DCS and weird symptoms

[Angelfish]

OK - no clue if you can shed some light on this. I was in Africa earlier this year (Jan) diving. While I was out there I got dysentry and was pretty ill, but got back into diving 2 days after I finished throwing up. Anyway the rest of the trip went fine apart from the fact that one mornig my knees were swollen - no injury or banging them on a boat, just swollen and painful. So I return to the UK and a couple of weeks go past and my knees are still inflammed (hot to the touch and swollen) so I go to my doctor. She sends me to a surgeon who xrays me and says he can't work out what caused it. Anyway I am still on the anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers and still in physio and still with swollen knees. They reckon it is something to do with the lurgy I picked up or my knees are just agrivated. Could it be something to do with the diving? Did diving dehydrated cause this? And how do I fix it? And more importantly can I go diivng as planned in a couple of weeks time?

 

[John Reinertson]

The story you offer does not sound as much like DCS as it does an inflammatory response to a tropical diease. It is impossible to tell for certain without a much more detailed history and exam, but symmetrically swollen knees that persist would suggest to me an inflammatory condition.

There are enough tropical diseases in Africa that those of us in the rest of the world are unfamiliar with, I would suggest considering a consultation with a specialist in tropical diseases as a way to find out more. If that doesn't shed light, check with a diving doc. I'd be especially cautious about diving with an unexplained illness. Since we don't know what your swelling is from, we can't tell you much about risks of diving with it.

Dive safe and well.

John