luvspoodles:
The next thing he sees is my breathing O2. You should have seen the look on his face!
So I tell the stewardessess that I need to call DAN. My arm just felt not right. And I am totally dizzy. I am freaking out, not breathing heavily, but my pulse is very high. But no one will call DAN, they want to call their own paramedics.
So the paramedics meet me at the airport and I tell them my symptoms, and they say that there is no way I could have DCS, I would be flailing about and almost dead. I said that is simply not true, but they would not believe me. So they take me to Kaiser Oakland, and they put the intravenous line right on the pain in my right arm, so now I no longer know if my arm still hurts or if it is just the nail sized needle in my arm.
Here I am now, depressed and feeling like my husband ought to drive me right over to the nuthouse. Maybe I got so freaked out about my ear popping and told myself that the bubble had moved (not possible I found out) that I imagined the DCS? And I was on about 6 different drugs at the time...maybe I went crazy?
Maybe the barotrauma in my ears and the popping caused the extreme dizzyness? Now I feel like I should never dive again, and I am so sad, because diving is the one thing that has given me self-confidence over the last year and a half.
Anyway, I will give you some details that I know will be asked.
I did stay hydrated during the dive days (although probably not enough) There were times when I should have drank more water.
I stopped drinking water after my last dive and had my first alcoholic drink of the week. I didn't know at the time that I could still be at risk of DCS after my diving is done.
One day the ocean was so rough that I did have to jump from the boat onto the pier, and I hurt my legs, but I could have hurt my arms as well.
So what I would like to know from you is...
Have any of you had the DCS and then rationalized it afterward, telling yourself that it really didn't happen?
Now my other arm hurts-is it possible for the bubbles to move even after 2 chamber rides when the arm didn't even hurt in the first place and its been 5 days since my last dive?
I worry I may have a PFO. Is it common for people to get only 1 hit and not get hit again? My doctor says that if I have a hit again I should get checked for a PFO. Is my diving over?
How do I regain my sanity? I am a teacher, and I need to go back to work. My ears still hurt a alot and I am dizzy(I am guessing from the barotrauma).
Last, how many cases of DCS really are just sore muscles? Do you think I could have just hyperventilated and made it up?
Anyway, if any of you are still with me after this loooong post I still appreciate it. Thank you so much for your time.
Luvs Poodles,
I would like to chime in with a couple of thoughts, if I may. As a preface, I will make the standard disclaimer that while I am a certififed Diver Medic Technician, and am trained in hyperbaric work, I am not a Physician, and my opinions are not to be construed as diagnoses.
First, it has been some time since your first post. I know that you have been in contact with DAN. Please be advised that they are the BEST generally available source for information regarding divers and DCS, and/or diving related health problems. If you dive, and you do not have DAN membership and insurance, you are making a very serious mistake, period.
Second, diver DENIAL of DCS as a possible reason for symptoms is NORMAL. There are a lot of reasons for this, and not enough time to go into all of them. Just accept that it is normal for us to deny the possibility.
Third, as a pilot for a major airline, possibly even the one you were flying on, I can tell you that our procedures for handling medical emergencies in the air are set and established. The flight attendants are simply NOT allowed to deviate from those procedures. Unfortunately, calling DAN is not part of the procedure.
Fourth, most paramedics and most physicians are not trained in hyperbaric medicine and treatment of DCS. That is just the way it is. You CANNOT depend on them to make the right decisions IF DCS IS ACTUALLY INVOLVED. That is why it is vitally important to have the resources of DAN available. See number one above.
Fifth, you are NOT crazy! You did quite a few things that were right, and then some things that were not so right, but you were not fully informed of the correct procedures.
Sixth, pain from barotrauma and infections of the middle ear can cause much distress, including dizziness, among other things.
Seventh, bubbles do not typically move around UNLESS they are moving through the venous or arterial blood systems, as you seem to have found out.
Eighth, the statistics vary, but a significant fraction of the population does have asymptomatic PFO's. The test to determine if you have one is invasive, and does carry a certain amount of risk.
I hope that this will have answered at least some of your questions, and given you some assurance.
Cheers!
Rob Davie
DMT
IANTD I.T.
Assoc. Member UHMS
P.S.---Other than talking to the folks at DAN, you will find advice on this board from such people as Doc Deco, Doc Saturation, and Doc Vikingo. These folks know an awful lot about the subjects of DCS, and diving medicine. You cannot get better advice than what they have to offer.
R
