Bent!

[VooDooGasMan]

Kevin I read somewhere Tobin was a chamber operator recently at catalina.

I myself can be blamed for not hydrating, I wont take the time to suit up for a pee valve, or want to waste my time cleaning it after. So i just do not drink before diving and pee before, I can go several hours.

I am still thinking it has also a relation to the breathing gasses possibly, Now 30 years ago we were just analyst of trimix and sure we did bad profiles, but never been bent that I know of, fatigued of course.

Tobin glad to here your going to do some shallow diving, and the next thing you know you enjoy it. I just now got courage to ride Motor cycles after a crash of more then a year ago, the diving was therapy on leg injury. last july I hopped on harley and was still skittish. nice weater break and had to get it out and running and felt comfortable, so I took it to the mainland in traffic on I5 and I have the courage again and been riding yammaha daily again for the last week.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Kevin I read somewhere Tobin was a chamber operator recently at catalina.

Careful what you read. I've never been a chamber operator, just a passenger for a few rides.

I myself can be blamed for not hydrating, I wont take the time to suit up for a pee valve, or want to waste my time cleaning it after. So i just do not drink before diving and pee before, I can go several hours.

I am still thinking it has also a relation to the breathing gasses possibly, Now 30 years ago we were just analyst of trimix and sure we did bad profiles, but never been bent that I know of, fatigued of course.

Tobin glad to here your going to do some shallow diving, and the next thing you know you enjoy it. I just now got courage to ride Motor cycles after a crash of more then a year ago, the diving was therapy on leg injury. last july I hopped on harley and was still skittish. nice weater break and had to get it out and running and felt comfortable, so I took it to the mainland in traffic on I5 and I have the courage again and been riding yammaha daily again for the last week.

Thanks again for your kind words. Be careful, on the road or in the water.

Tobin

 

[The Chairman]

I've never been a chamber operator,

Yeah, but we're waiting for you to build the ultimate one. I want mine in a camo print!

 

[AggieDiver]

Tobin,

Thanks for posting this here and glad it wasn't worse. I am not sure if Diovan is the same way, but I am on Altace for HBP, and there is a specific warning in the papers that go with Altace that getting dehydrated can cause a significant drop in blood pressure. Along with that drop goes things like dizziness and positional vertigo. I had a first hand experience with it during a charity bike ride a few years ago and what I experienced sounds alot like your dizziness issues. Just one more good reason to stay hydrated.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Again, IMO, Jeff Sipsey M.D. and Karl Huggins along with the entire LA County USC Medical Center team would have been more certain & expeditious in their treatment/diagnosis, even at such a remote site as the Hyperbaric Chamber on Catalina Island. . .
USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber

Catalina is a fantastic facility, no doubt about it, and the staff is top-drawer. The OP's symptoms were non-specific enough, and his condition improving sufficiently on surface O2, to justify ruling out cardiac issues before treating him. Not everything that happens while diving is diving-related, and that's why it's important for an injured diver to be evaluated by a competent emergency medicine team instead of going directly to the chamber. My guess is that Karl would agree.

 

[fjpatrum]

Holy schmoly, that's a scary thing. It's fantastic to hear from a first person perspective, though. Thank you. Also good to see you've kept a sense of humor about it all despite the close call. Well done and good luck getting back in the water.

 

[Johnoly]

Great write up Tobin. Lots and lots of things that readers can learn from. For those that dive alot, we share the phrase that most U/W photographers say about flooding their camera.

"It's not if, but when, it happens."

Nice recovery!!

 

[ajduplessis]

Yip, DCS don't discriminate. Good to hear you are well and made some good lifestyle changes.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Catalina is a fantastic facility, no doubt about it, and the staff is top-drawer. The OP's symptoms were non-specific enough, and his condition improving sufficiently on surface O2, to justify ruling out cardiac issues before treating him. Not everything that happens while diving is diving-related, and that's why it's important for an injured diver to be evaluated by a competent emergency medicine team instead of going directly to the chamber. My guess is that Karl would agree.

The OP was more or less halfway across the San Pedro Channel between the mainland and Catalina Island, when the incident occurred, within navigating sight of the Isthmus and Big Fisherman Cove where the USC Hyperbaric Chamber is located, along with a very skilled, experienced & competent cadre of LA County Baywatch Paramedic Lifeguards. The Chamber facility is an extension of the L.A. County/USC Medical Center Emergency Room, with Advanced Life Support capability for patients who arrive in cardiac arrest. The attending Physician who specializes in both Emergency & Hyperbaric Medicine (Jeff Sipsey M.D.) is helicoptered in from the mainland hospital -LA County General/USC Medical Center in east Los Angeles- and is in constant communication with Chamber/Baywatch personnel to direct initial treatment during the 30min transit.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but the OP should have immediately hailed the LA County Baywatch Paramedics at Catalina or US Coast Guard upon manifestation of initial symptoms, or at least just kept making way over to the Isthmus/Two Harbors landing at Catalina Island. . .

We have a great Emergency Medical Service team here in Los Angeles County, especially for the transport, care and treatment of diving accidents --and you don't necessarily need pre-approval or consultation from DAN to use it.

The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, located on the campus of the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center at Big Fisherman Cove at the West End of Catalina Island, is an emergency medical facility for the treatment of scuba diving accidents. Without proper treatment, major problems from diving accidents, most commonly Decompression Sickness (the "Bends") and Air Embolism, can lead to permanent disabling injuries and in some instances be fatal. In the Southern California area around Catalina Island, the combination of effective on-site management of a diving accident along with the rapid response by Los Angeles County Baywatch Lifeguards, or the U.S. Coast Guard, and swift, effective treatment at the Chamber can save a diver's life.

Catalina Chamber 24 Hour Emergency Line
310-510-1053
LA County Medical Alert Center (MAC)
866-940-4401
U.S. Coast Guard Sector LA/Long Beach Search & Rescue
310-521-3815
Marine Channel 16
Divers Alert Network (DAN) Emergency Line
919-684-9111

USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber

 

[VooDooGasMan]

well indeed I read it wrong, you gave a gracious sponsorship and not the chamber operator.