I'm not a doctor but am a paramedic with heavy dive experience.
it does sound like it could be a pinched nerve or other type or nerve/neurologic issue. I would agree that DCS would be unlikely.
potentially it could be (and i'll say only a very outside maybe) a mild stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) or something similar. However, symptoms generally impact only one side of the body.
bottom line is only a full medical workup and tests will answer the question.
I had a pinched nerve for a while before I knew exactly what it was. There was no pain associated with it, just the tingling. After the first episode (all my tingling goes down the left arm to the hands) I thought I might be having a heart attack. Eventually it was diagnosed as a pinched nerve. Have been doing physical therapy on and off for a few year, but it's the result of spinal stenosis so not going away any time soon and I have no intention of having surgery to correct it at this time. The nerve rash (which in my case had no visible surface indicators, just like yours) comes and goes, but has been gone for the better part of a year. None of this has prevented me from diving, and in fact my symptoms seem to do better when I am in the water.
As I mentioned above, I did three rounds of table 6 treatment. Strangely the tingling sensations still come and go in both hands (but more left than right). The burning sensations move around the body but are strongest on the back of the hands and under the chin. If anything, the burning sensations are stronger now and also appear in different places than before the treatment. I'm dizzy as well, which I was not before the treatment. So I'm sitting here thinking, "What the hell?"
On one hand, I think, maybe DCS after all. The symptoms (tingling hands) first appeared shortly after a relatively cold dive which I didn't sit out long between dives and shortly after taking a warm shower. On the other hand, shallow dives, cold but not excessively cold water (20C), and the sit time of 53 minutes. As others have explained, the dive profiles (14m/11m avg. for 44min and 14.1m/11.1m avg. for 33 min) the fact that the symptoms appeared bilaterally, in the hands first*, and that chamber treatment did not seem to have any effect suggest not DCS.
I seem to remember hearing that some residual pain and dizziness is to be expected from the chamber treatment. Am I remembering that correctly?
My understanding is if DCS it would not get worse and appear in new places after several rounds in the chamber. Does that seem right?
I'm glad to read the pinched nerve did not interfere with your diving. As I noted, the first thing I noticed was tingling in both hands. Do pinched nerves ever result in bilateral symptoms?
Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting. I will go back to the regular doctor tomorrow to deal with high blood pressure issue noticed during treatment and try to start eliminating other possibilities.
* I was very happy to read the earlier comment about DCS not showing up bilaterally in the hands. Unfortunately, I only asked the doctor about the bilateral part. DAN mentioned that skin bends does not start in the hands but I did not think to ask about other types of DCS. I have not been able to find any information to confirm DCS never shows up in the hands first. Does anyone else know anything about this? Thanks again.
