DCS - 2 months later???

[DocVikingo]

Hi dw850,

BTW, if you have DAN or another dive accident insurance (e.g., DiveAssure), it is possible they may evaluate and even treat you if they suspect that your symptoms are SCUBA-related. It might be worth contacting them.

What they almost certainly will not do, and this is all that I said in my previous post, is recommend or pay for recompression therapy. This is because signs and symptoms of DCS that either have already lasted for 2 months, or have their initial onset 2 months after the last dive, are very unlikely to be responsive to chamber treatment.

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual.

 

[TSandM]

what I do know is people go to the doctor if their throat is sore so I don't see the big deal in going to get yourself checked out by someone other than strangers who, by judging by a post count that could likely be published into a two volume tome (of what would be the question) and do nothing else than give out advice...

This is absolutely uncalled for. Doc Vikingo spends a significant amount of time reading and answering medical questions on ScubaBoard; his answers are invariably clear, cogent and accurate (most often much better than mine). I am quite sure his background on the scientific information available about DCS far exceeds that of almost all the lay posters on SB, including people who have experienced DCS personally.

Almost all of us who give medical information on line include some kind of waiver language in our posts, simply because in the litigation atmosphere of the United States, even the general advice we can give here could conceivably be construed as creating a doctor-patient relationship, which opens us to lawsuits.

Doc tried to point out to you that your situation was DIFFERENT from the OP's. You were continuously diving, absorbing nitrogen daily, and may have had some DCS from your deep dives. The OP stopped diving for months and also had two intercurrent illnesses which could produce the symptoms he's describing. The cases are not remotely equivalent, and I agree with Doc that there is absolutely no reason for the OP to consult DAN or suspect DCS as a cause of his symptoms.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello dw850:
As the other two physicians have mention, such a late occurrence of DCS is not seen. If you have continuing medical problems, a visit to a physician is in order. As I have mentioned many times before on this FORUM, millions of people experience problems of dizziness that have never gone diving in their life.

Why not DCS?

A free gas phase can form in your body following depressurization. This can result in [1] nothing appearing (i.e., subclinical DCS) or [2] mild to severe signs and symptoms. These problems will generally resolve as the free gas (“bubbles&#8221 dissolve.

In some cases, other biochemical changes can result from bubbles, e.g., as can occur following the stoppage of blood in capillaries. This will result in a persistence of symptoms, and many of these could be refractive to hyperbaric therapy. This results from the fact that edema (swelling) in tissues is not reduced by the application of external pressure. Oxygen supplied by diffusion can be helpful, however.

Can all of this occur unnoticed by you, only to appear a week later? Fortunately not.

Dr Deco

 

[AbyssalPlains]

I have a hard time imagining DCS could ever be an issue in the typical OW certification setting, much less months later. But what do I know. This is a question for DAN, not for ScubaBoard.

 

[diver 85]

I would find a new ear doctor----bet he/she even walks like one, a duck that is, cuz he/she certainly talks like one, a QUACK.....

 

[DandyDon]

Pure crap advice...

Well, true or not - I can think of other ways to suggest that the professional advice given here would be preferable.

I have a hard time imagining DCS could ever be an issue in the typical OW certification setting, much less months later. But what do I know. This is a question for DAN, not for ScubaBoard.

For what? "...been feeling dizzy and fatigued lately, 2 months after my last dive." Three physician divers have addressed this pretty well: It's not dive related. I enjoy looking for alternative possible answers, but when any of those three post - it's generally a closed case. They're that good. Whether he had Spring Fever, Transient Ischemic Attacks, or some other problem - who knows, but it ain't diving. (I'm betting on the pollen count; gets me every spring.)

 

[Rainer]

Well, true or not - I can think of other ways to suggest that the professional advice given here would be preferable.

Would you like a golden star now?

 

[DandyDon]

Would you like a golden star now?

That would be lovely, except I make so many poor-taste posts I don't think I could keep it. :blush:

 

[PaulSmithTek]

OK, Sorry guys I have been informed my last post sucked. So lets try this again.



To make a story short. Back in 2004 I had a type II CNS hit. The onset of symptoms was Twitching in my head, tingling in my back, and failure to remember short term statements. After 6 Hours in the chamber I went to see Dr. Kay in Seattle. He said that, he has never seen twitching of the head before in a DCS case.

So what I am trying to say in my case (twitching of the head) is that, there are symptoms that are rarely or never seen before. DCS is a medical condition that we have barley begun to understand. We understand the physics and have flow charts and treatment tables, but every one's symptoms can be different and the onset can be either overlooked, or so minor that it goes unnoticed for a period of time. That is until something triggers the reaction of symptoms of DCS. In the case stated above I also doubt that it was DCS, but I don't believe that we can rule it out, and it should be check into further. I agree that I don't think the chamber is going to do much good if it is DCS, considering the time. But I do believe that he should see the closest Hyperbaric Dr. just to make sure that this was not a type I hit. That was unforeseen in the two months prior. That is just my .02 cents. Hopefully that makes more sense.

 

[BarryNL]

OK, Sorry guys I have been informed my last post sucked. So lets try this again.



To make a story short. Back in 2004 I had a type II CNS hit. The onset of symptoms was Twitching in my head, tingling in my back, and failure to remember short term statements. After 6 Hours in the chamber I went to see Dr. Kay in Seattle. He said that, he has never seen twitching of the head before in a DCS case.

I'm not sure if I should know who Dr. Kay is, but is it someone who deals with a large number of DCS cases and would have seen a widely varying range of symptoms? In any case, there are thousands of blood vessels in the body which could be blocked by bubbles and so thousands of potentially different symptoms. What is common, however, as the doctors here have pointed out is that these symptoms appear in a relatively short period after diving - very few cases appear more than 8 hours after a dive and virtually none after 24 hours. There are many other possible causes for the original poster's symptoms which justify investigation far more than DCS.

(Caveat: I'm not a doctor, but I do sometimes play one on the internet and I have a white coat )