Dcs & Then Some

[tstormdiver]

Ah,.. I dive a rather benign flooded rock quarry for the most part & some caves in Northern Florida, besides the "once a year dive vacation" to warmer climes. The most I usually have to do is chase after a wayward student... so, all- in- all not too bad.

 

[Shaun Delport]

Have you determined the cause of your DCS?
From what research I have done I would suspect it was dehydration. Before having being diagnosed I was thirsty all the time. Once diagnosed, hospital and 6 bags of saline solution IV on my first night, woke up and did not even have the urge to urinate. That is a serious dose of dehydration due to the fact that it was probably over an extended period of say 2 months before I realised something was amiss. My organs had also begun to dehydrate.
Hence my using Gatorade on the SI, Isotonic and electrolyte replacement.

 

[tstormdiver]

There will probably never be a real known "cause",.. but speculation is that it was a combination of dehydration from the undiagnosed diabetes (I was drinking a lot, but I was also urinating a lot) & a break from the post- decompression dive protocols I was taught. Normally after coming up from a decompression dive, we hang out on the surface & just chill out for 10- 15 min.,... discuss the dive, we then jettison all bailout/ stage & decompression cylinders at the water's edge, leaving only what we have on our backs. We then get out of the water, drop the equipment on our backs & sit down to rest for another 45- min to an hour to allow proper off gassing before removing dropped cylinders from the water & loading the vehicles to go back to our rooms. That particular day, we had completed a rather long CCR dive, done the prescribed decompression, but, instead of taking the time to rest on the surface & afterwards on land, we immediately pulled the equipment from the water & began loading my truck for the trip back to the motel we were staying in. We left Ginnie Springs at about 1 in the afternoon & by 6pm, I was showing symptoms.

 

[Shaun Delport]

I see, so foregoing the required/recommended 1 hour rest and arduous activity directly after the dive was a big factor. Thanks for clearing that up.
So when do you plan to start diving again?

Shaun

 

[tstormdiver]

I see, so foregoing the required/recommended 1 hour rest and arduous activity directly after the dive was a big factor. Thanks for clearing that up.
So when do you plan to start diving again?

Shaun

It is believed, yes,.. as I said, there is no 100% way to prove it, either way. May have just been a bad day. I have been teaching recreational level diving, ever since I was released from 6 weeks off from diving, all summer. I will be heading back to the FL caves in a couple of weeks.