All signs point to DCS, but it's not...

[Skittl1321]

So here's my question- how long did it take into your diving career for the paranoia to go away? (Or did you never do this, and I'm a freak?)

I retook Day 2 of pool work for my open water cert today. (Last month, I passed- but it wasn't pretty, so I came back for some extra instruction.)

I got home, and now every 10 minutes there seems to be a new sign I have DCS. I spent maybe 60 minutes underwater at a max depth of 13 feet. I don't have DCS.

But, having been paralyzed once before in my life- I'm terrified of it happening again. So I see the signs everywhere.
I came home and had a piercing headache- I couldn't move my head or it made it worse. Except, I had a headache similar, and worse, earlier in the week. Also, once I drank a good amount of water, it went away- I think probably dehydration.

So then, while I was searching DCS symptoms to see if headache was one, I noticed how numb and tingly my hands were. Really bad sign. Except, my hands are always numb and tingly, I have nerve damage.

Next up, I noticed my shoulder was really achy. But this shoulder has been bothering me since I went to the gym early in the week...

Then, well, I'm really tired. But aren't most people after a dive and a poor nights sleep being worried about the dive? I probably just need a nap.

Also, I'm a little bit dizzy. Like the feeling you get after a day at an amusement park. Easily explained by spending a few hours in the water; I think I had this same feeling after 4th of July swimming in the pool.

Finally, I got a bit nauseated when I went to try to eat dinner (lunch was fine). Oh right, I have some digestion issues, and this happens all the time.

So in other words: everything, everywhere is a sign of DCS. When do I stop being paranoid about it from the smallest of dives? How do I handle this when I start real dives? I mean, I'm not coughing up blood, but everyone says you should get treated at small signs, my whole life is full of small signs; diving or not!

 

[Sir Captain]

This may be more than you were looking for, but i highly recommend reading "Deco for Divers" by Mark Powell Deco for Divers: Decompression Theory and Physiology: Mark Powell: 9781905492077: Amazon.com: Books. This will explain a lot about decompression theory and may help you feel more comfortable with your dives.

 

[boulderjohn]

One of the problems with DCS is exactly what you point out--so many of the symptoms are like symptoms we have for other reasons, especially when hauling heavy equipment. I have something like you describe every time I dive. I have never had DCS, so I can't compare. On the other hand, I have had several friends get DCS, and they knew it each time. If you are wondering if you are being too sensitive about the symptoms, then you are probably being too sensitive about the symptoms.

On the other hand,...

 

[Skittl1321]

---------- Post added July 15th, 2013 at 08:45 AM ----------

This may be more than you were looking for, but i highly recommend reading "Deco for Divers" by Mark Powell

Thanks! I'll look into it.

---------- Post added July 15th, 2013 at 08:46 AM ----------

If you are wondering if you are being too sensitive about the symptoms, then you are probably being too sensitive about the symptoms.

I'm happy to report that today I am still DCS free (I knew that I was yesterday too- but man, the symptoms just kept showing up...)
I do however feel like I've been hit by a bus. I'm not sure how I get through a week of diving. Despite guzzling water all yesterday afternoon, I am just parched, my back is sore from the tank, and my hips and ankles are super sore from the snorkel swim.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Find a new hobby. People dive for fun, its a great sport. You're not having fun, its not working for you. I would recommend the same for people scarred silly of the water.

You have an unrealistic fear of DCS, get out now before you spend a ton of $$ and get hooked on it. The danger, though small will always be there and it might not be a good fit for you. If you have a fear of flying or other things that are more or less required in society, then I would spend some serious time and effort to resolve.

 

[MrChen]

I get myself psyched up over my ears. I used to swim a lot when j was younger and now pay the price. I struggled in ow class with all the surfacing, I couldn't always clear going back down. Now I feel that way all the time but it fades away the moment I hit water. I have ear drops that I use after every dive and sometimes when I don't dive. Right now my ears feel funny to me and I haven't been in the water for a week. My ear drops make it go away but I wonder if its me being hyper sensitive since becoming aware of my clearing problem immediately after an ascent. If I just dive to depth, I have no problems at all. I guess the point is, like my ears, you're being overly sensitive to your body and trying to relate them to your anxieties of diving.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[dfx]

I do however feel like I've been hit by a bus. I'm not sure how I get through a week of diving. Despite guzzling water all yesterday afternoon, I am just parched, my back is sore from the tank, and my hips and ankles are super sore from the snorkel swim.

You and/or your body will get used to it. Speaking from personal experience here.

 

[dytis-sm]

Find a new hobby. People dive for fun, its a great sport. You're not having fun, its not working for you. I would recommend the same for people scarred silly of the water.

I agree fully that this sounds like the way to go. As much as I love diving and recommend it to all my friends, I do not think it is for everyone and one will not know until they try. Diving is supposed to relax you not make you a nervous wreck. If you love the water do some snorkelling instead. It sounds that the fear is psychological so a therapist can help you but I am not sure if that is necessary when diving is supposed to be a fun activity not a necessity.

 

[Skittl1321]

You're not having fun, its not working for you.

What? Where did you get that from my post? I came home from the pool session talking a mile a minute because it went so much better than last month and I was really feeling good about it.

You have an unrealistic fear of DCS

Yep, I sure do. I have an unrealistic fear of most things though. I was honestly just wondering if I'm the only paranoid person out there, or if others do this at first as they learn what is 'normal' to feel after a dive. As you can see from my first post, I never thought I actually HAD DCS, but it sure is creepy the way all the symptoms certainly point that way. So when I read over and over on the board that you should treat even minor problems: how do you know that the minor problems are normal, or are serious? I certainly understand how to see it in a severe case.

If you have a fear of flying or other things that are more or less required in society, then I would spend some serious time and effort to resolve.

Yep, I have that fear too (except flying isn't really that necessary in society- I do it less than one ever 5 years) I also have a fear of driving, but I have to do that everyday; a couple times a year though I have to pull over and talk myself through a panic attack when I allow myself to think of the danger you put yourself in when you allow yourself to fly down a highway at 70 mph.

But you can't live in fear, which is one of the reasons I am diving, and driving. Because the diving is fun and the driving is necessary.

But seriously- I'm terrified of becoming paralyzed again.

---------- Post added July 15th, 2013 at 09:11 AM ----------

If you love the water do some snorkelling instead. It sounds that the fear is psychological so a therapist can help you but I am not sure if that is necessary when diving is supposed to be a fun activity not a necessity.

A psychologist would probably be good for me. But I have neither the time nor the inclination to spend the money on that. I really hate snorkeling- I have a lot more issues with that so far than I do with diving. I breathe way better on SCUBA than from a snorkel. (Keep in mind though I haven't been to depth on SCUBA, it might turn out I can't handle that, and this isn't really for me. But I've really enjoyed it in the pool.) Actually one of the things I was really proud of myself in this redo of the pool session was that I did the 300 m snorkel swim. Last month, I couldn't get more than 10 m and had to do the 200 m regular swim instead (which our shop usually doesn't allow). Usually when we go snorkeling on vacation, I last about 10 minutes and then just swim along side my husband while he snorkels for the next hour or so. SCUBA is much less stressful than snorkeling, even with the panic attacks I've had doing some of the skills (which did get better from try 1 to try 2).

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

The DAN website has some educational materials that would help understand what the typical symptoms are and the timeframe in which they appear. You may have to be a DAN member to access that information but that is a minor expense. Arterial gas embolisms are the most common form of DCI in new divers since buoyancy control often still spotty. AGE symptoms appear more or less immediately so aches and pains that appear hours or a day later probably are not AGE. DCS is next to impossible to get in a pool since the amount of nitrogen absorbed will be too small to be of concern no matter how long you stay. The same could be said of open water dives. If you stay shallow, say above 30 fsw, your risk of DCS is very low. Overall diving within the guidelines laid out by DSAT is quite safe. So much so that is much more worthwhile to focus on good gas management (not running out of gas) and good buddy procedures rather than DCS.