DCS or not DCS

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Thanks Jonno for posting on my behalf.

An update of where I stand.
I have now been in the hyperbaric chamber a total of 15 times since July the 23rd symptoms seem to be more aggressive during the night when trying to sleep, sometimes very mild or quite strong. I would get a warm tingly sensation that would start in my left arm and and slowly progress to my torso and left leg.
The last 4 days I have been feeling more myself without much of the tingling in my left arm and leg, yesterday I felt absolutely fine but today I feel a bit weak in my left arm. I have been having a slight discomfort in the middle of my back. So I am questioning could it just be a nerve being irritated on and off causing me to have these DCS like symptoms?

Thanks for the help

Have the symptoms improved at all with hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[boulderjohn]

After a heavy diving weekend, I used to get symptoms similar to yours (although no involvement past the arm) that got worse at night. I could get relief, though, by letting the affected arm hang off the side of the bed. It would also be bad when I got up in the morning, and then get better during the day--even though I was not getting any chamber treatments.

Carpal tunnel surgery cured it. The diving part of the cause was handling all the heavy gear.

 

[ofg-1]

"DCS or not DCS" sounds like the premise of a really exciting scuba board game..

 

[boulderjohn]

"DCS or not DCS" sounds like the premise of a really exciting scuba board game..

 

[Nitrox_DiverNY]

I doubt this is DCS if multiple chamber rides did not resolve it and it gets worse at night. It sounds like its either neurologic or a spine injury as someone else said before.

 

[stingray1abyss]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for your help, an update.
I just received the results for my MRI after 2 and a half weeks. It turns out I have 3 herniated discs in my neck, the c2-3, c5-6 and c6-7. I am assuming this may be the cause of the DCS like symptoms I am getting. The doctor is still treating it as DCS and isn't letting me dive for the rest of the year. The neurologist I saw after getting the results for the herniated discs has just prescribed me vitamin B and C for the coming and going tingling sensations which are actually much better than they used to be. Below is the cervical MRI report which has been translated from Turkish to English using Google Translate.

Thanks for all your help again!

Clinical information: Technique: FSE T2 Sagittal, SE TI Sagittal and FE T2 In the examination of images taken in the axial plane, Results: The examination is suboptimal due to coil artifacts. Cervical lordosis is flattened. Vertebral corpus heights and bone marrow intensities are normal. Central protrusion is observed at the C2-3 level, which has the effect of compression on the dural sac and medulla spinalis. Left paracentral protrusion with compression effect on the dural sac is observed at the C5-6 level. Central protrusion with the effect of compression on the dural sac is observed at the C6-7 level. No loss of hydration or herniation was observed in other intervertebral discs. Spinal cord structure and intensity were evaluated as normal. No mass lesion was detected in the spinal canal. No pathological appearance was noted in the paraspinal areas. With all respect. doric fixtures

 

[stingray1abyss]

Have the symptoms improved at all with hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Best regards,
DDM

It was quite hard to tell if it was getting better with treatment, sometimes it felt like it was sometime it wasn't.

 

[boulderjohn]

It was quite hard to tell if it was getting better with treatment, sometimes it felt like it was sometime it wasn't.

That's because the symptoms of your problem come and go on their own.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

It was quite hard to tell if it was getting better with treatment, sometimes it felt like it was sometime it wasn't.

Did they MRI the entire spine, or just the cervical spine? The cervical disk herniations could explain the arm symptoms but not the torso or leg symptoms. If they did examine the entire spine and only found issues in the cervical area, that may be why the physician is staying with a presumptive diagnosis of DCS.

Best regards,
DDM