Dcs

[TSandM]

This is a very strange story, because the loads from the described dives just aren't that bad. 45 feet for 40 minutes, overnight surface interval, 90 feet for 15 minutes (including ascent time), and then DCS symptoms on descent on the next dive?

It certainly sounds like DCS, especially with the worsening at altitude and the response to chamber treatment, but I think before I dove again, I'd get a PFO check.

 

[pescador775]

Tild, there is something wrong with you which makes it more likely that you will get bent. I suggest you give up Scuba diving. Try practicing free diving (without tanks).

It is not unusual that medical personel will go into denial about bends. I have seen it personally having been partially crippled in 1999. However, in your case, I believe I would have been skeptical as well. Get checked for PFO, a kind of heart defect.

If you ever return to diving, take a small aspirin and drink a quart of water before diving. (hold your letters about the aspirin, all, thanks)

Edit: OK, I missed the post above by the physician. Anyway, consider my advice seriously.

 

[mow2000]

wow. that was a classic. i partially agree with what's been said. either repeat your coursework or re-read the text and consult an instructor to make sure you are very familiar with it. i think it's insensitive to say that you were "stupid" about this. it sounds like everyone made mistakes with most of the blame going to the divemasters and doctors (in my opinion).

if this happened to me and i decided to dive again i'd stick to depths above 10m (for a variety of reasons). get a good physical - as was mentioned. find a divemaster you can trust. either work the dive tables or buy a computer. and become very familiar with your open water coursework.

even if you don't get back in the water it may be helpful to study-up and learn why this happened.

 

[eelpout]

I would see a diving doctor. If you don't know where to look, join DAN and they can tell you who to see in South Africa. The advice of a PFO (patent foramen ovale sp ?) check would be a the first priority, but to do that you need to see a doctor. Typically a Cardiologist, a preferably a diving one.

My wife took a couple of DCS hits in pretty shallow water (40'- 50'). She practically quit diving. She had to have a TEE (trans esophagial electrocardiogram) for a different cardiac incident. They found a pretty large PFO that was missed by two ultrasound tests. She had it repaired and is now back to doing 100+ dives a year.

I am happy to see that your sympthoms were resolved by Hyperbaric treatment.

Jim

 

[mow2000]

one more thing. i'd want to be sure about the numbers. was it 30m for 15min for sure and exactly how much hang time at what depth? was this your watch and your depth gauge?

 

[tildisvildis]

Hey,

Thanks for all your posts! First of all, yes I know it's stupid. "When you know better, you do better" and I've learned the hard way. While all of you pro's just think "stupid" there might be a beginner out there, also leaving the planning to the instructor. If just one person changes his/her behaviour, it's totally worth putting my mistakes out there.

I believe that there are so many things I should have done done differently. I also believe that the instructor shouldn't have left me at the boat for 50 minutes partly unconscious while just blaming it on the heat. The diving company didn't even have an O2 kit at their office where the ambulance picked me up. And while it is easy to blame me for choosing them it's more constructive to tell other beginners to choose company carefully.

If you believe you have nothing to learn from the mistakes in this story think again. One of the three doctors that mis-diagnosed me is quite well known within this field and "stupid" would be the last word I would use to describe him.

It's not an excuse but the reason for not planning and just following the instructors orders was that we were diving with students. So I was actually a part of their AOW class. This means that the instructor gave us order and checked the times (no need to tell me I should have done it myself). 30 m I checked myself but the 15 minutes was what they told me after.

Thank you guys again,
Matilda

 

[fppf]

Again sorry for sounding harsh.

Our shop teaches everyone not to trust anyone with your safety. Question the instructor, they are human, period. When we went ice diving an instructor clipped me onto the line, I then double checked that they did it right, its my life. They even tell people, "check your own line, even if we do it".

When plaining a dive, every member of the team plains it on there own. If everyone agrees we dive, if someone gets a different answer we talk about why and as a group make the choice to dive or not. Any one member can thumb the dive.

By having an instructor, DM, or buddy plan a dive for you is only teaching you how to dive wrong. When we took our AOW our instructor told us to plan the dive. They then reviewed our plan and agreed or helped correct us. They then did the dive with us and made sure we dove the plan. If we started to get away from the plan they would remind us and get us back on track. After the dive there was a indepth debreif on the dive and a review of the plan and actions took on the dive.

Learning from mistakes is a very good thing. That is how almost everything in this modern age has been learned. However, mistakes like this don't need to be made at this time. Everyone is told to plan there own dive and dive there own computer or depth gauge/bottom timer. I was told way back in my basics class to get DAN insurance and if I get hurt or even suspect, call DAN.

If you where not trained like this I guess the agency's need to revisit standards and practices.

And again, I'm happy that you did not get severly injuried, and thank you for sharing.

 

[igotag!]

I agree with what most of the SB members have said, there are tons of holes in your diving. If this is how your instructor dives, just by winging it, I highly recommend finding another instructor. I can't image getting in the water without know exactly how long I can stay down. Two things I recommend, like everyone else said...DAN! Two if you continue to dive get a good computer, all you have to do is what it says and you should be ok. Glad to hear your ok though!

 

[Riger]

...

I got my open water and advance open water when I was living in Malaysia two years ago.

You were advanced certified before diving in South Africa

...

The first day I did a dive without a computer, I trusted my buddy who was a pro and used to the "South African way of diving".

As a South African living overseas and having never dived in South Africa, what is the "South African way of diving" ?

...

I notified my instructor that something was wrong and he immediately aborted the dive.

Was this an official training course and if so, which course?

Can you provide details of your where you dived on the "East Coast", where they took you for the medical and where your "Home Town" (10 hours drive) is. I ask this to get an over view understanding of the post-dive travel profile.

Best Regards
Richard (Riger)

 

[Web Monkey]

Thanks for all your posts! First of all, yes I know it's stupid. "When you know better, you do better" and I've learned the hard way. While all of you pro's just think "stupid" there might be a beginner out there, also leaving the planning to the instructor. If just one person changes his/her behaviour, it's totally worth putting my mistakes out there.

It's not always "stupid" to let your instructor plan a dive for you, however it's not necessarily safe either. Students typically don't know this, and very few instructors will tell students that they might be told to do something they shouldn't do.

The most valuable class I ever had was "Wreck", where the instructor told me and my buddy to do something dumb (split up and go run lines in different directions), and we did it. I promptly got tangled and was left stuck to bunch of huge timbers on the bottom @90' with 1/2 tank of air, and no cutting tool, watching my SPG drop like a stone.

That was the moment I realized, if something is dumb, it's still dumb if your instructor tells you to do it.

Everybody has that moment eventually, and if they're lucky, they survive.

Congratulations, you lived through yours!

Terry