Suffered DCS for the first time and terrified to dive again

[oly5050user]

So its possibly either computer or human error. I wonder which...

if your computer claimed that you are within ndl limits I have to question your ascent rate and if you did a safety stop.I would also question probably more so if the computer was set for air correctly. I take it that you were diving air and maybe the computer was set on a nitrox mix.That will explain why the computer said you were within ndl limits.
Could be a good idea to start diving nitrox and use the air profile on the computer to keep well within ndl limits.

 

[Divernoob]

The Zoop is Suunto's successor to the Gekko I have the Gekko and did a similar set of dives in Coz, but my surface interval was 1:13:00. How long were your safety stops on these dives?

My profiles:

 

[Crush]

Re-posted from http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/4724334-post17.html:

At the beginning of a dive you are more likely to be warmer than at the end of a dive. Thus, "ongassing" should occur at a near-normal rate as you begin to dive. Near the end of your dive you will be colder, and blood-flow in the extremities will be poorer. The effect of cooler fluids (in cold limbs) holding more dissolved N2 is negligible. However, the decreased perfusion (i.e., delivery of arterial blood to [and from] a capillary bed) will result in your body off-gassing more slowly than at normal body temperatures, increasing the likelihood of the bends. The obvious things to do would be to stay warm, call the dive when you being to feel like you are getting too cool, dive a conservative profile, and take your time when surfacing. Strenuous activity just prior to or during a dive also increases the likelihood of DCS owing to the formation of microbubbles.

A few other notes:
1. Read Quero's post, previous page;
2. [Comment removed - appears to have been incorrect.]
3. If you dive and get cold, warm up very slowly. Avoid hot showers and hot tubs for more than six hours post-dive.

 

[jbird71]

jbird,
Can you describe your symptoms and time of onset?
DDM

While taking off my wetsuit, I noticed my right leg was tingly. Nothing too bad, so I disregarded it as wetsuit rash etc. I felt fine as I checked out and headed into town for some shopping and lunch. About 2 hours after my last dive I began feeling very, very tired and somewhat disoriented. That's when the projectile vomiting began. ( I assumed food poisoning) I fell asleep soon after for a few hours. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so I called my wife to tell her what was happening. At this point my entire leg was tingly. She told me "CALL DAN AND GET YOUR DUMBASS TO THE HOSPITAL"

At the clinic, the symptoms worsened. I was unable to drink without vomiting so i was put on IV. I felt so tired I thought I was drugged, and was also disoriented and had vertigo.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I interpreted the OP's description of the incident to mean that he never exceeded the NDLs on his Zoop at any point during the dive. We all know that Suunto computers utilize a conservative algorithm. I would be surprised to hear that the OP accidentally set the computer to nitrox instead of air because it would require a fair amount of tinkering beforehand; most people set it to "air" and leave it like that.

The OP's vague description of his profiles on Dive #1 and #2 could be consistent with fairly conservative diving. We still don't know the specifics of the dive profiles (time spent at various depths), so we really shouldn't be jumping to any conclusions regarding NDL violations or the omission of a safety stop. It would be helpful to view the depth vs. time graph of both dives, the presence of any ascent rate violations, the exact duration of the surface interval, and his nitrogen loading status (previous dives?, how many previous dive days?, etc.) prior to the start of Dive #1. The Zoop does have the feature of PC-downloadable profiles, so the OP should be able to access this information.

It would also be helpful to hear about the OP's symptoms and the timeline of those symptoms with respect to the dives in question. (I posted this at about the same time as the OP's follow-up post.)

The issue of hydration status has been raised. I think it's at least worth mentioning that over-hydrating can be bad, too. Perhaps it's best to recommend that a diver stay physically fit and properly hydrated for the activity at hand. People should know that excessive water intake can create dangerous electrolyte imbalances, particularly in the context of exercise. Moreover, for many people, diving is the most strenuous exercise activity in which they participate. That's a problem, in my opinion. The CDC has posted some guidelines on fitness for adults. I'd argue that divers should be doing more than the minimum in this regard.

Was the OP's buddy OK? (just curious)

Looking forward to reading more about this incident...

2. Dehydration plays a role in many instances of DCI; and

@Crush: I don't think the diving community has enough evidence to make as strong a statement as that.

 

[jbird71]

The Zoop is Suunto's successor to the Gekko I have the Gekko and did a similar set of dives in Coz, but my surface interval was 1:13:00. How long were your safety stops on these dives?

My profiles:

Funny you should say that, because one guy was really antsy on getting back diving ASAP. And in retrospect, his dive profile was way different than mine. I was in caves and swimthroughs, while he was cruising above the reef. For some inexplicable reason (rust perhaps), I did not check my computer at this point.

Also, I was able to download the dive profiles, and they look nothing like yours. Honestly they are embarrassing.

 

[jbird71]

You are right about the cold. I was being cheap and not wanting to invest in a 5mm suit. The good news is I bought a beautiful 5mm suit and hood in Mexico.

 

[Quero]

So you are saying that your first symptoms only appeared after the second dive?

 

[Teamcasa]

Jbird71, First I want to thank you for sharing this information.

It takes a lot of guts to splay your experience online but know this - It will help others.

Also know you are not the first or the last diver to take heed to what your computer was telling you.

 

[jbird71]

So you are saying that your first symptoms only appeared after the second dive?

Yes. I was cold after the first dive but after a surface interval I had warmed up.