Hi
Before writing the above mail i first e-mailed DAN Europe and they told me to get intouch with a physician who is experienced in diving medicine. So off i went and started phoning around for a diving physician. I rang the local Doctors ( NHS Service) and they couldnt help me, which i thought was crazy. Then i rang the local hospital who rang the the Royal Navy who then rang the nearest Bupa (who are private) medical centre which luckily happened to be only 8 miles from my house and has one of the best Hyperbaric chambres and emergency DCS eqiupment in Britian ( so I was informed).
I was seen immediately by the diving specialist physician and he had no reservation in getting me into the recommpression chambre immediately after a checkup. His examination revealed that i couldnt infact walk heel to toe in a straight line , much to my amazement. So i was placed in the chambre at 18 metres for approximaely 5 hours (The Royal Navy,Table 6). I was then kept in overnight for observation and i was put in the chambre once again for 2 hours in the morning. I came home last night but then had the pins and needles reoccured so i contacted the hyperbaric team at the hospital again. Again I was commited to the chambre thismorning for another 2 hours. Let me stress though...my initial symptoms and those thereafter were very very mild pins and needles. I can imagine that alot of people would just ignore them, thats how subtle they were. I am still experiencing pins and needles( more like sharp stabbing pains)in my legs, feet , back , neck , scalp and hands even now(every 3-30 mins). My first symptoms occured immediately on exiting the water...pins and needles in my feet only for about 10 minutes. After those symptoms (Sunday) I felt nothing again until monday night. It was infact Tuesday afternoon when i phoned for help. I am told that the pins and needles will either go in a few days - a few weeks or they may actually be permanent.
My dive profiles are as follows:- ( times are time of descending to time of surfacing) All dives were on Air. Temp was recorded at deepest part of each dive.
Friday:
Dive 1
10:46 to 16.2m, out at 11:23 (37mins)(temp 8C), Had uncontrolled ascent from approx 12 metres to surface..was slowed by 2 divers holding my fins. It was later found that my cuff dump on my dry suit was infact partly blocked with talc powder which made me unable to dump air quick enough on ascent.
Dive 2
13:53 to 30m (multi level dive), out at 14:32 (39 mins)(temp 7C)
Dive 3
15:40 to 6m, out at 16:18 (38 mins)(temp 8C)
Saturday:
Dive1
10:34 to 19m out at 11:01 (27mins) temp 8C
Dive2
13:29 to 6m out at 14:00 (31 mins) temp 8C
Dive3
15:48 to 19m out at 16:13 (25mins) temp 8C
Sunday:
Dive1
9:26 to 21m out at 9:55 (29mins) temp 8C
Dive2
11:48 to 21m out at 12:20 (32 mins) temp 7C
Dive3
14:02 to 21.6m out at 14:27 (25 mins) temp 7C , Buddy started ascending uncontrollably from approx 10 metres, whereby i grabbed his fin to slow him down...we managed to stop at 4 metres. A 3-5 minute safety stop was attempted although with no frame of reference (open water-no lines) and with 2 other inexperienced divers grabbing onto me to stabelize themselves the stop was abandoned. 200 yard surface swim to shore. Symptoms (pins and needles) began immediately in both feet.
I must add this probably critical point..we were drinking alcohol on friday and saturday night. I personally had 2-3 pints of water before going to sleep to keep dehydration at bay. In the morning i had another 2 pints of water and continued to drink another 2-4 pints of water throughout the day. Throughout the days of diving above i was with several very qualified divers including my Instructor since i was taking my wreck and search and recovery certs. The last dive on Sunday was done with 2 very inexperienced divers both of the age 16. I was nervous diving with these young lads since they were so inexperienced. We abandoned the initial dive plan once at depth since the viz was only 1ft-1metre and there was no way i was going to swim 20 metres out (at 20metres depth) to a wreck through 1ft viz with these guys.
. Since that time i have had sensations like pins and needles allover my body. It is more like just the odd pinprick here and there but sometimes it is fairly intense in comparison to pins and needles. Will the micronuclei/bubbles work there way out of my system in time ? , if indeed i actually have any such bubbles in my body.
