Swollen Wrists?

[OE2X]

The last few evenings that I dove this one particular spot, I've come up with puffy wrists.
Symptoms:
2" wide band on both wrists.
One wrist has a latex wrist seal that goes over a synthetic glove liner, the other wrist does not have a seal. Both hands have dry gloves.
No pain anywhere - either in the wrists or any joints.
Profiles have been very conservative and dives have been on EAN32%.
Doesn't seem to happen on day dives.
On a few of the dives I have taken an anti inflamatory before the dive - no effect.
No other swelling anywhere else.

I called DAN and they couldn't figure it out.

Any ideas?

 

[Snowbear]

I remember that from when I was there... very strange.

How long does it last before it goes away?

 

[Dive-aholic]

A few questions:

1. Are these new dry gloves?
2. Do you wear the same gloves on the day dives?
3. What anti-inflamatory are you taking?

Are the glove seals too tight? Sounds like the glove seals may be causing blood to back up around your wrists. Don't understand why this wouldn't happen during the day too though. Are you holding your arms a certain way when you night dive - holding your light a certain way? The anti-inflamatory may also be contributing to it. Vioxx (before it was pulled off the market) was known for causing edema (inflamation of the tissues) particularly in the extremities (gravity dependent). But Vioxx was not the only medicine that does this. DAN may have been focusing on what could cause this that is diving related. I'm thinking it's not "diving" related, but related to something you're doing on those particular dives.

 

[lamont]

Profiles have been very conservative and dives have been on EAN32%.

He's really not kidding about that. We did a dive tonight and OE2X was on EAN33 while I was doing EAN24 and had the bend-o-matic set to 21%. We hit 90 feet at around 9 mins in, stayed there for a few minutes (I wanna say 8 mins of NDL on the 'puter when we left depth), were back up around 60 fsw at 20 mins, spent the rest of the dive mostly around 40-45 fsw, were up at 30 fsw 48 mins in, did 2 at 30, >3 between 20 and 10 which cleared the bend-o-matics safety stop, a bunch of time at 8 and slow ascent to the surface (12 mins 30->0).

Maybe its just some kind of mechanical irritation -- when you do night dives you're moving your arms around more aiming the HID and that's causing your seals to rub on your skin and inflame a bit?

 

[Snowbear]

Maybe its just some kind of mechanical irritation -- when you do night dives you're moving your arms around more aiming the HID and that's causing your seals to rub on your skin and inflame a bit?

That's just it - Mechanical irritation is unlikely, since it's happening in both wrists...

One wrist has a latex wrist seal that goes over a synthetic glove liner, the other wrist does not have a seal. Both hands have dry gloves.

 

[Dive-aholic]

BTW, what's up with the missing seal? Did you buy your drysuit from Uncle Pug?

 

[babar]

Do you have a latex allergy? That might be a possible cause. Is the latex actually up against your wrist or is the undergarment continuous with the glove liner?

babar

 

[Dive-aholic]

Do you have a latex allergy? That might be a possible cause. Is the latex actually up against your wrist or is the undergarment continuous with the glove liner?

babar

Doesn't sound like that's the problem:

2" wide band on both wrists.
One wrist has a latex wrist seal that goes over a synthetic glove liner, the other wrist does not have a seal.

 

[OE2X]

A few questions:

1. Are these new dry gloves?

No, both gloves and liners have been used for several months. The liners get washed about the same time as the undergarmet.

2. Do you wear the same gloves on the day dives?

Yes

3. What anti-inflamatory are you taking?

Occasionally I'll take some Alleve. I have some issues with my neck where I have tingling and pain just in my left arm. On a really bad day I'll take 500 mg. Last night/yesterday I didn't take any.

FWIW - I'm nearly 44. Just recently had a physical and besides needing to lose 25 lbs I'm in good shape. Cholesterol is 172 and the none of the rest of the blood work would suggest anything.

 

[OE2X]

Do you have a latex allergy? That might be a possible cause. Is the latex actually up against your wrist or is the undergarment continuous with the glove liner?

babar

On my left hand I still have the wrist seal in tact. When suiting up I put my liners over my undergarmet wrists. Last night I did an experiment - one liner over my undergarmet on my left wrist, one under the undergarmet on my right wrist. Then I put my hands and arms through the wrist seals. Since I don't have a seal on my right wrist, it seems unlikely that it could be a latex allergy. The only place where I have latex against my skin is on my neck seal and I don't have any signs of it happening there.