Diving Accident, Self-Responsibility and Balance

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In an air deprivation situation, everybody will panic.

It is the normal response.

The issue here is what was the root cause of the problem and everything points to a medical issue.

I think she did manage to drop the belt in the end, did not she?

You may want to create this into a medical situation and it might have been but evidence shows other wise. She did not drop the weight and she even adds that the other divers inflated her BC. On the surface, without an inflated BC and carrying 18 lbs of weight creates a bad situation.
 
+1 with Tony. No evidence of a non related medical situation, but a situation created by poor fitness, equipement and behavior.
 
Oh for heavens sake, you guys are killing me! I unlatched the weight belt on my own, but it hung up on something and I had to struggle to get it off OR my wonderful rescuers got it off for me.

I was panicked BECAUSE I could not breathe! Because I had an internal medical event, very similar to an asthma attack, before I ever hit the surface. I surge was stronger than I expected, sure, but have I dived and snorkeled in rougher water, many times. If it had been a "panic attack", I would not have been in respiratory distress 40 minutes later when I got to the clinic. My BP would not have been 180/140, my O2 would not have been 85% and my feet would not have been blue. Criminy!

What the heck! Now I am getting miffed!

AND I have apologized, a couple of times, for my initial post that, as I re-read it, DOES and is understandably offensive to some DM's. The DM's did in fact, more than some posting here would have done! S, my primary DM, ran into the clinic as I arrived on the golf cart shouting "goddammit, she could have bled to death by now, get someone out here!"

Reading this forum completely changed my thoughts about what happened out there. Three men, 2 DM's and another diver, went above and WAY beyond in getting this chubby, partying vacationing rec diver to help. It is astounding when I think about it.

This was an easy, shallow water dive. I loved every second of it. I had plenty of O2 when I surfaced. Something happened to me internally before I ever got to the surface. I KNOW how to inflate a BCD! I KNOW how to relax and kick back until I have rested enough to swim to the boat (if needed).

I had dealt with EIB in my ER days, one time. I suggested that as a cause to both doctors I saw, and they did not disagree, but I am getting a cardiac and pulmonary work up. I felt a smidge defensive, what happened is very similar to that syndrome.

I think I have an undiagnosed heart or pulmonary issue that is being looked at right now. But if I had a gosh darn panic attack, I would have NO problem saying so, and the O2 issue would be relatively moot!

I have learned a LOT here, even from the... cranky guys. My view of what DM's do was quite skewed, it has been straightened out. I was wrong, no way around it.

Greenjuice, I am disappointed. I DID unlatch the weight belt, but it was caught on me somewhere. One of those guys must have helped me get it off. The "relative calm" after 1:40 is me, deep in my head, chanting "don't panic, never panic, don't fight these guys, it could harm them".

S, the DM, and I even DISCUSSED that after I got out of the clinic and got ready for the water taxi back to Eleuthra. Yes, the belt was finally dropped (I felt horrible, worried they wouldn't be able to retrieve it, but they did). My HUSBAND saw me, and before he even knew it was me, noticed how still I was.

Because of the current, the DM and other diver swam for ten minutes and got no closer to the boat. The diver was pushing my feet and the DM pulling me by my vest. S finally signaled the DM on the boat to come get me, and he did. Then the DM began banging on a cylinder, alerting the other divers to a medical emergency. He had them all leave their gear in the water as he raced us back to the dock.

They are my heroes.

My conclusion, is I was lucky none of these guys assumed I was just "panicking". They got me the O2 and got me to the clinic. As soon as I got the O2 and breathing treatment there, I was better in 20 minutes. O2 went right up to 98% and BP was down to 140/80 when I walked out of there.

I did everything my training told me except inflate my BCD. I searched and searched for it, but couldn't find it. The DM did that for me. Thank God.

ALL I am asking is, PLEASE never assume that a diver is just panicked and forego O2. Please, once in awhile, check your O2 equipment and training in using it.
Every comment here has helped me (accept maybe this inexplicable need to question my credibility. Still do not understand that, but it's online, so you do not know how fantastic I really am).

Next time I dive, I will take a refresher course and clear it with my doctor. But, if I dive on one of you guys operations and you have a baby fit when I ask about your emergency equipment, I will be miffed (but ask anyway). Thanks all!
 
Since the pulse ox of 85 has been mentioned so often, it occurs to me that a pulse ox measures blood oxygen saturation, and that can vary a good deal. Just because it was 85 when checked at the hospital doesn't mean it wasn't higher, or lower, or both, at varied other points in the course of events.

Richard.
 
Panic and hyperventilation can easily cause the events and symptoms you described. I have to agree with those that think it is a stretch to look for oddball undiagnosed medical issues.

The thing you forgot on reaching the surface, that you make light of, is the thing that really matters. You have to make sure you can stay there.
 
What is that?
That's my covering my error; when I accidentally posted the PM I meant to send you. I don't see a delete button; so I edited the post with a random hand-slap to the keyboard.

Also, some people mentioned 25l/min. Why and in which situations have you been told to use such high flow and are there studies showing it is better than the 15l/min? I have done training with 2 different agencies and it was always mentioned 15. Also, on a quick search on the internet, I found references to kits that can provide up to 25, but never seen it being recommended in articles about oxygen administration in emergency situations.
I concur, the flow rate may have been too high. I was trained (SF medic; clinic in A-stan) to administer O2 supplementally at a 4 L/min rate. Our patients usually came in with a 90-95% sat rate (high altitude may have been a factor), and almost immediately stabilized at 99-100%.

For a panicked diver who is demanding O2 as a placebo ONLY, I would consider this same rate. A truly injured diver; I would go with the 15 L/min rate.

Several people have said this and gave examples for instance of the small DAN kit. If the oxygen kit they have is not enough to get a diver on oxygen from their dive spots to shore, then it's not adequate!
I think the O2 was appropriate for the boat and the situation. Wookie's liveaboard may be twelve hours away, and his plans have clearly been well thought out to reflect dealing with a diver mas-cal (NINE divers all hurt) for a significant period of time. They had her to shore in about 20 minutes; and if it was an emergency; higher medical care would have been there. It is not the boat crew's job to treat you; just to get you to higher care as fast as possible and keep you alive until then.

With higher care 20 minutes away, their O2 appears adequate.

Dive Centers in many parts of the world take divers into overhead environments (wrecks, caves...) against the rules of the certification agencies to which they are affiliated. It should be of surprise to no one that Thea on her holidays followed the DM/Guide/Instructor into overhead (on this dive and maybe others including in caves). It is rather common.
ANYONE, and that includes trained cave divers, who ventures into a cave without proper equipment, training or planning, or 'follows the DM' into a cave, is begging to be the next Darwin Award winner. I think she did this cave diving on her own. I also think she was assigned a buddy, just failed to follow her training and didn't stay near them.



If it had been a "panic attack", I would not have been in respiratory distress 40 minutes later when I got to the clinic. My BP would not have been 180/140, my O2 would not have been 85% and my feet would not have been blue.

If you were still panicked; yes it could have been. Even your vaunted "EIB" attacks don't last this long. You felt short of breath, continued to panic and breath shallow, which felt like you couldn't breath, stoking the panic again. Until it's interupted, it's a vicious cycle.


I had plenty of O2 when I surfaced.
What??? O2? Really?

He had them all leave their gear in the water as he raced us back to the dock.
What???? Now you're just lying.

I KNOW how to inflate a BCD!
....And yet....you did not. Someone else had to.

I unlatched the weight belt on my own, but it hung up on something
That means that you didn't ditch it.

My conclusion, is I was lucky none of these guys assumed I was just "panicking". They got me the O2 and got me to the clinic.
Yes, because they don't know what happened. They see a panicked, choking diver, and do what they can, what they were TRAINED to do; Get you out of the water, out of your gear, on O2, and to higher care.

As soon as I got the O2 and breathing treatment there, I was better in 20 minutes. O2 went right up to 98% and BP was down to 140/80 when I walked out of there.
Yes, it's called placebo effect. You think you're being treated, and you calm down and breath.


No, I did not panic. I had an independent medical event underwater…
Something happened to me internally before I ever got to the surface…
Because I had an internal medical event…

No. You did NOT have a medical event underwater. The more you repeat that, the hollower it sounds. You have not been diagnosed with any medical cause; you self-diagnosed from the internet, and you are not qualified to do so.

The clinic did NOT treat you or diagnose you. O2 is not treatment, and they did nothing other than let you breathe their O2 and calm down.

You panicked. You even admit it. Until you admit that your case was SOLELY a panic reaction, and not a hypochondriactic excuse; you will likely never progress as a diver. You will remain in denial as you blame a non-existent medical condition instead of the mistakes you made.
 
Since the pulse ox of 85 has been mentioned so often, it occurs to me that a pulse ox measures blood oxygen saturation, and that can vary a good deal. Just because it was 85 when checked at the hospital doesn't mean it wasn't higher, or lower, or both, at varied other points in the course of events.

Richard.


It also varies beat to beat, and when the probe comes loose, or when the skin is dirty, etc...

Here's another thing, if she actually did have peripheral cyanosis (for any reason, suggested by the isolated cyanosis in the extremities) that could affect the pulse ox reading (which is often put on a finger or toe), and not accurately reflect the central O2 sat.

Again, not saying ANYTHING about what happened, I still have no idea what went on, too much drama. But if you are going to throw around a number like it's the key to the diagnosis, you should at least understand how that number is generated and what its clinical significance is (see my previous post).
 
Here's another thing, if she actually did have peripheral cyanosis (for any reason, suggested by the isolated cyanosis in the extremities) that could affect the pulse ox reading (which is often put on a finger or toe), and not accurately reflect the central O2 sat.
That's what I learned in A-stan too. They're good; but they have some issues.
 
Thea, we are just tyring to help you. It really is as simple as that. You posted the situation and asked for help and when it comes to you, you want to blame other things. Much like you tried to blame the other divers on the trip. Your mistake does not create an emergency to others which you tried to blame. So you now have a cardio / pulmonary defect? Don't dive again until you have it repaired. The other dive members might have helped you out this time but until you come to realize that you had a panic attack you are sure to repeat it again. Next time there might not be help available. You state that you know what to do but you did not do a safety stop, you did not inflate your BC and you did not drop your weight! So, please do a lot of us a favor, either learn from the lession or at least tell us which dive you are doing so that we are no where near you. I value my family and my ass a lot more than trying to rescue you.
 
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