so worry about DCS

[kloallan]

Dear Sir or Madam,
I just dive and so worry about DCS right now, and hoping to hear your feeback soon.


I had one dive in April 26th morning with a dive . And had one dive in April 27th morning and another dive after 1 hour, all the dive are with 50 mins in 12 meters. I am wiht my DM all the time and did a 3 mins stop in about 5 meters.I use compressed air. And 24 hours later I have two fight about 3 hours and 4 hours.


And it is about 6 days pass. I have no any common symptoms of DCS right now and feel so good just a little tired,the following are my questions:


1. I just wonder that, could I 100% make sure that I have no DCS at all right now?


2. from this link Decompression Illness: What Is It and What Is The Treatment? ? DAN | Divers Alert Network ? Medical Dive Article


there is a paragraph said:“In some cases of neurological DCS, there mat be permanent damage to the spinal cord, which may or may not cause symptoms. However, this type of damage may decrease the likelihood of recovery from a subsequent bout of DCS.”


Please excuse my poor English, I am not so quite understand, is that mean the there will be someone who get DCS aready but had no any symptoms, I am so worried.What do you think?




3. After so long time, will there some nitrogen remain in my body which will have risk lead to DCS in future.


4. Is there some equipment that can diagnose DCS accurately or just should be diagnose from the symptoms, especially according to me, I have no any obvious symptoms, do you think I should take some check?


Thanks very much for you reding my so long quesions.


Best regards.

 

[Agility]

As you say you do not experience any symptoms 7 days after the last dive and your tissues are back to normal nitrogen load by now, I am sure you are safe to fly without DCS.
As far as I know there is no equipment that can dignose DCS accurately.
If you do not feel well, you should see a doctor all the same, you might have some non-diving related illness.

 

[TSandM]

If you have no symptoms, by definition you do not have DCS. DCS is defined by symptoms.

You will have had some residual nitrogen in the tissues of your body when you left the water. Over time, this leaves. By a week after your last dive, there is almost certainly no part of your body which has not reequilibrated to sea level nitrogen tension. DCS is not going to sneak up and bite you.

DCS, although the classes make a big deal about it, is actually quite rare in recreational divers, and rarer still in those executing conservative dives and controlling their ascents. Your depths were modest and your times were quite allowable. The likelihood of developing decompression sickness from excess nitrogen is close to zero for such profiles. Problems like lung expansion injuries and gas embolism are independent of profile, but are quite symptomatic at time of onset.

I think your instructors didn't explain nitrogen dynamics to you very well, because you are worrying way too much.

 

[Greenjuice]

kloallan,
Please try to explain what illness or sickness you are feeling. Why do you think you might have DCS?
Your story is not completely clear, but it reads like you had three conservative dives over two days followed by two *flights*, is that correct? Six days later, you are feeling tired - nothing else?
If this is correct, you probably don't need to worry. If you are worried, go and see your doctor.
If that is not possible, maybe try to use Google translate to explain your problem?

 

[Tigerman]

What is the described in the OP is probably THE most common scenario for a dive vacation.
You dive 2-3, maybe even 4 dives every day for a week or two and leave 18-24 hours between the last dive and your flight back home.
Considering the ammount of people doing this every day, year around and how few planes you hear about having to make a medical emergency landing give some idea of how rare DCS really is

As long as you dont have symptoms shortly after diving, its unlikely to be DCS

 

[kloallan]

kloallan,
Please try to explain what illness or sickness you are feeling. Why do you think you might have DCS?
Your story is not completely clear, but it reads like you had three conservative dives over two days followed by two *flights*, is that correct? Six days later, you are feeling tired - nothing else?
If this is correct, you probably don't need to worry. If you are worried, go and see your doctor.
If that is not possible, maybe try to use Google translate to explain your problem?

Dear Greenjuice and all,
Thanks for your reply.
I just worry about the possibility of DCS, I admit I am a little bit over worry, but I just want to make sure about it. I read a lot article from internet, but the more I read, I become more worry and confuse.

I do not think I have DSC right now according the reply from above from such as you kind people. But what I worry about is that will there any risk in future I mean if there is incubation of DCS over 7 days? Or after so many days, I could make sure I am safe now?

As I mention above, I read an article from internet here:
please excuse I make mistake and paste the wrong paragraph before(and I had modified it with different colour), the question should be:

Decompression Illness: What Is It and What Is The Treatment? ? DAN | Divers Alert Network ? Medical Dive Article

there is a paragraph said: “In some cases of neurological DCS, there mat be permanent damage to the spinal cord, which may or may not cause symptoms. However, this type of damage may decrease the likelihood of recovery from a subsequent bout of DCS.”

My poor English make me do not quite understand, is that mean there will be some people who get DCS aready but had no any symptoms,such as mention in that article who get neurological DCS, I am so worried.What do you think? Is I misunderstand or could you help me to understand this paragraph?

After all, what I worry most right now is:
1. will there any possibility I got DCS but I do not know and feel nothing at all?
2. will there any possibility the DCS had damage part of my body but I do not know any feel?
3. Is there any this kind of extremely case?
4. If go to see doctor, does that mean he will not have any equipment ot check if someone has DCS, even ultrasonic or CT could not do that, what the doctor can do is to see according to your symptoms, and if he think someone may has DCS, he will put he into the chamber with pressure to see if the symptoms go away to decide whether DCS or not, am I right?

---------- Post added May 5th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ----------

If you have no symptoms, by definition you do not have DCS. DCS is defined by symptoms.

You will have had some residual nitrogen in the tissues of your body when you left the water. Over time, this leaves. By a week after your last dive, there is almost certainly no part of your body which has not reequilibrated to sea level nitrogen tension. DCS is not going to sneak up and bite you.

DCS, although the classes make a big deal about it, is actually quite rare in recreational divers, and rarer still in those executing conservative dives and controlling their ascents. Your depths were modest and your times were quite allowable. The likelihood of developing decompression sickness from excess nitrogen is close to zero for such profiles. Problems like lung expansion injuries and gas embolism are independent of profile, but are quite symptomatic at time of onset.

I think your instructors didn't explain nitrogen dynamics to you very well, because you are worrying way too much.

Dear TSandM,

Thanks very much for your reply. It make me feel less worry right now, and I have some following questions what I have mention above, so could you mind to answer my questions again as below. It is really so many thanks for you and I want to make sure I do not need to worry any more.

I do not think I have DSC right now according the reply from above from such as you kind people. But what I worry about is that will there any risk in future I mean if there is incubation of DCS over 7 days? Or after so many days, I could make sure I am safe now?

As I mention above, I read an article from internet here:
please excuse I make mistake and paste the wrong paragraph before(and I had modified it with different colour), the question should be:

Decompression Illness: What Is It and What Is The Treatment? ? DAN | Divers Alert Network ? Medical Dive Article

there is a paragraph said:“In some cases of neurological DCS, there mat be permanent damage to the spinal cord, which may or may not cause symptoms. However, this type of damage may decrease the likelihood of recovery from a subsequent bout of DCS.”

My poor English make me do not quite understand, is that mean there will be some people who get DCS aready but had no any symptoms,such as mention in that article who get neurological DCS, I am so worried.What do you think? Is I misunderstand or could you help me to understand this paragraph?

After all, what I worry most right now is:
1. will there any possibility I got DCS but I do not know and feel nothing at all?
2. will there any possibility the DCS had damage part of my body but I do not know any feel?
3. Is there any this kind of extremely case?
4. If go to see doctor, does that mean he will not have any equipment ot check if someone has DCS, even ultrasonic or CT could not do that, what the doctor can do is to see according to your symptoms, and if he think someone may has DCS, he will put he into thechamber with pressure to see if the symptoms go away to decide whether DCS or not, am I right? So right now, it is unnecessary to see a doctor as I have no symptoms at all?

 

[kloallan]

If you have no symptoms, by definition you do not have DCS. DCS is defined by symptoms.

You will have had some residual nitrogen in the tissues of your body when you left the water. Over time, this leaves. By a week after your last dive, there is almost certainly no part of your body which has not reequilibrated to sea level nitrogen tension. DCS is not going to sneak up and bite you.

DCS, although the classes make a big deal about it, is actually quite rare in recreational divers, and rarer still in those executing conservative dives and controlling their ascents. Your depths were modest and your times were quite allowable. The likelihood of developing decompression sickness from excess nitrogen is close to zero for such profiles. Problems like lung expansion injuries and gas embolism are independent of profile, but are quite symptomatic at time of onset.

I think your instructors didn't explain nitrogen dynamics to you very well, because you are worrying way too much.

Dear TSandM and all,

Thanks for your reply,

I had make some mistake in my question which I have already modified it with different colour above:

from this link Decompression Illness: What Is It and What Is The Treatment? ? DAN | Divers Alert Network ? Medical Dive Article

there is a paragraph of Denial and Recognitionsaid:“In some cases of neurological DCS, there mat be permanent damage to the spinal cord, which may or may not cause symptoms. However, this type of damage may decrease the likelihood of recovery from a subsequent bout of DCS.”


Some additional questions:


1. do you think if there is extremely case that will not have any symptoms but some one really suffer DCS aready but could not discover it? I am worry if there is this extremely case.



2 I have some additional to my question about the paragraphy I do not understand:


so what is his sentance idea I do not quite understand: "In some cases of neurological DCS, there mat be permanent damage to the spinal cord, which may or may not cause symptoms. However, this type of damage may decrease the likelihood of recovery from a subsequent bout of DCS." Does this situation is mean base on someone had suffer another symptoms, for example, he had suffer DCS and got pain or other symptoms of neurological DCS, he think he just damage where the pain is like the hand or foot, but it also damage his spinal cord which he do not feel.——is this paragraphy should understand like this?

3. so come back to me, will I need to worry about his extremely situation?

I would like to wait for your professional and critical idea.

Thanks very much.

---------- Post added May 5th, 2014 at 03:23 PM ----------

kloallan,
Please try to explain what illness or sickness you are feeling. Why do you think you might have DCS?
Your story is not completely clear, but it reads like you had three conservative dives over two days followed by two *flights*, is that correct? Six days later, you are feeling tired - nothing else?
If this is correct, you probably don't need to worry. If you are worried, go and see your doctor.
If that is not possible, maybe try to use Google translate to explain your problem?

Dear Greenjuice,

Thanks for the reply.
what you understand my question is correct.

I feel nothing at all right now. What I really care about is whether there any extremely case of DCS without any symptoms and could not be discover? as I mentioned above, I was frightened by the article below said:"In some cases of neurological DCS, there mat be permanent damage to the spinal cord, which may or may not cause symptoms. However, this type of damage may decrease the likelihood of recovery from a subsequent bout of DCS", so could you help me to analyse?

 

[TSandM]

kloallan, I believe the DAN comment you are quoting is related to people who have suffered neurologic DCS. That means people who WERE symptomatic -- after treatment, they may no longer be symptomatic, but there may be scarring that could predispose them to another bout with a lesser provocation. They are NOT talking about people who have been diving without any symptoms, who are accumulating unknown damage that could rear up and bite them in the distant future.

There ARE stories of people who have been diving for many, many years, who have discovered what they thought was simple age-related arthritis was, in fact, bone damage from diving. Most of those stories are in people who dove long ago, some even before the routine use of depth gauges. Most were doing provocative dives (as in outside of recreational limits). Many had mild symptoms they ignored. This type of DCS is VERY rare in recreational divers -- the vast majority of DCS in recreational scuba is neurologic, and again, BY DEFINITION, it is symptomatic at onset.

I can't remember the exact number, but something like 80 to 90 percent of DCS presents with symptoms within 24 hours of the diving that caused it. The further out you get from your immersion, the more remote the likelihood of DCS becomes.

I assume you are a novice diver. Most of us had some anxiety early on, when we discovered aches and pains we didn't recognize, all of which were due to carrying heavy dive gear and holding our bodies in positions they weren't used to. Without any symptoms at all, I honestly would stop worrying . . .

 

[Greenjuice]

Greenjuice,
Thanks for the reply.
what you understand my question is correct.
I feel nothing at all right now.

Dear kloallan,
As TSandM has advised, you do not need to worry.

Does this situation is mean base on someone had suffer another symptoms, for example, he had suffer DCS and got pain or other symptoms of neurological DCS, he think he just damage where the pain is like the hand or foot, but it also damage his spinal cord which he do not feel.——is this paragraphy should understand like this?

No. That is not the correct meaning for that sentence. TSandM has given a good explanation of the correct meaning.

 

[kloallan]

Dear TSandM,

Thanks for your reply. I feel not so worry right now.

by the way, I am a 25 year old woman, and plan to have a baby, do you think it should and how long should I wait after diving untill I can be pregnant? or do not need to wait after diving?

Thanks very much.