Is it possible to get decompression sickness if my dive computer said I fine?

[Adam88]

Good morning,

I went for a dive yesterday (Sunday here on Guam) and after our second dive (we went down to 90 some feet, but didn't stay there long, and my dive computer momentarily gave me a blip that said "at this rate, non decompression will be your limfac, not air" and we came up a few feet, with most of the dive taking place at the ~30 foot area. Our first dive of the day never exceeded 30 feet. Relatively soon after the first dive, I felt minor pain in my left wrist, and the wrist had popped several times (like when you pop your fingers, just with my wrist...it didn't just pop on it's own) while down on my second dive.

I decided it was probably no big deal, but started to get a little bit worried about DCS. This morning (now we're roughly 13 hours after the dive) my wrist hurts worse, and I'm wondering if this should be a cause of an alarm? My dive computer gave me information that said I should be fine.

Thanks for any help,
Adam

 

[boulderjohn]

Some cases of decompression sickness do occur when the diver has been completely within decompression limits, so it is possible for you to have DCS even though the computer says you should be fine. Remember that the computer does not know anything about you or what is happening in your body--it is just telling you what would be true for nearly anyone who did the dives you did, according to previous research.

Pain in the wrist is not a common sign of DCS, but I am not going to play doctor, and i am not going to rule anything out. The best bet is to call DAN and see what they say.

BTW, when I do a bunch of diving, I frequently have pains like that from hauling all the equipment around. That's one of the problems with joint pain as a symptom--how do you know which is which?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Is it possible to get decompression sickness if my dive computer said I fine?

Yes. This should have been stated explicitly in your computer's instruction manual. Nowadays, any instructor in a basic OW class should have addressed this issue as well.

I won't speculate on the cause of your wrist pain. It could be non-DCS-related. A dive-savvy medical professional might be able to tease out the causative factor.

Call Divers Alert Network if you are concerned about the possibility of DCS. Given more details about the incident, DAN should be able to make a good recommendation about what your next step should be.

 

[Adam88]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies. As to that DAN hotline, is that something that you have to be a member to use? I just got off the phone with the navel hospital and they just told me to come in to the ER and that "they'd point me in the right direction"

This hardly feels like an emergency, the wrist pain is pretty severe, but I've got none of the other symptoms that I can tell (other than just being nervous about it)

 

[boulderjohn]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies. As to that DAN hotline, is that something that you have to be a member to use? I just got off the phone with the navel hospital and they just told me to come in to the ER and that "they'd point me in the right direction"

This hardly feels like an emergency, the wrist pain is pretty severe, but I've got none of the other symptoms that I can tell (other than just being nervous about it)

I think going to the emergency room is a fine thing to do if the pain in your wrist is severe. You can call the DAN hotline if you are not a member. On the other hand, I don't know why you are not a member. It's pretty cheap insurance.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

As to that DAN hotline, is that something that you have to be a member to use? I just got off the phone with the navel hospital and they just told me to come in to the ER and that "they'd point me in the right direction"

I don't know. If the hospital only works on belly buttons, I'd question whether they could help you out. (Just kidding!)

I think it's perfectly reasonable to head directly to the ER. If the situation warrants it, the ER physicians know that DAN is just a phone call away. Given the scenario you describe, it's probably more likely that the wrist injury is non-DCS-related. In this case, an ER would be the appropriate place to seek care for the injury. Expect the physicians to take a detailed history and perform a physical exam. FYI, you will likely get a wrist x-ray. If the damage is non-DCS-related musculoskeletal damage, then you'll have some treatment options.

 

[ianr33]

Our first dive of the day never exceeded 30 feet. Relatively soon after the first dive, I felt minor pain in my left wrist

If I am reading that correctly the pain started after the first dive that never exceeded 30 feet ? In that case I would say it is essentially impossible for the pain to be DCS related.

 

[TSandM]

I agree -- if the pain started after a very shallow dive, it's unlikely to be DCS. And the "popping" sensation is not typical of DCS, either. But ALWAYS, the safest thing to do when you experience unusual discomfort after a dive, particularly if it is severe, is to discuss things with a physician, or with DAN.

 

[koyote1111]

It is definitely possible to develop DCS even if diving within all conservative limits. It happened to me. During my visits to the chamber, I ask many questions. The doctors said that the most frequent cases are unexplained...in other words, the diver was doing everything correctly but it still happened. Everyone's physiology is different. After my experience, I now understand that it is important to just go and get checked out versus trying to decide if it could happen based on my dive profiles, etc.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello Adam88:

DCS

Your case is most likely not DCS. It sounds like an injury to the wrist from some activity. You can check with the hospital or DAN; you always should if there is a real doubt. Remember that millions of people who have never dived get wrist and joint pain.

As mentioned by the earlier posters, DCS can occur with almost any dive. Certainly, some very trivial dives have such small nitrogen loadings, that DCS could not happen. This is simply because the dissolved nitrogen partial pressure is so low that expansion of tissue micronuclei is not possible. However, DCS from pulmonary barotrauma is always possible. The record minimal depth is something on the order of three feet! :shocked2:

DCS and Computers/Tables

Gas loadings were tested with subjects exercising at depth but relatively sedentary or inactive at the surface. If you are active, that could change the size of the bubbles in your tissues and result in DCS. Your “Activity Level” at the surface is not in a dive computer.

Dr Deco :doctor: