When I went to hyperbaric unit, A scuba diving specialist doctor came to check me and told me that its impossible to get dcs if i do just 4 dives to 40 meters normally to get it you need to make a 5hour session going up and down fast at that depth or more and since then 3months have passed

Yes I had LMC on an exhale dive in the first 3 dives and then I continued with full lungs dives then

 

[Mr. X]

Glad to hear you got an MRI Eric, sounds like they are taking it seriously

I came across an interesting video on salt on youtube. Salt deficiency can cause all kinds of problems including lightheadedness and swelling of the brain and insulin resistance among others.

 

[Eric Muscat]

Glad to hear you got an MRI Eric, sounds like they are taking it seriously

I came across an interesting video on salt on youtube. Salt deficiency can cause all kinds of problems including lightheadedness and swelling of the brain and insulin resistance among others.

Sorry i didnt get that, what do you meanby salt ?

 

[cdavis]

" scuba diving specialist doctor"

Freediving is so different from scuba, hugely different ascent rates for one thing, that scuba expectations just don't lead to correct diagnosis. I agree that DCS in this case is not likely, but there are more than one case of freediving DCS that just don't fit the scuba profile. Example: a diving buddy of mine got a mild DCS hit after a long session of 50-60 ft spearo dives and then flew home on an unpressurized plane. Even with the airplane ride, DCS should be impossible, but he went to the chamber and got a definite diagnosis.

 

[cdavis]

Just a shot in the dark, try a session of breathing oxygen. You should be able to rent the equipment and a little research would tell you how to do it safely, what percentage 02 to use, and how long. If it works, maybe you did have a DCS .

 

[Eric Muscat]

Just a shot in the dark, try a session of breathing oxygen. You should be able to rent the equipment and a little research would tell you how to do it safely, what percentage 02 to use, and how long. If it works, maybe you did have a DCS .

" scuba diving specialist doctor"

Freediving is so different from scuba, hugely different ascent rates for one thing, that scuba expectations just don't lead to correct diagnosis. I agree that DCS in this case is not likely, but there are more than one case of freediving DCS that just don't fit the scuba profile. Example: a diving buddy of mine got a mild DCS hit after a long session of 50-60 ft spearo dives and then flew home on an unpressurized plane. Even with the airplane ride, DCS should be impossible, but he went to the chamber and got a definite diagnosis.

DCS can take more then 3months to heal by it self then ?..also I did an operation in my knee last wednesday, i dont know if i where breathing pure oxygen in the operation when i was sleeping. In my country when i talked to a doctor specialized in freediving on the phone he also said i dont think its a taravana, he told me if i was you i start to talk with a neurologist, I talked to an aida neurologist specialized in freediving on phone and he said to talk a neurologist and he should examine you, in my country there are only 4 neurologists and none specialized in freediving

 

[Eric Muscat]

Just a shot in the dark, try a session of breathing oxygen. You should be able to rent the equipment and a little research would tell you how to do it safely, what percentage 02 to use, and how long. If it works, maybe you did have a DCS .

I think in an operation they give you pure oxygen right ? i had an 1 hour operation I dont know if i already shot in the dark

 

[cdavis]

DCS can take more then 3months to heal by it self then ?..also I did an operation in my knee last wednesday, i dont know if i where breathing pure oxygen in the operation when i was sleeping. In my country when i talked to a doctor specialized in freediving on the phone he also said i dont think its a taravana, he told me if i was you i start to talk with a neurologist, I talked to an aida neurologist specialized in freediving on phone and he said to talk a neurologist and he should examine you, in my country there are only 4 neurologists and none specialized in freediving

DCS can take a long time to resolve, but I'd have expected most symptoms to be gone or much reduced by now. Still, I'm sure no expert. On the 02, I'd call the hospital and find out the percent of 02 used and how long. I suspect they would not be using a breathing mix of 100 percent 02. Its my understanding that 100 percent is what to used for DCS treatment, but again, I'm no expert on the details. Unfortunate they did not try that at the chamber.

Sounds like you are giving it a good try and getting the medical run-around. Understandable in this case, but enough to make you crazy. Wish I could help

 

[Eric Muscat]

DCS can take a long time to resolve, but I'd have expected most symptoms to be gone or much reduced by now. Still, I'm sure no expert. On the 02, I'd call the hospital and find out the percent of 02 used and how long. I suspect they would not be using a breathing mix of 100 percent 02. Its my understanding that 100 percent is what to used for DCS treatment, but again, I'm no expert on the details. Unfortunate they did not try that at the chamber.

Sounds like you are giving it a good try and getting the medical run-around. Understandable in this case, but enough to make you crazy. Wish I could help

Yeah mate, iam so mad to go freediving and after 3months it makes the disease unbearable and getting mad, i will do as you say or i mention it to the neurologist
So thanks a lot for now buddy