Need some quick help!

[SeekerOfJustice]

Myself and SirDiver (Eric) are at the blue hole in Santa Rosa NM. We made three dives there today. After the first two Eric had a left hand pain.

Number 3: 75 feet at 35 minutes. Air.
Number 2: 83 Feet max depth 33 Total Minutes on the dive. On 31% Nitrox
Number 1: 76 feet 34 minutes 31% 02.

After the Second dive Eric had pain in both hands. He assumed it was from the lugging of gear around and suiting up etc! So, after the third dive both hands hurt badly and the left one has worsened. No trauma to the hand.

We called DAN and they advised to go the local ER here. Might this be DCS? If so, do we go here to the ER. Eric is resistant. Not sure what to do?

 

[Mrs. K]

I would do what Dan recommends. DCS can be caused by surfacing too quickly, or too short and a surface interval. The information you gave was inadequate to check with a table. Did you do a safety stop? And even with all that information, the body is weird. Maybe he was dehydrated, maybe he was tired. All those things can make a difference. Even if you are with in the dive tables, you can still bend...

I vote for "go to the ER". But that is just my $0.02.

 

[tc]

Can't run the tables on those dives without knowing the surface intervals.

Progressively worse pain with the added nitrogen load from the third dive would be of concern and merit a trip to the ER to get checked out.

Hyperbaric treatment is most effective when it happens within the first few hours after the onset of symptoms, the longer you wait the less effective the treatment is likely to be. If you wait too long the chances of needing additional treatments also goes up.

Probably be a good idea to go get checked out.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hopefully this is taken care of already, but I'll echo the other posters: go to the nearest ED and get evaluated. There may be underlying neurological problems that are masked or "drowned out", so to speak, by the hand pain. Let the professionals make the call.

 

[SeekerOfJustice]

Ok. Thanks for the replys. We are back in OKC. After a few more calls to the DAN hotline we are back in OKC and Eric is at the ER as I type this. I am headed that way shortly.

The pain had gotten worse late yesterday. I encouraged him to seek treatment from the local ER in Santa Rosa but honestly I don't know that they would have done anything aside from sending us to Albuquerque. Eric is a Physician and knows a thing or two about ER's and he wanted to make it back home. Well, on the drive this am his hands began to swell on the backside. Odd and disconcerting to say the least. I contacted the local Hyperbaric Treatment facility here in OKC from a number provided by Dan and they required a referral from a Physician so Eric is at the ER now.

Thanks again and I will update when I know anything.

 

[SeekerOfJustice]

Also, our Dive profiles were unremarkable on E's computer with a safety stop of 3 minutes at least on each dive. Mine did give one too fast warning on the way up on the first dive if I recall correctly. Nothing overtly risky but it did flash once. Will provide more detail when I can.

 

[TSandM]

Swelling is a little unusual for DCS. Please keep us posted.

 

[SeekerOfJustice]

Well, after what I would call not a consensus on what is going on they are having E stay in the chamber for some time. Although, my reading suggests that we may have missed the window of most efficacy for such a treatment! Within 24 hours would have been best. We just passed that window! Ugh...

The bilateral pain was the first indicator. Occurred in both hands down deep in the middle of the back of the palm it seemed. This was initially attributed to pain from hauling gear etc after our second dive. We had around one hour between the first two dives. However, the pain subsided at depth then returned when we surfaced on the third dive several hours later! That was an apparent red flag to the DAN techs. Now, the swelling is not necessarily indicative of DCS but there is a chance some lymph system in the hand was compromised as a result of the DCS. Or, some system that I don't recall the name of at the moment that forms an area on the back of your hand there where he had swelling. Pronounced swelling too!

Not sure but I am hoping the chamber helps!

 

[Mrs. K]

Ok. Thanks for the replys. We are back in OKC. After a few more calls to the DAN hotline we are back in OKC and Eric is at the ER as I type this. I am headed that way shortly.

The pain had gotten worse late yesterday. I encouraged him to seek treatment from the local ER in Santa Rosa but honestly I don't know that they would have done anything aside from sending us to Albuquerque. Eric is a Physician and knows a thing or two about ER's and he wanted to make it back home. Well, on the drive this am his hands began to swell on the backside. Odd and disconcerting to say the least. I contacted the local Hyperbaric Treatment facility here in OKC from a number provided by Dan and they required a referral from a Physician so Eric is at the ER now.

Thanks again and I will update when I know anything.

That right there is a red flag too! He should have known better. Especially if the pain was better under water and worse when he resurfaced. I wish him the best. I hope he has not missed the "window"....

 

[SeekerOfJustice]

That right there is a red flag too! He should have known better. Especially if the pain was better under water and worse when he resurfaced. I wish him the best. I hope he has not missed the "window"....

Possibly!

Well, after 5 hours in the Chamber E is out. Not much improvement in the chamber which either means we missed that window of treatment or it was not DCS! I hope for the latter.

Thanks for the replys here. We were looking in all directions for advice. I suppose better safe than sorry is a good practice! I hope that E will chime in soon on here.