ssummerhays
Registered
My husband and I just got back from a lovely two week trip to Fiji. Over the course of twelve dive days we completed thirty eight dives. Thirty two of these were using 32% nitrox and the other six were on air.
On three or four occasions during our trip I came up from dives and noticed that I had a small amount of subcutaneous emphysema (crepitus) over my chest, and once it also extended slightly up the left side of my neck. These incidents were not on subsequent dives but were spread throughout our two weeks in Fiji. I had no other symptoms at all - no shortness of breath, chest or pleural pain, swelling, rash, cough, scratchy throat, itching, or discomfort. On each occasion that it occurred it disappeared within about thirty minutes. I continued to dive because of the lack of other symptoms.
I noticed no correlation between the crepitus and whether I was diving air or nitrox. My max depth on air was 75 feet and max depth on nitrox 111 feet, but more typically I was diving multi-level profiles with a short period of time at a max depth of about 80 feet and then shallowing up. As is my standard, all safety stops were held at fifteen feet for five minutes. I have opted to set my computer to prompt a deep stop on dives over eighty feet and complied with all deep stop reminders when prompted. I experienced no rapid ascents, but on a few dives we did have a moderate amount of surge in shallower water towards the end of our dives. Surface intervals ranged from ninety minutes to four and a half hours. A no time did I go into deco.
Upon returning home I called DAN and was told that I should see a dive pulmonologist. However, when the DAN representative searched for one where I live in Portland, Oregon, the closest found was in Seattle. Rather than just refer me to my internist who has no knowledge of dive medicine, DAN referred me to a dive internist who is associated with the chamber in Portland. I scheduled an appointment to see him next week. I was surprised when his medical assistant told me that she had explained my symptoms to the doctor and he wasn't worried that there was anything acute going on and that it was probably just skin bends. Based on my explanation of my symptoms and of their resolution shortly after each dive, it was obviously not an acute issue. If it had been I would have sought help immediately. Also, subcutaneous emphysema as a symptom of skin bends? My understanding of skin bends does not include the symptoms I experienced (and does include other symptoms which I have never experienced).
I am hoping for some answers when I see the doctor next week. I don't intend to dive again until I have clarified the cause of the crepitus I experienced, but as an avid diver I am hoping for answers soon. In the meantime, can anyone here on ScubaBoard shed light on the situation?
On three or four occasions during our trip I came up from dives and noticed that I had a small amount of subcutaneous emphysema (crepitus) over my chest, and once it also extended slightly up the left side of my neck. These incidents were not on subsequent dives but were spread throughout our two weeks in Fiji. I had no other symptoms at all - no shortness of breath, chest or pleural pain, swelling, rash, cough, scratchy throat, itching, or discomfort. On each occasion that it occurred it disappeared within about thirty minutes. I continued to dive because of the lack of other symptoms.
I noticed no correlation between the crepitus and whether I was diving air or nitrox. My max depth on air was 75 feet and max depth on nitrox 111 feet, but more typically I was diving multi-level profiles with a short period of time at a max depth of about 80 feet and then shallowing up. As is my standard, all safety stops were held at fifteen feet for five minutes. I have opted to set my computer to prompt a deep stop on dives over eighty feet and complied with all deep stop reminders when prompted. I experienced no rapid ascents, but on a few dives we did have a moderate amount of surge in shallower water towards the end of our dives. Surface intervals ranged from ninety minutes to four and a half hours. A no time did I go into deco.
Upon returning home I called DAN and was told that I should see a dive pulmonologist. However, when the DAN representative searched for one where I live in Portland, Oregon, the closest found was in Seattle. Rather than just refer me to my internist who has no knowledge of dive medicine, DAN referred me to a dive internist who is associated with the chamber in Portland. I scheduled an appointment to see him next week. I was surprised when his medical assistant told me that she had explained my symptoms to the doctor and he wasn't worried that there was anything acute going on and that it was probably just skin bends. Based on my explanation of my symptoms and of their resolution shortly after each dive, it was obviously not an acute issue. If it had been I would have sought help immediately. Also, subcutaneous emphysema as a symptom of skin bends? My understanding of skin bends does not include the symptoms I experienced (and does include other symptoms which I have never experienced).
I am hoping for some answers when I see the doctor next week. I don't intend to dive again until I have clarified the cause of the crepitus I experienced, but as an avid diver I am hoping for answers soon. In the meantime, can anyone here on ScubaBoard shed light on the situation?
