Another "Is This DCS/DCI?" Thread

[Scuba_Noob]

So we were diving yesterday and originally planning on doing two dives. On the first dive (42 minutes, avg depth 55ft), I felt completely fine during the dive. I was within my NDLs (by at least 5min) and ascended at a slow rate. We went to a max depth of 93 feet (for about a few minutes), rose to about 70-80ft for most of the dive, and then headed back to shore at about 20-40ft (10min, with another 10 min under 20ft). I did have a little bit of a buoyancy problem at the end where I exerted a little to dump extra air out.

After the dive, I started feeling strange. I had this extreme soreness in my right lower back, and I hadn't done anything different. I've had soreness in my back before (from exercise, etc.), but this felt completely different and strange. I sat down during the surface interval, and while I was sitting down (and when I got back up), I felt a feeling like pins-and-needles starting to go through my right leg. It got stronger and stronger, and went through my left leg too. I had difficulty standing because my legs felt wobbly, and I staggered around while packing my stuff (not because of vertigo or dizziness). I actually felt as if there was a chance I could just trip and fall, and I had a hand on the car or my knees for a little while to "rebalance."

So I opted out of the next dive. During the wait for the rest of the guys to finish the second dive, I started feeling a lot better. I had a bit of pain in my left knee joint, but I think that's just random. I feel pretty good now.

My question is: Was this Decompression Sickness? If not, what is it? I've heard of it occurring when people are well within their dive limits. I'm going to phone DAN tomorrow to check.

Usually when I hear about DCS, the symptoms include nausea and pain in the joints, and I had neither.

[ScubaSteve]

I am going to ask a question rather than try to answer anything (as I am not qualified to answer here - but I would say it may sound like a pinched nerve).........did you feel like you were struggling with your trim on the dive? I have had similar dives where I was tweaking myself so much to keep in trim that my lower back throbbed. The pins and needles were different in my case but it is just a question about the dive.

[Scuba_Noob]

Nope, no trim problems (not the best trim, but no different than any other dive this week). To add some info, I had a decent amount of sleep (6hrs) and felt rested. I had a good amount of food and liquids before diving as well. However, I did have a coffee about 30min before diving, which I normally don't do (but nothing felt strange while diving).

Tweaked nerve sounds plausible. I would be happy if that turned out to be the case.

[beautybelow]

My only question is why would you phone DAN tomorrow instead of right after the problems started? If you really are concerned that you are suffering from a dive related issue, DAN is a very quick way to get remote advice.

[TSandM]

If I had tingling in both legs and was wobbly when trying to walk, I'd be on the phone to DAN right THEN. Admittedly, the dive you describe doesn't sound high risk, but what ELSE is going to give you those symptoms? If you have a long history of back problems and known disc disease, you could conceivably aggravate it to the point of having those symptoms, but that would indicate a fairly urgent need to seek medical consultation for the underlying back issue.

Nothing good gives you tingling in both legs AND weakness and wobbling. Get this figured out, with professional help.

[Scuba_Noob]

Thanks for your input all. Yes, I will phone DAN tomorrow first thing.

Yesterday, after the dive, I wanted to wait and see if the symptoms would go away. They went away mostly while my buddies were doing the second dive, and they're gone today. Thus, I thought it might be okay. But today, I rethought it and wondered if ScubaBoard had any ideas what it could be. I considered calling DAN, but I wasn't sure if it was open during the weekend, and I didn't think it was urgent anymore, as the symptoms were gone.

[Mr Carcharodon]

The emergency line at DAN is available 24 hours a day so call them now if you have concerns. That said the dive as described appears to have had some margin relative to conventional limits, and the rapid resolution does not seem typical. I'd guess some lower back muscle strain and a middle ear fluid issue leading to balance issues (did you have a bit of cold going into the dive?) -- but those are just guesses.

[beautybelow]

"After the dive, I started feeling strange. I had this extreme soreness in my right lower back, and I hadn't done anything different. I've had soreness in my back before (from exercise, etc.), but this felt completely different and strange. I sat down during the surface interval, and while I was sitting down (and when I got back up), I felt a feeling like pins-and-needles starting to go through my right leg. It got stronger and stronger, and went through my left leg too. I had difficulty standing because my legs felt wobbly, and I staggered around while packing my stuff (not because of vertigo or dizziness). I actually felt as if there was a chance I could just trip and fall, and I had a hand on the car or my knees for a little while to "rebalance.""

I should have, like Lynn, said that those were pretty serious symptoms. The fact that they did go away and you feel fine today is of course, a great sign, but maybe not a good enough reason to write it off as having passed.

But the lesson to be learned here as far as I am concerned is that if you were diving with me and you described those symptoms to me directly following a dive of any kind, you would have been on 02 and I would have, depending on where we were, been figuring out how to get you to a doctor, then calling DAN.

I am the last person to over react usually, but I probably wouldn't have waited to see if things got better if what you described is really what you were feeling.

This is a general response, not specifically to your post or to you really...it's just how I would have reacted to your symptoms.

[Tortuga68]

Hmm, let's see here...

I had a bit of pain in my left knee joint...

89% of DCS patients experince symptoms of joint pain (USN)

After the dive, I started feeling strange. I had this extreme soreness in my right lower back, and I hadn't done anything different. I've had soreness in my back before (from exercise, etc.), but this felt completely different and strange

Altered sensation, check. Localized deep pain, check

I felt a feeling like pins-and-needles starting to go through my right leg. It got stronger and stronger, and went through my left leg too. I had difficulty standing because my legs felt wobbly

Tingling or numbness. Check. Weakness in the legs, check

Usually when I hear about DCS, the symptoms include nausea and pain in the joints, and I had neither

Nausea is usually only associated with audiovestibular cases of DCS (ones that affect the inner ear). You already said you had joint pain in your knee

You've checked off five symptoms there, including two that are indicators of neurological issues with the brain or spinal column. I'm not saying you're definitely bent but if I had a choice between doing nothing, asking random idiots on the internet whether I had DCS, or calling DAN, I know what I'd do

[Doppler]

Count me as another "random idiot on the internet" (gotta love that), but everything you've written points to the need to contact DAN immediately post-dive. Too late for you to do that, but I wanna stress to ANYONE reading this thread the importance of NOT second-guessing ANYTHING to do with this type of injury or the potential for this type of injury.

I've been very lucky in a long and rather envelope-pushing career in diving, and if I experienced what you say you did, I would not be asking the SB crowd for advice. CALL DAN NOW!