Breast Pain After Diving

[Rhea Lynn]

I am currently experiencing these symptoms. I am in Bali and have just done 2 weeks of diving on computer. I am close to 55 and have been diving for 25 years and done 1200 + dives? I have the pain in a breast and in the fatty middle aged tummy. no rash but burning and itching.I am NOT wearing a wetsuit. About 5 years ago I had the same in my tummy and thighs with the jolted rash. I was in Cartagena Colombia and saw a dive doctor there with the navy. He said that it was the skin bends and that although it wasn't necessary I could do some chamber time. I also talked to a doctor at DAN and he said they they are just beginning to learn about the effects of aging and diving... Women over 40 with fatty tissue are showing this more. Today I wish there was more info on it so I would know what I need to do... now and in the future. I do usually dive nitrox with my computer set on air and I am not wearing a tight wetsuit, when I wear one.

 

[oldschool1967]

It does sound like the 'skin bends' but symptoms usually diminish over time. You could have cardio-vascular problems as well. Have a check-up.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Rhea Lynn,I've had it twice.  the first time, which was the worst time, I was too obtuse to realize or accept what was happening.   When i returned from my trip, extensive research on the internet led me to the unavoidable conclusion.  I lost weight.  Eventually, some of my weight began to creep back up.  I experienced a second hit and while certainly painful, the second hit was not as severe.  In response, I again lost weight, became nitrox certified, my ascents are very careful particularly from the safety stop to the surface . . . Very very slow.  Aging will not stop no matter what I do.  

 

[Arwen]

As far as I understood, all of women reporting these symptoms are post menopausal women with some extra weight, cardiovascular problems and not very athletic.
All of the above increases chances of getting bend and the symptoms are also similar to bends...
It is interesting whether the breast swelling is of local or central mechanism. It could be both and it could be different in different cases. If it is CNS hit, it could affect hypophysis and hypothalamus and thus through hormonal route ( for egzample increased prolactine secretion) induce breast swelling. On the other hand breast is one of the biggest fat deposit in some women, so it can accumulate nitrogen. Bubble formation and inflamation in the breast tissue can lead to swelling, pain anf itching and also to increased prolactin secretion, because it is known that chest trauma, burns etc. increase prolactin secretion. And increased prolactin may further lead to feeling on egorgement.
Anyway as a rookie I tend to interprete any post diving symptom as possible DCS.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

It also could be lymphatic DCS. It's highly unlikely that a CNS hit would produce symptoms like that.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Renroc]

Hi there,
I find this reading interesting. I recently did 2 quite shallow dives with a 55min SI. I had not dived for a week previously. Dive one was uneventful and quite an easy dive to about 20m for 55 minutes. Dive 2 was 17.6m and an easy dive. I was however feeling slightly sick during the dive and cool even though I was wearing a 5mm wetsuit and the water was 24c.
After the second dive I took my gear off on the boat and was sick over the side. I don't suffer from seasickness as a rule and this was very unusual for me.

When we returned to shore after about a 20min boat trip. I was feeling OK. Washed out gear and packed it into the cars. Got changed and my dive buddies and I went to a local cafe for lunch. I felt fine after this and didn't think anything of it. We spent some time chatting and then standing in the sun and it was a very hot day.
I drove home (45mins) and unpacked my gear and hung it up. When I went to have a shower and got undressed I felt extreme pain in my breasts (which are rather large) and when I looked down they were purple. No rash just a solid purple/grey colour with a reddish edge.

Adding the symptoms mentioned above to this I was immediately concerned that I had a case of skin bends. I went straight to our local hospital and the ER. Drs there didn't know about skin bends so I asked them to ring DAN. DAN said it was almost certainly a case of bends. They suggested high flow oxygen for 6-8hrs.
After about 2 hrs the pain had all but gone. The discolouration was changing to mottled purple.
After about 6hrs the discolouration had gone to pink.
I was discharged the following morning after about 12hrs on oxygen. 2 weeks out of the water and I am diving again in a couple of days.
I have dive profiles if people are interested but can't work out how to upload them.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Interesting symptom presentation. Thanks for sharing the story.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[SharonBee]

Hi there,
I find this reading interesting. I recently did 2 quite shallow dives with a 55min SI. I had not dived for a week previously. Dive one was uneventful and quite an easy dive to about 20m for 55 minutes. Dive 2 was 17.6m and an easy dive. I was however feeling slightly sick during the dive and cool even though I was wearing a 5mm wetsuit and the water was 24c.
After the second dive I took my gear off on the boat and was sick over the side. I don't suffer from seasickness as a rule and this was very unusual for me.

When we returned to shore after about a 20min boat trip. I was feeling OK. Washed out gear and packed it into the cars. Got changed and my dive buddies and I went to a local cafe for lunch. I felt fine after this and didn't think anything of it. We spent some time chatting and then standing in the sun and it was a very hot day.
I drove home (45mins) and unpacked my gear and hung it up. When I went to have a shower and got undressed I felt extreme pain in my breasts (which are rather large) and when I looked down they were purple. No rash just a solid purple/grey colour with a reddish edge.

Adding the symptoms mentioned above to this I was immediately concerned that I had a case of skin bends. I went straight to our local hospital and the ER. Drs there didn't know about skin bends so I asked them to ring DAN. DAN said it was almost certainly a case of bends. They suggested high flow oxygen for 6-8hrs.
After about 2 hrs the pain had all but gone. The discolouration was changing to mottled purple.
After about 6hrs the discolouration had gone to pink.
I was discharged the following morning after about 12hrs on oxygen. 2 weeks out of the water and I am diving again in a couple of days.
I have dive profiles if people are interested but can't work out how to upload them.

Hello. I had a very similar experience last summer except I didn't treat it as an emergency (would have if I'd realized it was skin bends), I went to the hotel and slept it off. Wonder if you have dived since, and what the result was, were you able to avoid it reoccurring? I have a week of diving coming up and am nervous that these skin bend symptoms will reappear. I read that diving on Nitrox helps. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[clownfishsydney]

A big chance that women with breast pain and skin bends have a PFO. Should get it checked out. That is what happened to my wife in Bali in 2014 (not the person posting earlier). She has had the PFO closed.

 

[SharonBee]

A big chance that women with breast pain and skin bends have a PFO. Should get it checked out. That is what happened to my wife in Bali in 2014 (not the person posting earlier). She has had the PFO closed.

Thanks for the reply. I will have it checked out.