Do DCS symptoms come back after chamber visit?

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Not so fast... I know it intuitively doesn't make sense, but yes, symptoms can reocur later. This is not due to bubbles, but rather the tissue that was damaged by bubble expansion. Is that the case here, I don't know.. . But...

I know two different divers that got bent and have reocuring symptoms - years later. At least one did not seek treatment for over 24hrs that complicated his recovery. However, now years later, both divers cannot dive deeper than 60 to 70 feet without symptoms returning. I assume that this is due to damaged tissue trapping bubbles.

They both have discovered thru trial and error what their new NDL limits are. It appears to be a reduced combination of depth and time. One of the divers is symptom free as long as he limits his bottom time and depth. The other can stay shallow for a long dive, but can't exceed 60 feet even for a few minutes. He also occasionally has headaches that started after he got bent and he believes continue to this day whether he dives or not. I admit those two cases are rare, but it is possible.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello Readers:

The “reoccurrence” of which Deep Sea Explorer writes is what I meant by. ”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”

Injuries, if severe, can also play a role in DCS. I know of a diver involved in a motorcycle mishap that had sensitive knees when in a chamber study.

Change of NDL

It sounds as though your buddies have changed there “sensitivity” over time. This is either the result of the dive mishap earlier or possible ageing. I suspect that the latter is less probable. I am not aware those older divers need to change NDLs.

There is some NASA laboratory data from altitude depressurizations where older subjects did demonstrate more Doppler bubbles than younger subjects did. The reference is below.


Dr Deco :doctor:

References :read:

Conkin J, Powell MR, Gernhardt ML. Age affects severity of venous gas emboli on decompression from 14.7 to 4.3 psia. Aviat Space Environ Med. (2003);74:1142-50.

 

[I Dive]

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

Whether it's diving related health concerns or non-diving related, anytime a person is experiencing something concerning enough to them that they need to ask "Should I see a doctor?", SEE A DOCTOR!!! Asking people on Internet message boards is not going to help anything.

 

[Papa_Bear]

She had chamber treatment and assume it was under a doctor! So I am sure she saw one! As far as asking here, I can't think of a better place except DAN! Next, better to ask here than a friend? Who might not know? All the advise here was to see a doctor if the symptoms did not go away! I think she got very good advise! No one should ever be afraid to ask, but if they are why not here?

 

[I Dive]

Maybe I read the post wrong, but it seemed to me the person was experiencing what she thought was a reoccurence of DCS but rather than go to her Doc she opted to ask on here if it was possible for her DCS to return. The point I wanted to make, in the interest of her health, was to get off the Internet and get to her Doctor. This is a great forum to have questions answered when there is no need for urgency. A person recently hit by DCS who is experiencing symptoms she suspects to be possibly be another DCS hit has an urgent need. I'm glad she put this information on here, it is great info for people to read, respond to, etc... I just think she needed to first get to her Doctor and then post up later.

 

[PastorB]

I am now $3,000 poorer leaving Aruba than when I arrived. Dove two-one tank dives for two days, took a day off and dove two more two tank dives on each subsequent day. We dove perfectly. Never more than 100', safety stops, full surface interval etc. It was by the book. At the end of the third dive my wife experienced a lot of pain in her breast along with SOB, a rash and some fatigue. We ignored the symptoms as they went way. But on our last dive, within 30 minutes of completion, the pain in her breast was excruciating, rash had returned and she experience a lot of fatigue. We sought ER help at the local hospital and was diagnosed with DCS. She spent almost 4 hours in a chamber. Went to table 5. We dove the same profile. Why her and not me? Has anyone else (female) experienced pain in the breast with DCS? Next time I'll join DAN.