The Bends

[DizzyDallasDi]

How do you know you're experiencng the bends? What do you feel?

On my first dive, I had no formal lessons...only got comfortable breathing though the regulator in a pool in Mexico. After that, we donned our gear and headed out for a 60 ft. dive. I was mesmerized and loved it all but had no idea what I was doing. The DM and I descended together so he was in charge about how fast we went down and any adjustments needed for boyancy. It worked out well as I was very comfortable when we got to the bottom and didn't experience any problems swimming around or staying horizontal.

Then it came time to surface. The DM made an adjustment on my gear that literally shot me like a missle to the surface. I have to admit it was a really fun ride and my ears popped like popcorn all the way up (felt good ) and I exited the surface straight up out of the water almost to my knees. It was all fun to me because I didn't know anything but I had been told to breath constantly while surfacing. That wasn't a problem for me as I was inhaling like a mother all the way up because of the velocity I was travelling.

Now, I'm beginning to wonder if that was a really stupid thing the DM did? Could I have experienced the bends and, if so, what would they have felt like?

 

[Thalassamania]

Pretty stupid thing to do. Ascent rates are part of the decompression model, the closer you are to your no-D limit the more critical it is that you not exceed that rate. Bends symptomology can be quite variable, ranging from mild itching and rash to mild pain, to excruciating pain to nervous system impairment. Stick to your planned ascent rate in the future (usually 30 fpm), especially if you are fond of bladder and bowel control and sexual function.

 

[jscott099]

That dive master put your health and life in danger. I would not recommend using him again for any purpose. I hope you will consider being trained in SCUBA. This way you can at least manage in your own fate and enjoy the sport safely.

The symptoms can be readily noticeable or barely perceptible and mistaken for some other malady. The only way to know for sure is to see a physician. I'm not sure when this event occurred but it is still possible for you to be bent if you were bent during your uncontrolled ascent.

 

[searider]

Symptoms of the Bends by Frequency
Local Joint Pain 89%
Leg 30%
Arm 70%
Dizziness (The Staggers) 5.3%
Paralysis 2.3%
Shortness of Breath 1.6%
Extreme Fatigue and Pain 1.3%
Collapse with unconsciousness 0.5%

Time of Onset of Symptoms
50% occurred within 30 minutes
85% occurred within 1 hour
95% occurred within 3 hours
1% delayed more than 6 hours

Signs and Symptoms of The Bends
(Develop 15 min. to 12 hrs. after surfacing)
Extreme Fatigue
Pain in Joints
Muscle Pain
Dizziness
Paralysis
Rash on Skin
Staggering
Choking
Decreased Sensation
Collapse or Unconsciousness

Next time, take scuba lesson.

 

[on_two_wheels]

How long were you at 60? Is that the depth that he "shot" you to the surface? If not, at what depth did that occur? How long was the actual dive?

 

[Cave Diver]

Now, I'm beginning to wonder if that was a really stupid thing the DM did?

You can quit wondering. It was.

Glad you've decided to take formal training and found the board. There is a lot of good information here and people who can help you learn how to have fun without endangering yourself.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The guy was an idiot. You risked dying. In a very nasty way.

 

[tarekaly]

Thank god you are ok.

I know about people bleed nose and mouth due to similar fast rate accents (they were not certified to know the dangers)

take care

 

[TSandM]

You will learn this in a certification class, but when you are underwater, you are absorbing additional amounts of oxygen and nitrogen into your bloodstream, compared with on the surface. Oxygen gets used up feeding tissues, but nitrogen just remains in the bloodstream, until the pressure drops -- then it has to be eliminated from the body. If the pressure is dropped slowly enough (slow ascent) the nitrogen gradually diffuses into the lungs and is removed with exhaled breath. If not, the nitrogen actually forms bubbles in the bloodstream. In the best of circumstances, these bubbles form in muscles and joints, and cause the pain that literally bent people double (thus the name). In the worst case, these bubbles end up in the arterial circulation and go to the brain or spinal cord, causing stroke symptoms or paralysis, or they are so numerous that they block the blood vessels in the lungs, causing "chokes".

What your DM did was extremely dangerous, and I'm just glad you're here to tell us about it. But you will learn how to do a controlled, safe ascent in your certification class.

 

[Rhone Man]

The bigger risk that you ran by being shot to the surface was of an embolism or other type of lung expansion injury. You would have felt that immediately, and thankfully that did not happen.

As others have stated, there are four (main) different types of bends, each of which have differing symptoms. If you are interested, I think the Wikipedia article is rather good: Decompression sickness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The other thing that people often do not realise about the bends is that onset of symptoms immediately after surfacing is very uncommon. Usually they take an hour or more to appear (although this varies).