after a bend

[dlist]

i have been diving for approx 5 months and have reached max depth of 32 meters.
I suffered a mild bend recently experiencing tingling in one of my hands. I did two sessions in the decompression chamber.
My hand still does not feel 100%. i feel a bit of tingling or soreness every now and then but i feel and was told this
probably is tissue damage. I do not have an exact reason for the cause of the bend. I did 6 dives over 3 days. the first two dives were fairly shallow and short. first 17 meters for 20 mionutes. 2nd a number of hours later only to 5 meters. the next day first dive was 28 meters, 2nd dive was 30 meters with 3 hours surface interval.
Last day was 28 meters first dive and 32 meters 2nd dive. surface interval was 2 hrs 35 mins. I was fairly tired by the last day and dehydrated. second day i had a few glasses of wine the night before so may have been a bit hungover and tired. do you think it was a case that i pushed it too much?. Also when would i be recommended to dive again? and are the chances greater of getting a bend again?
My dive profiles were perfect for all of the dives.

 

[Dr Deco]

Dear dlist:

This is another of those relatively innocuous dive series with a resulting case of DCS. It is not possible to say why this problem ensued, as is true of most DCS events. Certainly the gas loads were not terrible.

The fact that you are still experiencing tingling in your hand seems to indicate that there was duration of several hours between the onset of the problem and the chamber treatment. It is possible that the gas loads were sufficient to cause a peripheral nerve problem (or a spinal nerve) if there was heavy lifting occurring with that arm. It is also possible that you simply are suffering from a disorder associated with a pinched nerve (and hence a less than fully successful chamber treatment).

This is simply an analysis from the viewpoint of decompression. The medical aspects of the matter must be discussed with a physician able to determine the extent of the injury.

I doubt that diving would be recommended in the face of unresolved nerve damage unless it is definitely unrelated to diving (e.g., a sprain).

Dr Deco :doctor:

 

[pasley]

dlist once bubbled...
...I suffered a mild bend recently experiencing tingling in one of my hands. .... I was fairly tired by the last day and dehydrated. second day i had a few glasses of wine the night before so may have been a bit hungover and tired....

NOT A Doctor or other expert. Just my $0.02 folllows:

Been there and took the chamber ride. Hope it is only a pinched nerve. If not, it may be nerve damage and permanent. Stay out of the water untill cleared to dive by your dive doctor.

But I would put my money on Dr. Deco and hope it is a pinched nerve.

Now about diving. You did a series of days with lots of diving and then addes increased risk factors of 1.) dehydration, 2.) alcohol (which increases dehydration) and 3.) fatique. Bottom line, it would appear that you increased your risk factors and paid the price. There could be a reason why most dive agencies instructions include admomishments against these diving dehydrated, tired and/or alcohol use before and immediatly after a dive.

Don't forget, just because you have surfaced, does not mean the dive is over. You are still off gassing for several hours after a dive.

Hope you fully recover.

 

[scubasean]

dlist once bubbled...

Last day was 28 meters first dive and 32 meters 2nd dive. surface interval was 2 hrs 35 mins.

Without times for these dives, can't tell how close to the tables you were...

But, sounds like the doc nailed it...

 

[dlist]

The last two dives were approx 30 minutes duration. I have checked my dive profiles and they are all fine and I was told that they were unlikely to have caused a bend. When I reached the surface at the end of the last dive on the the last day I had a bad headache. It lasted about 10 minutes. I don't normally get headaches and have never got a headache before when diving. By the time the boat reached the shore it was gone so I was not put on oxygen. The doctors that i was seen by would not be very familiar with diving incidents and so no one really will give me any advice. How can I find out if it is only a pinched nerve that I am experiencing at the moment?. I did not go into the chamber until nearly 48 hours after my last dive.

 

[scubasean]

I would think a neurologist could tell you if you had a pinched nerve.

Sean

 

[Saturation]

dlist once bubbled...
i have been diving for approx 5 months and have reached max depth of 32 meters.
I suffered a mild bend recently experiencing tingling in one of my hands. I did two sessions in the decompression chamber.
My hand still does not feel 100%. i feel a bit of tingling or soreness every now and then but i feel and was told this
probably is tissue damage. I do not have an exact reason for the cause of the bend. I did 6 dives over 3 days. the first two dives were fairly shallow and short. first 17 meters for 20 mionutes. 2nd a number of hours later only to 5 meters. the next day first dive was 28 meters, 2nd dive was 30 meters with 3 hours surface interval.
Last day was 28 meters first dive and 32 meters 2nd dive. surface interval was 2 hrs 35 mins. I was fairly tired by the last day and dehydrated. second day i had a few glasses of wine the night before so may have been a bit hungover and tired. do you think it was a case that i pushed it too much?. Also when would i be recommended to dive again? and are the chances greater of getting a bend again?
My dive profiles were perfect for all of the dives.

An isolated hand showing symptoms is very unlikely to be DCI as the innervation extends through the axillary nerve to two nerve branches to the hand. While possible to be DCI, its too focal, why didn't it also affect the rest of the axillary nerve? Most DCI episodes have some improvement with compression, even if incompletely resolved.

A simple test of strength and sensation of the hand is in order, even a primary care doctor can do this. It sounds like carpal tunnel or a variant of it, but why manifest after a dive is unusual.

A post dive headache could be a concern, but its often due to C02 or barotrauma to the sinuses and unlike DCI, both symtpoms improve with time on the surface.

 

[dlist]

It turns out that there was bad air in my bottle and that possibly caused the headache. I have not dived since this incident occurred (hand tingling) about 3 weeks ago. When would you recommend that I resume diving again?

 

[Saturation]

Hi:

Sounds like you could try it again. Bad air is concerning though, any dive shop wishing to do BASIC business should provide CGA quality Grade E air.