Question Chest pain at depth?

[freeflowigb]

What kind of pain? Burning? Hugging? Stinging? Trouble breathing? Where in the chest? Left? Right? Center? Front? Back?
I was thinking heartburn.... I dont know how your trim was in BM. But people are often very flat in SM.
So... food/stomach/eosophagus reflux related?
Disclaimer: SEE A PROPER DOC. I am not a doc, and I only pose questions that can help the proper doc find his way....

It was more like a sharp sting, or even a squeeze in the area where the heart is. I was very flat, just a few inches above the bottom.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

That was my first guess, I thought at that moment they messed up my tanks and gave me nitrox instead of air. they usually have 32%, so at 45 meters that could have been a problem. But it was air.

The symptoms you're describing, if related to O2, would be more associated with worsening pulmonary oxygen toxicity. You'd very likely have had other symptoms before this if that was the cause.

it was right in the area where the heart is, and it felt like a sudden sharp squeeze that lasted for a while. I was going with the current at that moment, just frog kicking down the slope, and my breathing rate was normal. The ascent was just kicking uphill, so it was more strenuous as the current was going sideways in the direction of the deeper waters.

Just going by what you've described so far, I don't think a cardiac cause can be completely ruled out, though it's interesting that it seems to be associated with depth changes. You mentioned it returning on consecutive dives. Was it at the same depth, same level of activity? What, aside from changing depth, made it go away? How old are you, and are you under a doctor's care for anything? You can DM if you're not comfortable posting in a public forum.

While we can continue the conversation online, I strongly recommend that you get this worked up by a physician before diving again. Where do you get your health care?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Imla]

It was more like a sharp sting, or even a squeeze in the area where the heart is. I was very flat, just a few inches above the bottom.

A sharp sting/burn, I'd relate to heart burn.
A squeeze, is a red flag in my world (EMS dispatcher for 10 years). Especially in combination with strenuous activity. (Of course, wording on a world wide forum, language barriers and so on can influence choices of words) Recommend you follow up with @Duke Dive Medicine s offer of DMs, and get a proper checkup with a doctor.

 

[freeflowigb]

The symptoms you're describing, if related to O2, would be more associated with worsening pulmonary oxygen toxicity. You'd very likely have had other symptoms before this if that was the cause.


Just going by what you've described so far, I don't think a cardiac cause can be completely ruled out, though it's interesting that it seems to be associated with depth changes. You mentioned it returning on consecutive dives. Was it at the same depth, same level of activity? What, aside from changing depth, made it go away? How old are you, and are you under a doctor's care for anything? You can DM if you're not comfortable posting in a public forum.

While we can continue the conversation online, I strongly recommend that you get this worked up by a physician before diving again. Where do you get your health care?

Best regards,
DDM

I made the consecutive dives shallower than 45, but still got the same feeling at around 38-40. It was simply the change of depth that made it go away, although the physical exertion getting shallower was even higher due to a current.

I am 28, pretty fit, and live in Thailand. I never had any heart issues. But in retrospect, I did have a few coffees before the dives. It could be a contributing factor..

 

[BoltSnap]

Did you make sure that your regulator(s) are properly serviced and tuned?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I made the consecutive dives shallower than 45, but still got the same feeling at around 38-40. It was simply the change of depth that made it go away, although the physical exertion getting shallower was even higher due to a current.

I am 28, pretty fit, and live in Thailand. I never had any heart issues. But in retrospect, I did have a few coffees before the dives. It could be a contributing factor..

Thanks for the information. The pain at a certain depth with immediate relief on ascent suggests some kind of air trapping, and it's close enough to your lungs to be concerning.

That said, other causes can't be ruled out either. There's some literature to support the idea that the pressure differential between the stomach and the upper esophagus can lead to reflux in head-up (vertical) immersion. There is also some literature that suggests that gravity can lead to reflux in immersion in a head-down attitude. You were flat, so not sure where that would come in, but it still could be as simple as reflux. I do recommend you get this worked up by a physician. I would anticipate that a physician would order imaging of the chest (x-ray, maybe CT) and at least a 12-lead ECG.

Burhan (@BoltSnap ) has mentioned the idea of a poorly tuned regulator. Though this could theoretically result in pain if the regulator was out of adjustment, pain would probably not be the first thing you would notice. But, it's always good to maintain your equipment well, and if it's been a while since you had your reg serviced, it's not a bad idea to do so.

Best regards,
DDM