how do you recognize dcs?

[Lorenzoid]

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. . . .

As I understand it, the most definitive test is the last one: whether the symptoms resolve after a trip in the recompression chamber. Other than that, it's really just an educated guess. I suppose an exam by a doctor could help rule out some chronic condition, perhaps something brought on by cold.

 

[ginti]

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?

Didn't know, I'll try

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.

Yes I use drygloves. And I was wearing three undergloves. I cannot even imagine diving in 6°C without drygoves!

This condition related to cold is indeed something I'd like to investigate. Can you telling me anything else?

 

[AfterDark]

As I understand it, the most definitive test is the last one: whether the symptoms resolve after a trip in the recompression chamber. Other than that, it's really just an educated guess. I suppose an exam by a doctor could help rule out some chronic condition, perhaps something brought on by cold.

I think researchers use ultra sound and MRIs to see bubbles. But I agree a trip in a chamber would be my 1st choice.

 

[Marie13]

Didn't know, I'll try

Yes I use drygloves. And I was wearing three undergloves. I cannot even imagine diving in 6°C without drygoves!

This condition related to cold is indeed something I'd like to investigate. Can you telling me anything else?

I don’t know anything more. If you google I’m sure you’ll come up with more information.

 

[uncfnp]

This condition related to cold is indeed something I'd like to investigate. Can you telling me anything else?

She may be referring to this...

Cold urticaria - Symptoms and causes

 

[Esprise Me]

I believe breathing oxygen, like a chamber ride, can help with the diagnosis as well as being a first-line treatment if it is DCS. If oxygen doesn't help, it's probably something else. If you face these kinds of barriers and delays to medical treatment, maybe you should have some O2 on hand. And maybe a DAN membership if not the insurance, though I do think you can still get their advice without either.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

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

Hi @ginti ,

I think the closest anyone can reasonably get over the internet is that DCS can't be ruled out in your case, though I'm not sure what you mean by "ear problems".

Is the itch associated with a rash of any kind?

The cold-induced urticaria that a couple of posters have mentioned is pretty easy to test for. Get a 1 liter Ziploc bag, fill it with ice, and put it on the bare skin of your abdomen. Leave it for a minute or so, then take it off. If you have an itchy welt where the bag was, it's a pretty good bet that you have cold-induced urticaria.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I believe breathing oxygen, like a chamber ride, can help with the diagnosis as well as being a first-line treatment if it is DCS. If oxygen doesn't help, it's probably something else. If you face these kinds of barriers and delays to medical treatment, maybe you should have some O2 on hand. And maybe a DAN membership if not the insurance, though I do think you can still get their advice without either.

I would not use response to surface O2 as a diagnostic tool for DCS in that way. If the symptoms go away on surface O2, that definitely raised the index of suspicion for DCS, but if they don't resolve, that does not rule out DCS.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Esprise Me]

@Duke Dive Medicine I'll defer to you of course! Would you still recommend OP try O2 in a situation like the one he describes (symptoms that may indicate DCS, unable to speak with a doctor for a day or more)?

 

[Mrs. B]

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