Luke_Gordon
Registered
Hi Guys,
I have seen many professionals on here so looking to gain a third opinion from you guys. Just for context of this post I suffer from severe health anxiety, regardless of if any condition is currently afflicting me I am very much anxious about it.
I am quite remote right now, this isn't as far as I am aware a diving emergency. I am a pretty experienced DM with almost 3000 dives. Right now I am gaining experience in research and have currently been at my island location for 17 days or so. I would say I have done around 10/11 dives in those 17 days. No one day had multiple dives and all but 2 dives have been very conservative on a Suunto Zoop.
Let me explain the situation, my last dive was Sunday. Was a deep dive on air, to 30.1m with a total bottom time of 71min. A multi-level dive where I slowly made my way up the reef staying within my NDL. At 23m I crept into deco, I ascended slowly up the reef as I normally do and by 12m I was out of deco. I then stayed at between 7-9m for around 10-15min and moved up to do my safety stop at 4-5m for around 4-5min possibly longer but definitely no shorter. I then stayed at around 2m for 15min taking photographs. Dive over. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. Had my lunch felt fine, then went to do some laptop work, around 3hours after surfacing I felt what i would say is my normal after dive fatigue, maybe slightly more. Took a nap of 40-50min and fatigue had gone.
However until the next morning I would say I felt slightly off. Only slightly though. This made me think of DCS and was worrying ever since 4 hours after my dive. I have seemed to develop a headache which I can't pinpoint when I got. However it is very mild and shifts in it's nature and is not always present. (when i wake in the morning I feel great)
I haven't dived since and have been out the water now 76 hours. No other symptoms what so ever. I have had a paramedic and dive professional conduct neuro assessments, which I seem to pass. I would say I have felt pretty good since Mon afternoon. But my worry has got me and I am petrified to enter the water again.
I phoned DAN after 26 hours who promptly told me I am ok and that just a headache is not DCS, and that I should have off gassed by now. However I wasn't convinced so I called DDRC? I think. Anyway they were much more thorough and told me to err on the side of caution I should be checked or abstain from diving for a week to 2 weeks.
Now I am definitely not diving for a week, agreed with my employer, however because my symptom is so mild they really don't believe I have DCS. My worry and anxiety however has me convinced I can feel a bubble/s in my brain.
I also breathed continuous flow oxygen for abut 20min around 20 hours after dive. Didn't notice any change of my very diffuse symptom.
My questions are, if I have a constitutional bend and do not dive for 2 weeks or even just 1 week will I off gas?
Does this sound like DCS? I am very remote so going to a hyperbaric doctor will end my 2 month trip and experience that is very very important to me. This is my only hesitation about going.
I have had to deal with AGE's before and just have a vision in my head of if I dive again that will be me.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Guys,
I have seen many professionals on here so looking to gain a third opinion from you guys. Just for context of this post I suffer from severe health anxiety, regardless of if any condition is currently afflicting me I am very much anxious about it.
I am quite remote right now, this isn't as far as I am aware a diving emergency. I am a pretty experienced DM with almost 3000 dives. Right now I am gaining experience in research and have currently been at my island location for 17 days or so. I would say I have done around 10/11 dives in those 17 days. No one day had multiple dives and all but 2 dives have been very conservative on a Suunto Zoop.
Let me explain the situation, my last dive was Sunday. Was a deep dive on air, to 30.1m with a total bottom time of 71min. A multi-level dive where I slowly made my way up the reef staying within my NDL. At 23m I crept into deco, I ascended slowly up the reef as I normally do and by 12m I was out of deco. I then stayed at between 7-9m for around 10-15min and moved up to do my safety stop at 4-5m for around 4-5min possibly longer but definitely no shorter. I then stayed at around 2m for 15min taking photographs. Dive over. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. Had my lunch felt fine, then went to do some laptop work, around 3hours after surfacing I felt what i would say is my normal after dive fatigue, maybe slightly more. Took a nap of 40-50min and fatigue had gone.
However until the next morning I would say I felt slightly off. Only slightly though. This made me think of DCS and was worrying ever since 4 hours after my dive. I have seemed to develop a headache which I can't pinpoint when I got. However it is very mild and shifts in it's nature and is not always present. (when i wake in the morning I feel great)
I haven't dived since and have been out the water now 76 hours. No other symptoms what so ever. I have had a paramedic and dive professional conduct neuro assessments, which I seem to pass. I would say I have felt pretty good since Mon afternoon. But my worry has got me and I am petrified to enter the water again.
I phoned DAN after 26 hours who promptly told me I am ok and that just a headache is not DCS, and that I should have off gassed by now. However I wasn't convinced so I called DDRC? I think. Anyway they were much more thorough and told me to err on the side of caution I should be checked or abstain from diving for a week to 2 weeks.
Now I am definitely not diving for a week, agreed with my employer, however because my symptom is so mild they really don't believe I have DCS. My worry and anxiety however has me convinced I can feel a bubble/s in my brain.
I also breathed continuous flow oxygen for abut 20min around 20 hours after dive. Didn't notice any change of my very diffuse symptom.
My questions are, if I have a constitutional bend and do not dive for 2 weeks or even just 1 week will I off gas?
Does this sound like DCS? I am very remote so going to a hyperbaric doctor will end my 2 month trip and experience that is very very important to me. This is my only hesitation about going.
I have had to deal with AGE's before and just have a vision in my head of if I dive again that will be me.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Guys,