Lingering Effects?

[BillP]

Howdy Padipro:

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I share your hyperbaric doctor's concern that your shoulder pain might be due to DCS, but also share his apparent skepticism. Recompression treatment is most effective if started soon after the injury. Any delay reduces its effectiveness, and the delay of a week before being treated didn't help the diagnosis or therapeutics much. By a week any bubbles from DCS are long gone, and any damage due to loss of circulation is pretty much done. A single hyperbaric treatment will temporarily increase oxygenation of an injured area, but won't help much with healing. Even multiple treatments after several weeks post DCS injury won't help that much either.

To answer your questions, what should you do? Your hyperbaric doctor's recommendation to see your personal physician seems sound, and it looks like you plan to do that. Is it common for DCS to return? No, you can have ongoing injury from an episode of DCS, but the bubbles don't come back to affect the injured area or other parts of the body later. Should you go back for another chamber ride? It's unlikely to make much difference in the long run at this point.

HTH,

Bill

The above information is intended for discussion purposes only and is not meant as specific medical advice for any individual.

BTW, there were published reports documenting the anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in fish oil and gamma linolenic acid (GLA) found in primrose oil well before 1990. And just as a forewarning, if any voice in the wilderness should at some point claim to have "discovered" aspirin in 1990, you should eye that claimant's assertions with a healthy dose of skepticism too. (grin)

 

[pescador775]

BTW, there were published reports documenting the anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in fish oil and gamma linoleic acid (GLA) found in primrose oil well before 1990.

Actually, specific medical claims to promote sale of supplements are illegal. I was aware of the prior 'anti inflammatory' assertions made for fish oil as well as general claims made for many other supplements, some of which are bogus. WRT fish oil, I became convinced that it was an anti arthritic in 1990, well ahead of the medical establishment.

In a country where medical costs are increasing at 20-40 billion dollars a year it is refreshing to realize that, in aspirin, we have a true medical miracle, and non prescription at that. It's properties now are known to extend to anti prostate cancer, colon cancer and anti artherosclerotic. It's properties duplicate some of those of the prescripton 'statin' drugs, lowering arterial inflammation and modifying the collesterol and triglyceride profile. To dismiss this drug for divers (as you have been won't to do) because of an alleged connection to hemorrhagic (bleeding) injury during decompression misses the point. The point is that divers are people, too and can benefit from aspirin in several ways. As far as the connection to decompression, my feeling is that hemorrhageing would be a concern only during explosive decompression, in which case the victim would likely die anyway.

 

[BillP]

When I mentioned published reports about the inflammation modulating effects of EPA and GLA I wasn't talking about ads in the health food store. I was talking about that bastion of the medical establishment- scientific papers published in peer reviewed journals- published before your epiphany in 1990. Sure, you might have heard about EPA and GLA before your family physician, but frankly, I found your attempt to promote yourself as a "voice in the wilderness" that "discovered" EPA and GLA years before the first published report ill-informed at best, and at worst an irrelevant and disingenous attempt at self-aggrandizement. Tsk-tsk Pesky.

As far as aspirin is concerned, I'm afraid that it is once again you who misses the point, Pesky. Aspirin is indeed a very fine drug. I recommend it often. But just because it can do wonders and is available without prescription does not mean that it is without risk. When you recommend a medication to members of this board it is important not only to mention its benefits, but also discuss (and understand) its risks. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.

You said, "my feeling is that hemorrhageing would be a concern only during explosive decompression, in which case the victim would likely die anyway". Well then, you'd be wrong once again wouldn't you? Hemorrhagic lesions are not uncommon in decompression illnesses (both DCS and AGE), and "explosive decompression" is not required. Barotrauma injuries associated with bleeding are also quite common in divers. Ever seen a diver climb the ladder with blood in his mask? Ever seen blood on or behind an eardrum? I have. Aspirin could make that bleeding worse and aggravate an injury turning a minor annoyance into a significant problem. Aspirin could indeed theoretically be beneficial in reducing the clotting associated with DCS in some cases, but in other cases the anticoagulant effects of aspirin could be detrimental. In the studies that have been done, aspirin has not been shown to be of benefit in decompression illness, and there are published case reports where it may have harmed divers. It's fine with me if someone wants to take aspirin for diving since I think it unlikely it would do harm, but they need to understand that most diving medicine authorities would say that the potential risks of taking aspirin for diving outweigh the potential benefits. That is not "dismissing" aspirin, it is explaining it.

Bill