Diving disiness

[watermanmax]

In Jan this year I had a cold, but flew anyway....2 days later I free dove to like 30 feet down.

Well been a little dizzy ever since....wh en I lay down....hits me like a wave.....and when I look straight up.

Been to my VA doctor and they just chewed me out for diving/flying/and a cold all at the same time.

Any of ya ol divers have a way to fix this?

[Stumble]

Sounds like an inner ear issue. You might want to see an ENT about it.

[transmitterdan]

I agree you need to have this looked at by an ENT with diving knowledge. You may have a long term inner ear infection or possibly inner ear barotrauma. I knew a person that had something like this for decades. Finally found a doctor that could understand the problem. Cured with minor surgery and antibiotics.

If you don't know a doctor with experience in diving you can call Divers Alert Network at +1 (919) 684-2948. I think even if you are not a DAN member they will know a doctor in your area trained in diving medicine and give you contact information. If they do not help you please let me know.

[belizesailor]

As suggested, see a good ENT with diving knowledge to ensure its nothing serious.

Fortunately, most minor barotrauma is self resolving, but may take a long time. I injured my ear a few years ago...took almost two years to fully heal, but now is 100% again.

I did initially go to an ENT to verify nothing serious then did a couple of follow you visits over time. He ran tests to check progress.

Visit the DAN site for more info.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, watermanmax.

[Azul]

Look up the differential diagnosis for vertigo on WebMD, that should be enough to scare the daylights out of you. Lots of people get this for a few days or weeks due to a head cold (labyrinthitis,) mild barotrauma or bad luck (benign positional paroxysmal vertigo) but it is not common for it to last four months. Barotrauma should be improving by now, so your doctor is probably going to order an MRI just to make sure there isn't something worse going on, such as a mass lesion- which is extremely rare.

It may take months to get an ENT appointment. Go to your family doctor with your research and consider an MRI now unless there is an obvious cause such as chronic serous otitis media or a ruptured tympanic membrane.

[jacob30]

Alternobaric vertigo is what you are probably experiencing. Don't dive sick.


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[smj]

You could try this excercise, it works for some people.
http://youtu.be/QAJIlO8ihYw