Type II DCS treatment outcomes

[scubadani]

Hi,

I suffered a type II DSC hit a month ago.
It was a provocative dive with missed deco breathing air. As soon as I got out of the water I went on O2 and was in the chamber 4 hours after surfacing.
The first symptom was R arm paralysis and severe back pain between my scapulas which resolved with oxygen prior to entering the chamber. Before I went in the chamber my sympotms were bilateral paraesthesis over a small part of lateral foot and lower leg and muscle weakness requiring assistance to walk.
During the first treatment to 18m (5 hrs) my paraesthesia extended to the entire leg bilaterally (ascending as typically described) now with severe muscle weakness which meant I could no longer walk, hyperreflexia and upgoing babinskis, and there was also bladder involvement. I ended up having 15 chamber treatments in total which gradual imrpovement during these treatments from the third treatment onwards and a month on am still recovering.

My question is what happened with me that meant I didn't respond to recompression (and in fact deteriorated during the first recompression) while so many of the cases I have read (including my buddy's), where spinal DCS has improved completely on recompression?

I understand inflammation is involved but I was treated, in what I have been told, a relatively quick time, whereas I have read cases of recompression over 24 hours later where spinal DCS has completely responded to recompression. I have also read cases where residual symptoms lasted 6 months or never resolved so I understand I am not hte only person this has happened to. So what is the difference between these two situations?


Thnaks

 

[Blastman4444]

My type 2 about 4 weeks ago was not even close to what you experienced I hope your feeling better I couldn't imagine the fear with paralysis. You said it took 4 hours to the chamber I know the faster you get to the chamber the better I was in the chamber after 2 1/2 hours, but I was lucky it happened in a large city I was airlifted to a hospital quickly. I did notice as I ascended in the chamber my symptoms did come back some. The next day it went away then later the next day I was riding in a car and I got the symptoms back felt really weak. I ended up back in the chamber later that night. I had more tingling for about 3 weeks the doctor told me they had a guy who had 31 chamber rides and his leg paralysis resolved on the last one. O2 masks the symptoms so it might have just masked it. Hope you recover that kind of DCS hit makes me think about if diving again is worth it. I think it just takes time and treatment are they treating you with any medication for the inflammation? I wouldn't do any flying or any ascending to altitude until your symptoms resolve completely for long time.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi Dani,
A couple of notes. First of all, the speed at which you got into the chamber is pretty impressive. That, along with going on O2 right away, almost certainly prevented your symptoms from becoming much worse.
Symptom resolution varys widely from case to case, so comparing your DCS case to someone else's isn't really a good way of judging your treatment or recovery. Dive profile, gas load, body composition, and physical location of the bubble are just some of the factors that come into play. There are a lot of unknowns, so unfortunately there's not a complete answer to your question.
Best regards,
DDM