Bizarre effects after diving - reasons?

[gcs118]

After a couple of dives this weekend I experienced some strange effects - like nothing I've felt before after diving. Friday I made it a point to drink more water than usual, and we headed out early Saturday. We did two dives and started our 2 - 2.5 hour boat ride back in. I got some sun and did the nodding off routine for awhile in the shaded under part of the boat.

By the time we got to the dock, my left hand was numb/asleep - rare, but ok. I felt really sluggish and tired and noticed my peripheral vision was blurry. Something didn't feel right but I thought I'd wake up more soon. As we unloaded, whenever I talked my voice sounded distant as if it were coming from someone else. I knew I had to get water and food an when at the fast food joint next door maybe 20 minutes later I couldn't think - it was like being drunk. I couldn't read the menu and couldn't even remember where I was. My friend sat with me and we drank water and had some food. I had trouble remembering the names of the people I went out with and was staying with even. A few hours later I still felt "buzzed" and had a good headache. The headache didn't subside until after our dives the next day (no similar side effects).

Our Saturday (before the incident) dive profiles were 112 ft. max at 34 min. total, and 104 ft. max at 36 min. total - both with healthy safety stops, slow ascents, 31% nitrox and I do not skip breathe under any circumstances because the holding the breath thing from OW classes made me fear it

It only occurred to me later that it may have been bad gas? I've never experienced anything like this although I only have just over 50 dives to date. Possibly a combo of dehydration, sun and tired?

Any thoughts welcome!

 

[Docc]

After a couple of dives this weekend I experienced some strange effects - like nothing I've felt before after diving. Friday I made it a point to drink more water than usual, and we headed out early Saturday. We did two dives and started our 2 - 2.5 hour boat ride back in. I got some sun and did the nodding off routine for awhile in the shaded under part of the boat.

By the time we got to the dock, my left hand was numb/asleep - rare, but ok. I felt really sluggish and tired and noticed my peripheral vision was blurry. Something didn't feel right but I thought I'd wake up more soon. As we unloaded, whenever I talked my voice sounded distant as if it were coming from someone else. I knew I had to get water and food an when at the fast food joint next door maybe 20 minutes later I couldn't think - it was like being drunk. I couldn't read the menu and couldn't even remember where I was. My friend sat with me and we drank water and had some food. I had trouble remembering the names of the people I went out with and was staying with even. A few hours later I still felt "buzzed" and had a good headache. The headache didn't subside until after our dives the next day (no similar side effects).

Our Saturday (before the incident) dive profiles were 112 ft. max at 34 min. total, and 104 ft. max at 36 min. total - both with healthy safety stops, slow ascents, 31% nitrox and I do not skip breathe under any circumstances because the holding the breath thing from OW classes made me fear it

It only occurred to me later that it may have been bad gas? I've never experienced anything like this although I only have just over 50 dives to date. Possibly a combo of dehydration, sun and tired?

Any thoughts welcome!

Sounds like a DCS hit. Call DAN. 1-919-684-9111

 

[tc]

---

---

A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Moved to Diving Medicine.

---

 

[Bubbletrubble]

How did you sleep on Friday night? Were/are you sick at all? Do you have any medical conditions that may have brought on such symptoms? Has this ever happened to you before?

Did you take any medication for seasickness? If so, is this med something new that you've never tried before? Are you taking any other prescription, OTC, or homeopathic meds? The reason I'm asking is that a drug interaction isn't such a far-fetched hypothesis. Other possibilities include DCS, dehydration, hypoxia, CO2 retention, bad gas, and arterial gas embolism. Were you physically exerting yourself (more than usual) during the Saturday dives? Do you mix your own nitrox? Did anyone else who used gas from the same source have similar symptoms? Was your reg operating normally (normal cracking pressure)?

Based on your descriptions, you were experiencing neurological deficits (visual disturbances, left hand paresthesia, memory loss, headache), implying CNS involvement. Lethargy/fatigue was likely a related symptom. You may have also had some hearing deficit.

Why did you choose to dive on Sunday when you had such a scary experience on Saturday?

Did you call DAN? If so, what did the DAN dive medicine expert recommend?

 

[gcs118]

Thanks to both. I'll give DAN a call.

 

[lemon]

sounds like DCS. you need to talk to DAN.

as an aside, given the serious nature of your neurologic symptoms, it might be prudent to get a full medical eval including a cardiac echo to check for PFO, etc that might make you more prone to embolic phenomenon.

 

[gcs118]

How did you sleep on Friday night? Were/are you sick at all?

Did you take any medication for seasickness? If so, is this med something new that you've never tried before? Are you taking any other prescription, OTC, or homeopathic meds? The reason I'm asking is that a drug interaction isn't such a far-fetched hypothesis. Other possibilities include DCS, hypoxia, CO2 retention, a combination of the two, bad gas, and arterial gas embolism. Were you physically exerting yourself (more than usual) during the Saturday dives? Do you mix your own nitrox? Did anyone else who used gas from the same source have similar symptoms?

Based on your descriptions, you were experiencing neurological deficits (visual issues, left hand paresthesia, memory loss, headache), implying CNS involvement.

Why did you choose to dive on Sunday when you had such a scary experience on Saturday?

Did you call DAN? If so, what did the DAN dive expert say over the phone?

I slept fine on Friday once I got to bed. Never felt nauseous/ill.

I had taken Bonine but I've taken it before (never to those depths - only to 80 ft.). It makes me drowsy if I take two but I always just take one now. No other meds or anything like that.

The dives Saturday were actually relatively leisurely - no exertion beyond normal dives. Slight surge but nothing we had to battle. I don't mix my own nitrox but the whole group from our LDS had the same mix from the same place. No other issues as far as I know.

Why did I choose to dive on Sunday? Looking back now, I don't know. I assumed it was dehydration/sun/exhaustion and never once thought it could be something more serious until a few days later. My buddy who I mentioned my symptoms to didn't think it was serious either. I felt much better in the morning (minor headache only if I shook my head back and forth), so I dove.

I'll call DAN and see what they have to say.

 

[tstormdiver]

Running the numbers you gave on the first dive, V-planner (0 conservatism) says you should have done 16 min, 30 sec. total deco beginning at 40 ft (30 sec.- 40ft, 2 min. at 30 ft, 5 min. at 20ft & 9 min at 10ft). How long was your "Healthy safety stop"? By V-planner you should have had mandatory stops. What did your computer say? Were you at thos depths the entire time? You didn't give a surface interval before the second dive, so really can't figure that second dive, but I would guess it might also put you into deco with residual fro the dive before. With your profiles & only doing "Healthy Safety Stops" & going by a square dive tables profile, I would tend to agree with the others.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'll call DAN and see what they have to say.

I think that would be a reasonable course of action.

Have any of the symptoms lingered at all? Hopefully not.

Thanks for answering my questions. Good luck.

 

[gcs118]

Running the numbers you gave on the first dive, V-planner (0 conservatism) says you should have done 16 min, 30 sec. total deco beginning at 40 ft (30 sec.- 40ft, 2 min. at 30 ft, 5 min. at 20ft & 9 min at 10ft). How long was your "Healthy safety stop"? By V-planner you should have had mandatory stops. What did your computer say? Were you at thos depths the entire time? You didn't give a surface interval before the second dive, so really can't figure that second dive, but I would guess it might also put you into deco with residual fro the dive before. With your profiles & only doing "Healthy Safety Stops", I would tend to agree with the others.

Depths stated were max. depths, unfortunately I don't have an average depth. My computer is a Vyper2 and we were within 1-2 minutes of NDL limits when starting our ascents on both dives. My computer is on the more conservative default setting so I don't believe these dives would have had mandatory deco stops.

My surface interval was 1.5 hours. Symptoms showed up about 2.5 hours after the conclusion of dive number 2. "Healthy" safety stops for me (I usually do 3 so...) were from 4-8 minutes on these dives.