Christi with Blue XTSEA Takes a TypeII DCS Hit (+)

[1KWIK_69]

You know there are analogies that work well and then there is this. When you have to explain mules are important, you know you have gone down a strange road..... :rofl4::rofl2:

Mules are very important in Mexico. Ask any head of a Cartel! :shocked2:

 

[vlkr]

good of christie to share her experience so that we can learn form it. not to highjack the thread from concern for her but it did raise some questions for me.
i have heard 2 sides to discussions about whether nitrox would have helped avoid a hit in a situation like hers. i believe it would have helped her and i always use it myself, but i am wondering what the latest science is on this one.
the other question i have is about coffee. i had believed, as christie does, that it can dehyrate but an article in scuba mag said the opposite. according to that article it is beneficial in avoiding dehydration. i hope christie is wrong on this one because i love a couple cups while sitting on the deck of casa mx watching the port wake up.

 

[1KWIK_69]

good of christie to share her experience so that we can learn form it. not to highjack the thread from concern for her but it did raise some questions for me.
i have heard 2 sides to discussions about whether nitrox would have helped avoid a hit in a situation like hers. i believe it would have helped her and i always use it myself, but i am wondering what the latest science is on this one.
the other question i have is about coffee. i had believed, as christie does, that it can dehyrate but an article in scuba mag said the opposite. according to that article it is beneficial in avoiding dehydration. i hope christie is wrong on this one because i love a couple cups while sitting on the deck of casa mx watching the port wake up.

I don't see your post as a hijack, Christy brought up both not using nitrox as she usually does, and she also brought up drinking coffee.

What they still teach in Nitrox class is that the extra O2 displaces a lot of the nitrogen in your tank so you absorb less. I doubt that thinking will ever change. Less nitrogen means less chance of getting the bends.

As for coffee before a dive, I really don't like warming the wet suit, and coffee goes right through me!


P.S. Feeling any improvement today Christi?

 

[firstdive2005]

good of christie to share her experience so that we can learn form it. not to highjack the thread from concern for her but it did raise some questions for me.
i have heard 2 sides to discussions about whether nitrox would have helped avoid a hit in a situation like hers. i believe it would have helped her and i always use it myself, but i am wondering what the latest science is on this one.
the other question i have is about coffee. i had believed, as christie does, that it can dehyrate but an article in scuba mag said the opposite. according to that article it is beneficial in avoiding dehydration. i hope christie is wrong on this one because i love a couple cups while sitting on the deck of casa mx watching the port wake up.

Coffee is a diuretic. It will dehydrate. As Christie posted earlier the proper way to hydrate is to begin the night before diving with several glasses just before diving. Remember eating fruit before is a good way to hydrate also.
The guess to whether a tank of nitrox would have stopped the hit can not be answered. However most would say that one of the major factors to promoting a hit would be not drinking enough water. There are too many variables to this scenario to say what would have worked to stop the hit. She was simply over tired, had worked out a lot during the week, was on her third dive, (within limits), had not hydrated, frustrated with some outside issues, it was simply a dive that had all the right components to a hit. BUT I HAVE DONE this same profile several times and I have not been hit. I am sure a gazillion people have also. Truly I dont dive anymore without drinking lots of water before, I try to make sure just prior to dropping my mind/physical sense is clear.
Her testimony is the result of the perfect storm in a dive profile for a hit. One or all of the ingredients could have caused it.
As for whether Nitrox would have helped yes it COULD have.
There are other medical calls that could be the answer too, like PFO. As she has not been tested for it that may be also a reason. Getting bent can have a solid answer or a variable one. There is a lady on the board that got bent and her computer down load, her demeanor, her hydration, does not lend itself to a hit. Later medical test proved PFO. It will be closed and in all likelyhood she will dive again.
A couple of good questions for sure.
Rest is a big deal after doing chamber rides, so everyone get on her case.

 

[1KWIK_69]

There are other medical calls that could be the answer too, like PFO. As she has not been tested for it that may be also a reason.

That's some really interesting info Kev! I'd never heard of PFO, so I had to look it up. Answers.com says that 20 to 30% of adults have it. Are they planning to test Christi, or are you thinking it might be a possibility due to the other member having that be a contributing factor?

 

[staffybull]

Coffee is not a diuretic and does not dehydrate. Caffeine is a mild diuretic yes. The only way it will dehydrate you is by taking caffeine in excess by it self, IE: pills. The majority of people take Caffeine via soft drinks, coffee, and tea. The same fluid is retained whether you drink the same amount of water or caffeine drinks. There have been lots of studies done on this. This means there is no fluid-electrolyte imbalance. The amount of fluid you would have to drink in order to get enough caffeine in your system to dehydrate you, would still be greater than any fluid loss you would have from so called caffeine dehydradtion so its a transient result.
A person would have to really over do it with caffeine to result in dehydration. It would take several thousand mg's in a short amount of time. Eating 200mg caffeine pills like skittles and washing it down with a six pack of redbulls in 10 minutes may get you started but the real worry would be you would have cardiac arrest before dehydration would get you.

 

[rjchandler]

moderate consumption of coffee does not cause dehydration. Enjoy your morning coffee.

 

[firstdive2005]

Sorry about this missname, your right caffeine is the culprit for dehydration. My bad. Coffee will result in voiding sooner which will result in fluid loss, which in turn is not hydrating you. This is turn can be a variable in a DCS event. I drink coffee in the morning before I dive, I'll kill you if try to take it away. I however drink just slightly more water before the dive also to compensate for the eventual suit soiling.
Get all technical if you like, coffee is not an hydration drink, period.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Coffee is not a diuretic and does not dehydrate. Caffeine is a mild diuretic yes. The only way it will dehydrate you is by taking caffeine in excess by it self, IE: pills. The majority of people take Caffeine via soft drinks, coffee, and tea. The same fluid is retained whether you drink the same amount of water or caffeine drinks. There have been lots of studies done on this. This means there is no fluid-electrolyte imbalance. The amount of fluid you would have to drink in order to get enough caffeine in your system to dehydrate you, would still be greater than any fluid loss you would have from so called caffeine dehydradtion so its a transient result.
A person would have to really over do it with caffeine to result in dehydration. It would take several thousand mg's in a short amount of time. Eating 200mg caffeine pills like skittles and washing it down with a six pack of redbulls in 10 minutes may get you started but the real worry would be you would have cardiac arrest before dehydration would get you.

Coffee and diet coke are such a mild diuretic, how come I have to pee every time I drink the stuff, but not after I drink the same amount of water?

 

[BTravlin]

Coffee and diet coke are such a mild diuretic, how come I have to pee every time I drink the stuff, but not after I drink the same amount of water?

You probably suffer from TB like I do. Tiny Bladder.