how do you recognize dcs?

[ginti]

Hi everybody!

I have a problem with cold water, and despite a trilaminate dry-suit with very thick undergarment sometimes I get really cold underwater.

The thing is that, after a (some) dive(s) where I felt, for a reason or another, very cold, I tend to have sympthoms that may resemble neurological DCS.

More precisely:
- a bit of nausea
- fatigue
- headache
- some vertigo
- itch
- ear problems
- various SMALL joint pain (especially in my hands, and they are compatible with small flu-pains)

I do not perceive most of these sympthoms as extreme. For instance, I once experienced alternobaric vertigo, and it was massive... vertigo that I experience after cold dives are way less serious.

Furthermore, especially small sympthoms, might be exagerated by me inconsciously.

My point is that, besides itch (?), all the symtphoms may well be related to a general debilitation, and every-time I am not sure about what to do.

The reason why I am writing this is that right now I am experiencing some of these sympthoms, after having made 4 dives in 6°C (42.8°F) last weekend. I started feeling bad on Monday morning, way less than 24h after the last dive. And I am concerned since one dive required mandatory deco stop (although for just some 5 minutes), and as far as I know cold is one of the reasons that can lead to dcs even after respecting deco stops.

I will contact a doctor for my issue, sorry but I do not trust internet enough anyway, I'd like to know if anybody here has a similar problem and how you manage to discern a DCS from another event.

Thanks!

P.S. it's my first post.... sorry if it's the wrong section or if there is already material on the forum that I couldn't find

 

[AfterDark]

Getting advice from an MD is always better than getting it from the internet. You posted that you went into deco on one of did 4 dives in 2 days, not a lot but then you don't give any details about the other dives. So get some medical advice. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[ginti]

Getting advice from an MD is always better than getting it from the internet. You posted that you went into deco on one of did 4 dives in 2 days, not a lot but then you don't give any details about the other dives. So get some medical advice.

Hi AfterDark, thanks for your reply. As I said in the topic, I am gonna ask the doctor for this specific case (although here in France is quite hard, I am trying to contact somebody since yesterday....), which is also why I didn't give any specific info about the dives. If you want, I can, but I'll speak with a doctor in any case.

My question is more general. Is there any way I can discerne some generic sympthoms from DCS sympthoms?

 

[AfterDark]

Hi AfterDark, thanks for your reply. As I said in the topic, I am gonna ask the doctor for this specific case (although here in France is quite hard, I am trying to contact somebody since yesterday....), which is also why I didn't give any specific info about the dives. If you want, I can, but I'll speak with a doctor in any case.

My question is more general. Is there any way I can discerne some generic sympthoms from DCS sympthoms?

Don't you have government run healthcare over there in France?

 

[ginti]

Don't you have government run healthcare over in France?

Yes, indeed I first contacted the closest hyperbaric chamber yesterday. They told me to contact a "federal" (recognized by national diving federation) doctor first. Today I called something like or 8 doctors, and I couldn't speak with any of them. I'll try again tomorrow, and if nothing happens I'll go to the urgency probably.

 

[Mrs. B]

Don't you have government run healthcare over there in France?

can he call DAN?

 

[ginti]

I do not have a DAN insurance. (I am covered by the French federation, which I called already and they also told me to contact federal doctors)

Guys probably I was not clear... my question is NOT about the last accident, it is in general

 

[Mrs. B]

I’m fairly sure you can still call with *any* questions

I have a couple times over the years

it’s not just for people with DAN as far as I understand

isn’t it part of the university / medical school?

 

[Marie13]

Hi everybody!

I have a problem with cold water, and despite a trilaminate dry-suit with very thick undergarment sometimes I get really cold underwater.

The thing is that, after a (some) dive(s) where I felt, for a reason or another, very cold, I tend to have sympthoms that may resemble neurological DCS.

More precisely:
- a bit of nausea
- fatigue
- headache
- some vertigo
- itch
- ear problems
- various SMALL joint pain (especially in my hands, and they are compatible with small flu-pains)

I do not perceive most of these sympthoms as extreme. For instance, I once experienced alternobaric vertigo, and it was massive... vertigo that I experience after cold dives are way less serious.

Furthermore, especially small sympthoms, might be exagerated by me inconsciously.

My point is that, besides itch (?), all the symtphoms may well be related to a general debilitation, and every-time I am not sure about what to do.

The reason why I am writing this is that right now I am experiencing some of these sympthoms, after having made 4 dives in 6°C (42.8°F) last weekend. I started feeling bad on Monday morning, way less than 24h after the last dive. And I am concerned since one dive required mandatory deco stop (although for just some 5 minutes), and as far as I know cold is one of the reasons that can lead to dcs even after respecting deco stops.

I will contact a doctor for my issue, sorry but I do not trust internet enough anyway, I'd like to know if anybody here has a similar problem and how you manage to discern a DCS from another event.

Thanks!

P.S. it's my first post.... sorry if it's the wrong section or if there is already material on the forum that I couldn't find

I have a friend who is actually allergic to cold. Can’t remember the name of the condition, but he has to take something like 4-5 medications a day to keep it in check. And he dives cold water in the Midwest. That might be something to research and ask your doctor about.

Also, do you dive with dry gloves? They can make a huge difference.

 

[AfterDark]

I do not have a DAN insurance. (I am covered byt the French federation, which I§ called already and they also told me to contact federal doctors)

Guys probably I was not clear... my question is NOT about the last accident, it is in general

DCS at least mild cases, is an elusive thing there really isn't any hard and fast way of telling if you have it, short of ultra sounds, MRI's or a trip in a chamber that clears the symptoms. If your dive(s) profile put you in that risk area that needs to be taken into consideration.

What I mean is a lot of my dives are less than an hour and above 30FSW, if I come out after a dive feeling bad it's not due to DCS my dive profile precludes DCS. So the answer comes back to medical advise. If you have O2 it won't hurt breathing it.