Bad Luck

[raviepoo]

You survived. You made some major errors. Your unpleasant experience could have ended much, much worse.

I want to slap the instructor who certified you. Where did you get the idea that it is OK to wait until you have 500 PSI left in your tank to BEGIN your ascent? Why are you diving solo on your 11th dive? Why didn't your instructor teach you to be careful and conservative, rather than push the tables or your computer to the limit? Didn't he or she teach you that you can die doing this stuff?

I really want to slap the instructor who signed off on your AOW cert for not making it clear to you that you should always do a safety stop, especially on deep dives.

It's true that you learned a lot from this experience, but you should have learned all of these things during your certification.

Please don't think I'm putting you down. I'm really glad you are OK and you have such a good attitude about your unfortunate experience. But I'm furious at the person who trained you, and then sent you off to be responsible for your own safety without effectively communicating some very basic safety concerns. IMHO, that person should not be teaching diving.

 

[Fetch]

After reading http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/MEbaro.html
as a new diver, I started making it a point to always attempt to clear my ears using the Frenzel, and not Valsalva maneuver.

As the throat is temporarily locked against pressure, it would seem that the pressure gradient involved in a Valsalva is avoided.

Is this an accurate assessment, or am I engaging in wishful thinking?

jeff

DocVikingo once bubbled...
Hi Zelevin,

In response to DrDeco's remark, "If something were done incorrectly (you climbed a ladder with your gear on and then performed a Valsalva-like maneuver) then I certainly would not do that again," you inquired, "what is wrong with it?"

DocVikingo

 

[The Iceni]

deepsix once bubbled...
The other diver always goes down a lot faster than I.

So first black mark to him for leaving you at the very start.

I like to watch my dive computer when I come up I look to see if the bars on the bottom of it are flashing telling me I'm comming up to fast. I don't think I have ever come up with out having them flash at least once on me. However I always stop let the bars stop flashing and then go on again.



A hint.

By the time your computer tells you you are ascending too fast it is almost too late. Reliance on the computer alone to adjust ascent speed tends to lead to overcorrection and yo-yoing. Were you not taught about ascending no faster than the smallest bubbles? I do not know how clear the water is where you dive but there is always a little sediment in UK waters and I use this to adjust my rate of ascent and to hold my stop depth, in conjuction with my computer of course.

We did not do any decompression stops.

So the second black mark to them for ignoring basic safe practice.

I managed to convince the other two I was good to go and so we all went home.

So the third black mark to "experienced" divers for ignoring obvious signs of DCI.

. . . this shows all the dumb mistakes I have made, and trust me I have been lectured a good many times about this.

Who has lectured your more experience buddies who should have been looking after you and teaching you safe practice?

I place the greatest blame for this incident with your buddies.

And my final comment. I do not know the credentials of your instructor but I presume he claims accreditation with an established authority. If what you describe is correct his accreditation should be questioned and reviewed.

Does this ever happen, I wonder?

It happens to us doctors all the time.

 

[Dr Deco]

Dear deepsix:

Trouble from the start

Regrettably, the fact that your gas loads might have been a little high was probably not the direct cause of your problem. As the other writers commented, lack of a buddy, nervousness from a low gas supply, failure to make a safety stop, and very delayed treatment were the main culprits, I believe.

What happened?

One cannot put life on “Instant Replay” and view it again. It appears to me that an arterial gas phase followed by embolism of the brain and cord are responsible for the problems. These are not directly addressed by dive computer models which are focused on to the prevention of the (much more deterministic) joint pain DCS (“the bends”).

[color= blue]Delayed treatment[/color] :boom:

This is a serious problem. Readers of the FORUM will note that I mainly stress gas bubble formation in the etiology (= cause) of DCS. This is because most DCS problems very quickly resolve as soon as pressure is applied. HOWEVER, when recompression treatment is delayed, other processes begin to occur. There is nerve injury (or nerve cell death) and edema (= fluid leakage outside of the capillary system). These are not reversed by pressure. They can be treated by hyperbaric oxygen when it is applied a couple of times daily over a course of many treatments. This is a big inconvenience and entails a large cost. DELAY IN TREATMENT IS A MISTAKE.

Can I dive again?

I have had a similar problem in a chamber dive for an experiment. I was promptly repressurized and the paralysis abated. I have since gone into chambers and gone diving without difficulty. It is hard to predict repeat problems.

Dr Deco :doctor:

 

[The Iceni]

Hi again Deepsix,

After my rather negative post (I'm afraid I allowed my disappointment to show and allowed myself to dwell on your past. After all I am not a moderator on this forum, rather an interloper!), I thought I had better redress the balance and be a litttle more positive.

deepsix once bubbled...
I have been told that I have nerve damage and I'm still waiting to have tests done to find out how much nerve damage there is.
I would like to know how long this is going to last. Some people say I'm looking at six months others say weeks others say never.

Any way this is what I would like to know, and I have been told different things already.
1) If or when this all clears up can I dive again?
2) If this does not clear up and my legs stay numb can I dive at shallow depths 60 feet or less?
3) Whats the risk if I do?
4) Can I get bent easier now?

I think you may have permanent, but relatively minor nerve damage because of the delay in treatment but this, by itself, does not automatically mean you cannot dive again. Seek specialist advice.

Personally, I do not believe you necessarily have an increased risk of future DCI but perhaps at aminimum you should dive more conservatively.

 

[pchelp]

Did the boat you were diving from have emergency pure O2 on board?

Glad to hear about the experience, not happy to hear the results. I also agree many more things should have been covered by both your OW and AOW courses regarding DCS (dangers, symptoms and treatment).

Good luck.

 

[landlocked]

http://www.saudidiving.com/decompression-diving-lesson.htm

 

[rcohn]

Actually, it's a little bit different. Richard Pyle had many dives before his accident and he clearly screwed up the decompression badly. Deepsix had a few NDL dives and, by his account, made only relatively minor mistakes compared to Richard, he may be very susceptible to DCS.

With Pyle's longer involvement and professional interest in diving, it was more difficult for him to quit forever. With only a few dives, it may be easier for a new diver to move on to a different activity.

If someone wants to remain in the water but not risk another DCS hit, freediving could be a possible alternative.

Ralph

 

[Dr Deco]

Dear deepsix :

The PFO question

Seldom does one have such a bad DCS outcome so early in their dive career. Without knowledge of your status on the PFO question, it is difficult to say whether this was just a very unfortunate “fluke” or if you could expect this to occur once again.

Remodeling of the neural connections

The problem with “once again” lies in the “plastic nature” of the nervous system. Remodeling ( or “rewiring”) of the nervous system is believed to occur following an injury. Centuries of experience has shown that people can recover from a stoke, but repeated strokes hold the promise of a poor chance of return to full function. This is the result of nerve damage and eventually one will not have any nerves remaining for the “rewiring” process.

A diver takes a big chance following a neurological hit. Should that reoccur, the outcome might be considerably less salutary then before. There is no doubt that Richard Pyle “dodged a bullet” on that one (see above). He has dodged others (so he writes me). We all hope that luck holds with him in the future. And, he will probably slow down a bit.

Dr Deco :doctor: