Dizziness & Trouble focusing during OWS- Should I be concerned?

[alpinerabbit]

OWS is an entirely different animal, especially when it's the first of the year, first in a wetsuit, and cold water - I almost got a bit seasick on Sunday morning - but do take care and perhaps swim with a buddy next time (yes, you can't drown in the wetsuit but better safe than sorry?)

[Tri Girl]

Whenever you get into cold, cold water- your body freaks out a little (gasping, etc). I'm sure what you felt was "normal" in that I'm sure it wasn't something to be worried about. I've done tris for 4 years, and every time I do open water swims at the start of the season, my first one is always HORRIBLE. Try it again and see how you feel- and never swim alone if at all humanly possible. Even in a wetsuit- things can go wrong.

[roadie gal]

Cold water hitting the eardrum stimulates a response in the inner ear that will give you vertigo. Your response was perfectly normal.

(Squirting cold water into someone's ear used to be one of the tests for brain dysfunction in coma patients. If their eyes didn't move back and forth you knew they had some very serious deep brain dysfunction. Or if you ever just want to make someone puke, you can squirt very cold water into their ear. Just sayin'...)

If you go out into cold water again you might want to try wearing earplugs. That will keep the cold water from hitting the eardrum and making you dizzy.

[Chicken Little]

I am just a little curious what you heart rate was when you dipped your face in the cold water. Weird stuff happens when parts of the body are chilled, as previously mentioned with the eardrum.

[Urlea]

Thanks for all the of the input ladies. You are so helpful!

I'm thinking the eardrum thing might have been it. I tried out the wetsuit again for an OWS on Wed. and being mindful of how much water got into my ears seemed to help! I was able to swim about a mile very comfortably.

The only part that made me uncomfortable were a few reeds that got tangled up in my arms & I also have this strange fear of seeing the lake bottom. I'd much rather just see water rather than sand & weeds. It's odd.

I'm working on getting over that. What is so scary about the bottom of a lake? No idea, but apparently my brain thinks there is something.

[alpinerabbit]

bah, I got dizzy today as well.

OTOH, I had an entire lane in a 50m outdoor pool to myself. Me, myself, and my wetsuit

[ginny]

Just a little aside here, surfers actually get calcium buildup and can even get upper ear canal occlusions from the cold water. I know there are ear plugs out there with these little holes in them so you can hear but that the water can't get through... let me have a look and see if I can find them...
http://www.proplugs.com/
Google is so great... I know a bunch of kayakers and they all use these. Funny, I never thought about them for OWS; maybe I'll get some myself.