Skin Bends

[divenut2001]

I didn't know when I posted "skin bends" that there would be this much response. Thought it was just a freak thing that caught up with me after 30 years below the surface. To those who have had "their" hit or those who knew of others I am very glad things turned out for the better. A lesson learned here no matter the experience of the diver. Everyone should keep in mind if rash would develops. Needs to be weighed in with stings, scrapes, reactions!!

This board has really proved to be a valuable tool for learning. I have never heard of skin bends until reading about it on this board and I will bet if I ask any of the divers that I know not many of them will have heard of it either. I just wonder how many divers have had it and dismissed it as a sting from a jelly fish or something else. From now on I will be paying close attention to anyone who developes a rash when diving. Happy diving everyone...

 

[tangfish]

Everyone should keep in mind if rash would develops. Needs to be weighed in with stings, scrapes, reactions!!

I had a similar experience while diving on Sipadan a month ago. I developed a rash while doing 6 dives a day for a week using only normal air, I was still well within my dive profiles and had BT on my computer. I was also sick with an upper respiratory illness and sinus congestion but wasn't going to scale back on the splendid diving there. About halfway through the trip I developed a rash that mostly covered both arms and shoulders, and to a lesser extent my whole torso. The little bumps really itched and continued to do so for a long time after I stopped diving. For a while I was concerned that it was DCS.

I got home about 2 weeks later and went to my primary physician. He said that I have a skin allergy to neoprene and that was the cause for the rash. I found that hard to believe since I've done about 110+ dives in neoprene and never had the problem before, so I went to a dermatologist. He said that I had a case of eczema, brought on by the combination of air conditioning on the long plane rides and in buildings in southeast asia, and the skin constantly being waterlogged from diving and being in a suit all the time. Going back and forth between too dry and too wet, plus having my immune system down from fighting a sickness apparently lead to eczema breaking out. Now it is about 6 weeks after that dive trip and I still have some small, very itchy bumps on my elbows and arms. I am still not entirely sure what the cause was, but I hope this can add to the discussion about possible symptoms and causes for rashes related to diving.

 

[RDP]

If you get a chance, post the pics. They are something... educational, disgusting, interesting, nasty...something???

--Matt

 

[Allison Finch]

I had a similar experience while diving on Sipadan a month ago. I developed a rash while doing 6 dives a day for a week using only normal air, I was still well within my dive profiles and had BT on my computer. I was also sick with an upper respiratory illness and sinus congestion but wasn't going to scale back on the splendid diving there. About halfway through the trip I developed a rash that mostly covered both arms and shoulders, and to a lesser extent my whole torso. The little bumps really itched and continued to do so for a long time after I stopped diving. For a while I was concerned that it was DCS.

I got home about 2 weeks later and went to my primary physician. He said that I have a skin allergy to neoprene and that was the cause for the rash. I found that hard to believe since I've done about 110+ dives in neoprene and never had the problem before, so I went to a dermatologist. He said that I had a case of eczema, brought on by the combination of air conditioning on the long plane rides and in buildings in southeast asia, and the skin constantly being waterlogged from diving and being in a suit all the time. Going back and forth between too dry and too wet, plus having my immune system down from fighting a sickness apparently lead to eczema breaking out. Now it is about 6 weeks after that dive trip and I still have some small, very itchy bumps on my elbows and arms. I am still not entirely sure what the cause was, but I hope this can add to the discussion about possible symptoms and causes for rashes related to diving.

It's not too late to contact DAN. They can still give you helpful info. Please do it.

 

[perpet1]

I was diving ccr (3 dives per day). I developed a light rash on ankles on day 3 of 4 days of diving. Rash spread and was very light around ankles and waist. Called DAN about 10 hours before flight was to leave. (Had been out of water for 48 hours at this point) No signs of stiffness but very tired legs! Had been diving in strong current all week. We concluded I probably had a reaction to scrubbing agent or disinfectant. (By the way, there was never any itching of the rash)
Once at altitude, something didn't feel right with my skin! I went into restroom and discovered I was covered from shoulders to toes with a rash that now seems to be "smeared solid"
Upon arrival home I saw my doctor. He sent me directly to a hospital that had an O2 chamber. With consultation with DAN they agreed I was a canidate for treatment. However when I heard the protocal, I will admit I was concerned.
I was to take 100% O2 at 2.8ata for one hour, reduced to 2.0 ata for one hour, then finish at 1.5 ata for one half hour.
Treatment went well and rash disappeared the following day.
Since this was my first ride in the chamber(I will try to keep it my last) I was taken back by these high ppo's. NOAA gives us 1.6 single exposure of 45 mins. Are high chamber ppo's possible because you are just lying there?

In the NOAA dive manual there are various treatment tables for chamber operations (it has been a while but they are also in the Navy Dive Manual). I am sure you probably followed one of these treatment tables. They allow for PPO2 up to 2.8 and have specified air breaks. They also have protocols to follow if you take a CNS hit. Most go something like stop the O2 when you first see symptoms and once the symptoms subside wait 15 min to sart the O2 again.

 

[diveprojeff]

perpet1
Thanks for the info--I'll look into the manual.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

I was to take 100% O2 at 2.8ata for one hour, reduced to 2.0 ata for one hour, then finish at 1.5 ata for one half hour. . . . I was taken back by these high ppo's. NOAA gives us 1.6 single exposure of 45 mins. Are high chamber ppo's possible because you are just lying there?

If you tox in a chamber, it is not such a big deal. Typically, there will be a chamber tender in the chamber with you. If you tox, the tender will be there to try to make sure you don't bouce off the walls too hard, hurting yourself.

Yes, less activity also lessens to chances of a hit. Typically, the patient is not even allowed to read to pass the time while having treatment (especially at the highest PPO2) because the stimulation can precipitate a hit.

 

[Curt Bowen]

I have seen many cases of skin bends, santa claus bends, and weakness bends in extreme deep cave exploration. I recommend treatment for all types of DCI in a professional hyperbaric treatment facility.

This is what we do in the field.

Normally we do nothing (no treatment) about skin bends (red rash on the skin) normally caused in places where a dry suit restricts blood flow for underwater exposures of 3-7 hours. These rashes normally go away after 12-48 hours.

Santa Claus bends are more serious and cause water retention in the belly fat around the waist. I have never gotten Santa Claus bends, but a friend of mine has many times. He has never gotten treatment except more inwater decompression on oxygen and a few days of rest.
NOTE: Inwater recompression is not a recommended decompression treatment.

Weakness Bends, Many dives you can have small signs of possible DCS, such as tingling in the fingers, weakness in hands, and shoulders. These signs normally go away within 3 days. Again, we normally seek no treatment for weakness bends.


Disclaimer: These are not the recommended treatments for DCI, Please contact DAN if you feel you have any symptoms of DCI. Curt Bowen, Advanced Diver Magazine, nor its staff recommends any other recompression treatment other than in a qualified recompression facility.
Note: Deep cave exploration should only be conducted by properly trained divers with vast amounts of experience.

 

[wpscortland]

I never heard about not sleeping soon after a dive. Can someone elaborate on that?

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Fatigue post dive is a possible sign of DCI. Many people get this if they have not carried out sufficient decompression/safety stops at the end of the dive.

Normally, this fatigue is about all that the diver will notice and that is all there is to the episode. It is unknown about the longer term consequences of repeating this behavior over the course of a diving career but it is postulated that there can be cumulative effects.

While asleep, the DCI can move up to a more detectible level but the diver might not know about it unless there are symptoms of pain or other obvious indicators. Since early diagnosis improves the odds of complete recovery, the recommendation is to avoid napping for long enough after your dive to be able to reach a determination.