Do DCS symptoms come back after chamber visit?

[friends1976]

I was in the Cayman Islands on vacation and we were doing ALOT of diving. In retrospect and knowing everything I know now, I am thankful I am alive. We were diving four tanks a day, two in the AM and two in the PM. We were doing reverse profiling in that the third dive of the day was another deep dive, sometimes to 100 feet. We honestly were never out of the water enough for me to even know that I was getting bent maybe even several dives before I had a very bad set of symptoms...trouble breathing, almost unconsciousness, and later very bad skin bends. I was taken to the emergency room and had two table six treatments in a hyperbaric chamber. I am home now and a month later I have since noticed that as the weather has gotten cooler, my skin bends rash has come to the surface again and I am sore as if someone has punched me in the thigh muscles...just like my shoulder/arm felt when I was in the hospital. Is this some kind of recurring problem that I should have checked out?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!
~Ashley

 

[digital_steve]

I'd say yes!
I'll be interested to hear from the pro's though, as i've recently been bent and have wondered if the symptoms/damage could reaapear.

 

[Papa_Bear]

They can, but right after! I would say after 24hrs it is probably something else! And after a month it would be a medical first! I play doctor whenever she will let me!

 

[friends1976]

LOL@

I play doctor whenever she will let me!

I really only thought about it tonight as I bent down (in pain) to pick up something in the bathroom and my eyes caught the scuba mag in the magazine rack. It suddenly dawned on me that the pain in my upper thighs (front of the leg) is the EXACT same as my shoulder and legs were when bent in the hospital. Then I noticed the discolored skin. It's not as bad, obviously, as when I was in the hospital, but it's definitely there. I am really curious about the weather bringing it on because of people saying that colder dives are more apt to get you bent.

 

[TSandM]

If you had a month long asymptomatic period, and if you have not dived in the meantime, it is extremely unlikely that your current symptoms are due to DCS. There are a number of other conditions which can produce a rash and muscle soreness, however. If these symptoms are persistent, you should be evaluated by a physician.

 

[Papa_Bear]

I would look at what you did in the last few days or last weekend! You could have had sore muscles from all the diving you did and they would have been sore anyway! Take two aspirin and if it persists go see your doc! The mind is sometimes your worst enemy! I remember the first time I blew the tables I didn't sleep for 24hrs waiting for the big one! Some people are more acceptable to bubbles than others, but you have age and health on your side, just don't over think yourself into something! Most systems accrue within the first 24hrs and I can't think of any reported cases after 48hrs. Its like leaving your coke out all night, pretty flat in the morning, and a dud after no time at all!

TSandM is a medical doctor as is my Dive Buddy and she hits it on the head 99.9% of the time, but remember it's an art not a science!

PS Cold water diving increases the risk not cold weather after the fact! Possible due to the restriction of capillaries and veins not allowing bubbles to dissipate?

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Ashley,

I concur with TSandM.

While it is not entirely impossible for areas injured by severe DCS to show late effects or some reappearance long after the actual event and its treatment, this is extremely unlikely following a month completely without signs, symptoms or additional SCUBA.

Moreover, the original injury involved a "shoulder/arm," while what is now being reported seems to be discomfort and discoloration of an area of both thighs. If this is correct, it simply cannot be explained by any known DCS mechanism.

As has been indicated, there are other conditions, some rather worrisome, that can manifest with muscle soreness or weakness and a skin rash. Should these complaints not resolve, it would be prudent to see a physician.

Helpful?

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, and should not be construed as such.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello Ashley :


DCS Reoccurrence

No, DCS symptoms cannot reappear [if you are not changing pressure] if it is a joint pain (“bends&#8221 problem. If it were neurological DCS, then it would probably best be described as persistence rather than reappearance.

Once a gas phase has dissolved, it is gone and the body has no “memory” of it. If someone has a DCS problem that goes untreated for hours, other effects , such as edema, can result.

Delayed DCS from Multiple Dives

This is definitely known [references below]. Therefore, you could definitely have been in trouble zones during the day and not known it. This would not persist for weeks later, however. If you were treated in one of chambers on the Caymans, and the “bubble problem: was not cured, you would have experienced [probably] something on the plane flight home.

You might be a “sensitive” with regard to bubble formation. There is variability amongst individuals. This was commented upon by JS Haldane in his 1905 paper on “compressed air sickness” and his new decompression tables. The proclivity is sometimes used by groups to test a table (the “miners’ canary&#8221. [In another lab with which I was associated, conversely, they never asked a "bent" test subject to return.]

DCS?

If you had shortness of breath following diving, this looks like the “chokes.” It is a very serious form of DCS. In the old days, if you got a whiff of cigarette smoke, you would have experienced fits of coughing (Behnke’s sign) if this was the problem. It is also possible that "shotness of breath" was peripheral to your diving. Check with a physician.

Return of Problems

Standing in the cold will not provoke DCS problems weeks post dive. That said, muscle soreness and rash should be checked into by a physician. As the others posted, this could be sign of other problems. You were right to inquire about your DCS on this FORUM. Take note that people have muscle soreness and rash and have never been diving- could be a problem.

Dr Deco :doctor:

References :read:


Gait, D, Miller, KW, Paton, WDM, Smith EB, and Welch B. The redistribution
of vascular bubbles in multiple dives. Undersea Biomed. Res. 2, 42 – 50, 1975

Griffiths HB, Miller KW, Paton WD, Smith EB On the role of separated gas in
decompression procedures. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 28;178(53):389-406. 1971

 

[Papa_Bear]

I have put hours of research into this and I have some bad news! You only have 60 to 75 years left, baring some trauma, before these systems get you! I prescribe surrounding yourself with friends and family and lots of laughter and smiles! That includes travel and lots of safe no deco diving around the world! Live what is left of your life making yourself happy and be pleased with yourself! I am sorry, but life seems to be fatal and no one survives! It seems it is important to enjoy the quality of the time you have left! It is better to regret the things you have done than the ones you haven't!

 

[DocVikingo]

Most systems accrue within the first 24hrs and I can't think of any reported cases after 48hrs.

Hi Papa_Bear,

To the extent that your statement is intended to convey that DCS most often manifests fairly soon after diving rather than in the distant future, this is accurate. Figures regarding onset vary depending upon the particular study, but as an example one set of US Navy figures on onset in cases of DCI indicate that: 42% occur within 1 hour; 60% occur within 3 hours; 83% occur within 8 hours; and, 98% occur within 24 hours.

However, there have been rare cases reported with apparent onset after 48 hrs, most particularly where flying after diving was involved. Also, signs and symptoms of DCS may largely or fully resolve with recompression treatment, but return somewhat later. Again, this would be more likely when flying to altitude was involved.

Regards,

DocVikingo