bent bad in Grand cayman

[cdennyb]

I ran the numbers on v-planner as if I were doing the dive you related and found an interesting fact during dive #1.
On air the program treats this as a multilevel dive with multiple assents and inserts a few extra deco stops long before you get to 15'
I have a text file done on notepad of my findings. hope it will upload here for all to see and criticize. Let me know what you think everyone.
thanks

Oh, one more thing. How did you make the first dive on 80 cu ft of air?
Am I missing something?
db

 

[pescador775]

I had a similar hit in 1999. Was diving near Bimini. I was paralyzed in the right leg, hip and had severe pain. We pulled into port within 1/2 hour at which the palsy and pain disappeared completely. The physician on Cat Cay was visiting from Chicago. She thought it might be a sprained back or something. I diddled around until the paralysis gradually returned, without pain. That happened over a period of several hours. Helo'd into Miami for a week of treatment. Left using a cane. Recovery period involved hot bathes and foot soaks (feet were ice cold). Normal feeling and function gradually returned. Within six months, no more pins and needles. Urination normal. Within a year could walk and jog. Haven't returned to diving but expect to next season. Lotsa work on the boat.
Pesky

 

[miked]

Hello to all once again.the kind words are appreciated, and hopefully my experience can help another diver avoid a similar situation.

I'm back with some replies to questions and a few comments.

Drew:
regarding symptoms, in hindsight, after dive #1 I had some "visual weirdness"-no pain, just some fuzziness, which went away in a few minutes. I never thought DCS, and the crew suggested something about a reverse block impacting the optic nerve.
I believed them,especially since it cleared up so rapidly. Nonetheless, I sat out the second of what was to be a 2 tank dive.[ Looking back now- it could have been DCS right there].
The real symptoms occurred approx 15 min. after the third dive-while walking across the street-"rubber legs".The inability to urinate manifested itself a while later.

Denial-you bet- I couldn't believe that my lega were "This TIRED" after the 3 dives I did. it was only when the bladder thing became apparent that I began to think DCS, but even then, I "knew" that my profiles,etc., "were okay".

I only got "on" O2 at the hospital,some 5+ hours later.

Regarding a boat crew: It would be nice if every boat,and/or crew had a full list of symptoms that might indicate DCS, so that a diver experiencing anything out of the ordinary could get some knowledgeable advice. I do realize the unrealistic nature of that idea.

Dandy Don:
At dinner the night before the dives, I had one beer,and 2 glasses of club soda. In the room I had a small bottle of water.
At breakfast, I had 2 glasses of water,and a glas of OJ. No coffee,tea,colas.
Before the first dive, I had half of a 1.5 liter bottle of water, and 2 cups full from the cooler on the boat.
Between dives 1 and 2, i finished the bottle,and had 2 more glasses of water. Between dives 2 and 3, 2 more.

Divenut 2004: my reference to another diver's computer was to quantify some approximations that confirmed my "mental notes" taken during the dive.I am aware that 2 divers can be quite close to one another,yet still heve different NDL time remaining.

Natasha:
thanks, I will be around, wet or dry.

MikeC: I'm 56,could probably stand to loose 10 lbs, but am not obese.
I exercise semi regularly, but am only in average condition.

Jimmyboy: between dives 1 and 2, I hydrated, rested, and ate lunch. between 2 and 3, I hydrated and relaxed on the dive boat.

MrP: Glad you could get by with a single session. Yup, I had 6, "tableVI's"-and it wasn't fun. I did need something to calm me down before most of those sessions.
Thank God the people at the chamber were so great.

Scubakevdm: thanks for the thoughts.
I think it is quite normal to try to find something to blame for a hit.I really wish there were something. That way, I'd know what to avoid. As it is......?
At this time, while I recuperate(sp?),diving is not at the forefront of my thinking. Also as a WWW, and back at teaching, I'd probably not be planning any dives soon-always a drag. I have to say, I don't look forward to next spring and summer, if i'm not going back to diving.

cdennyb: I can't download your file, and, with all due respect, I think you are misinterpreting something, if you are getting required deco stops.
Dive #1 was a "led" dive- follow the DM-no planned stops (other than the safety stop). Regarding air,the 6 divers on the dive had no problems completing the dive on a single AL80.
IIRC, I had approx 1200psi left in the tank at the end of the dive.

General comments:
Again to all, thanks for the kind words and thoughts.
A few people have indicated that they will give serious thought to joining DAN. Two comments: don't just think about it, do it!, and remember, you need to get the extra insurance coverage-membership alone does not provide that.

I had a follow-up visit with a DAN recommended local Dr. He was good, but not as involved with the dive medicine as the Dr. in GC. he was very involved with hyperbaric medicine.He said the same things as the Dr. in GC: rest, hydrate, take it easy.
It was pretty funny to see him read the report from GC, pale noticeably, and say" I can't believe you had 6 table VI's-you must have been in really bad shape."- very reassuring. He, too said "No" to further diving.

I am feeling okay, but tired, with some "foot tingles" late at night again-the Drs. say this should pass. I am behaving-taking it easy-hydrating, not overexerting,etc.

Take care, thanks again to all, and be safe.
Mike

 

[northcoast_diver]

Hello to all once again.the kind words are appreciated, and hopefully my experience can help another diver avoid a similar situation.

I'm back with some replies to questions and a few comments.

...
General comments:
Again to all, thanks for the kind words and thoughts.
A few people have indicated that they will give serious thought to joining DAN. Two comments: don't just think about it, do it!, and remember, you need to get the extra insurance coverage-membership alone does not provide that.

I had a follow-up visit with a DAN recommended local Dr. He was good, but not as involved with the dive medicine as the Dr. in GC. he was very involved with hyperbaric medicine.He said the same things as the Dr. in GC: rest, hydrate, take it easy.
It was pretty funny to see him read the report from GC, pale noticeably, and say" I can't believe you had 6 table VI's-you must have been in really bad shape."- very reassuring. He, too said "No" to further diving.

I am feeling okay, but tired, with some "foot tingles" late at night again-the Drs. say this should pass. I am behaving-taking it easy-hydrating, not overexerting,etc.

Take care, thanks again to all, and be safe.
Mike

Due to a busy summer out of the ocean on shore, I have neglected to renew my DAN subscription. Your post reminded me that I still need to do this, before the winter dive travel season begins.

What I would do differently than yourself, would be always to make my subsequent repetitive dives at least 1 ata shallower than the previous dive, and my surface intervals at least 1 hour long, and not push myself with 3 dives in one day on the first day at a tropical dive site.

 

[Mike Newman]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what is a PFO

This may be more information than you required, but this site has all the information about Patent Foramen Ovale, a heart condition that can exacerbate the risk of DCS to divers.

 

[cdiver2]

TEE- trans esophogeal echogram. Basically, they stick a big tube down your throat w/ an echo sounder at the end. They can get a much better look at the potential problem from there. My doctor put me out for this procedure-and I wouldn't have had it any other way![/QUOTE]

Had this done and woke up during it, not very pleasant

 

[divenut2001]

Mike,

I feel like I know you. I'm at a cyber-cafe in the Grand Caymans, waiting for my 72 hours to pass before I can fly home tomorrow morning. I was in the hyperberic chamber last Friday night and the people told me that a recent diver (you) had been in for six treatments the week prior.

I was on the Aggressor last week - logging 23 dives over 6 days with only one of them over 90 feet. I did my safety stops, drank very little alcohol as we were there primarily to dive. I noticed discoloration on my stomach during the week that seemed to "come and go" as the week progressed. I continued to take a couple tylenol and go for a dive (my idea of a prescription). Before departing the boat Friday evening, the captain requested that since the discoloration continued to reappear, that I go to the local hospital and at least have it check out, which I did. It seems that I had a mild case of "Skin Bends" which I had never heard of. The doctor (different from yours) was very knowledgable and an avid diver himself. He told me that 23 dives in six days was way too many and that while it appeared my profiles and safety stops were well within recommendations, stuff happens to people who follow safe procedures. He highly recommended that I change over to Nitrox and in the future, never do more than two dives per day with every 4th day off. At least I can continue diving, but I'm going to have to be more cautious than ever. I can't dive for two months and then will visit a DAN doctor prior to attempting my next dive. After spending six hours in the chamber, I can't imagine doing six sessions like you did. I'm very happy for you that you are okay. That had to be extremely scarey for you. I'm glad you're fine now. Every day seems to be a learning experience for us, but that's what life is about, huh?

WOW! That's alot of dives to do on air in 5.5 days. Were you not nitrox certified at the time? The Aggressor's nitrox is very reasonable @ $100 for the entire trip.

I was on the Palau Aggressor last year and all but 2 people dove nitrox. I logged 22 dives on the Aggressor plus another 6 in Yap (prior to going to Palau), all on nitrox. Just about everyone logged as many dives (if not more) and no one got bent. Believe it or not I was pretty tired of diving by the last dive day.

I've noticed via posts on SB what seems to be alot of hits being taken from divers who were in Coz or the Caymans. Makes me a little nervous since I'll be going to both places with in the next 6 months...

The "skin bends" is definitely a new one for the books...

 

[Scuba]

A friend of mine took a hit on a recent trip we were on and they tested her for pfo and she was determined to be ok. I am hoping you have the same outcome Mike. Good luck, and thanks again for opening everyone's eyes that it can still happen to anyone

Out of curiosity, was this a neurological DCS hit?

 

[RichLockyer]

Out of curiosity, was this a neurological DCS hit?

I'm not a diving doc, but with paralysis involved, I would say so.

 

[RichLockyer]

Oh, one more thing. How did you make the first dive on 80 cu ft of air?
Am I missing something?
db

Your profile shows a runtime of 55 minutes. He was only down for 31 TOTAL.
Either way, I've done 110ft dives on an 80 with a total runtime of over 45 minutes with 500 left at the surface.
You've also got him at 96ft for a full 5 minutes.

Reread the initial posts:

Dive #1: max depth 96 ft,
time 31 minutes, of which only 6 minutes were deeper
than 80', and only 2 deeper than 90'
19 mins of the dive were shallower than 40'
(those specifics came from a computer download of the dive)
safety stop: 5 min at 15'

Try rerunning it as a multilevel, beginning with 2 minutes at 96ft, ascending to, say 89ft for 4 minutes, then 19 minutes at 39ft.
That 19 minutes above 40ft, plus the 5 minutes at 15 were more than adequate to clear (31-19=)12 minutes... even if the entire 12 minutes had been at 100ft.

Most certainly an "undeserved" hit.