Swollen Hands

[so diver]

This is an embarrasing question to ask, but has anyone ever developed swollens red hands with white knuckles after diving. I realize that blotchiness and swelling can be a symptom of DCS but I followed a good dive profile today. My first dive was at a max depth of 84' with a dive time of 30 min. After a surface interval of 1:11 my second dive was 60' with a dive time of 45 min. I followed my computers ascent rate of 30' per min and even slower on my last 15' after a 3 min safety stop. I talked to Dan and they do not believe it is a case of DCS. However I am nervous about my two dives tomorrow. Should I try to reschedule my dives for later in the week or continue with my original plan. The swelling has went down considerably. Also I noticed the swelling after walking a couple of mile to downtown Cozumel, maybe related? I appreciate any advice anyone may have. I am a fairley new diver with only around 25 dives logged so I may just be paranoid. Thanks

 

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[TSandM]

Well, I'm not a hyperbaric doc, but to have both hands affected with visible swelling and redness is atypical for DCS. I'd be much more willing to consider that a long walk in the heat, with your hands in a dependent position, caused some swelling. I've had that happen to me in warm climates.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi so diver,

Based on what's been reported thus far, DAN's belief that this is not DCS appears reasonable.

These dive profiles would not lead one to anticipate a risky nitrogen loading, and swelling of the hands is not a typical sign of DCS. While "blotchiness and redness" can be seen in DCS where there is skin involvement, this tends to be on the torso and shoulder area, not the hands.

TSandM's speculation seems an excellent working hypothesis.

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

 

[JanK]

This summer I've had something similar happen to me for the first time. It wasn't immediately after the dive, but the next morning. My hands got unpleasantly swollen to the point where I could barely make a closed fist with either hand. I still don't know what the reason for that was, but there were *no* other hints that DCS was involved, so I wasn't that worried. The profiles were also quite conservative with a 3min safety stop at 5m and only one dive where the computer indicated a deco obligation at 3m (that cleared on the way up and was compensated by extra 3 minutes at 5m). And the swelling subsided after a short time, so I don't worry about it.

I suspect two possible causes in my case: this year I played a lot of guitar in the evenings, for two to three hours or so, studying new songs. But I've also played for extensive periods at home before and after holidays and didn't notice any extra swelling. I've also gotten a new custom made wetsuit that's relatively tight around the wrists. Not enough to actually constrict flow (no cold hands) but still quite tight. Perhaps these two causes, combined with extra water intake to stay hydrated during whole of the holidays, combined to cause the swelling.

 

[so diver]

Thank you for all your replies. I have continued all my dives since Monday with no other swelling or problems. I must have just gotten caught up in all the excitement of the Cozumel diving. Thanks again it's great to get opions from other divers.

 

[DocVikingo]

Good news.

Thanks for the follow up.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[dsdiving]

If you're still looking for possibilities or just curious, I seen similar situations and related them to straps or constrictions across the shoulders. This is often experienced by Backpackers with overloaded packs or from over-tightening their packs.
I'm no Doctor but I suspect that the weight on your shoulders could be restricting blood flow which can cause swollen hands.

 

[PineNut]

One should consider raynaud syndrome if the hands turn in color from white, to blue, to red in exposure to cold temperature. If it turns red in exposure to heat, then erythromelalgia. Restrictive clothing or perhaps a camera strap can cause venous congestion. If it occurs again, and again - one might need to be tested for underlying illnesses like collagen vascular disease, cryoglobulinemia, and vasculitis.

 

[laguna230diver]

my first guess would be some kind of restriction from your gear.
Could it maybe be possible that you have an allergy to neoprene or something you touched along the dive? Were you wearing gloves?

Hope everything works out for ya!