what is your take on this??

[costi]

Pam, I am a rookie diver (have logged only 20 dives to date), but I was an EMT for 10 years . As a college student years ago, during stressful times I was very prone to anxiety attacks which ultimately led to hyperventilation. To me, what you described seemed like the latter . You told the story that you felt anxiety prior to the dive, during the descent, and described the panic and lack of oxygen feeling that go hand in hand with hyperventilation caused from anxiety.
Please note: There are many experienced divers who have given their professional opinions on the nitrogen narcosis. Please don't ignore them and heed their advice.
The good thing is that you recognized that a problem existed and head enough head about you to address it and finish the dive safely.......good luck

 

[pm3009]

Hi Ayisha

>>So pm3009, did you figure out what you think it was? Narcosis exacerbating your
>>pre-existing anxiety or ... ?[/QUOTE]


I think it was a combination. It's just strange, how I dove the same site a couple days earlier, and felt calm and relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the dive, and then dove the same site, with the same currents/conditions, and felt so much anxiety and near panic. I've never had a panic attack in my life above or under water. I'm just glad I didn't push it more than I did.

Pam

 

[discrepancy]

It is a vicious cycle. The trick is to recognize it as soon as possible because it will limit you physically. This means to get out of the situation before you are required to do anything.

pm0039

Your anxiety attack may have been NN-induced, or it might have been a common-or-garden variety attack. One thing's for sure, shallow breathing and panic is a vicious cycle and you have to break it. Anxiety attacks are more common than you think.

I was talking to a mate of mine recently about the psychology of diving. He's a mine clearance and special forces diver in the Navy - like the SEALS. He was telling me about how as an impressionable 18 yo boy on his initial course years ago, the crusty old Chief Petty Officer instructor told the whole group, with a straight face, that there was a 'mitercloxic' gland in the base of the brain that reacts to increased water pressure by releasing a hormone which induces mild panic. He told them to recognise this, and to overcome its effects by relaxing and breathing normally. My clearance diver friend told me that quite a few of his class-mates would surface after a stressful dive and tell the Chief that yes, the 'mitercloxic' gland had released its hormone, and, yes, breathing slowly and relaxing had stopped the panic. The Chief would just nod and grunt approvingly.

Sometimes, on graduation day, the old Chief would tell his students the truth. Sometimes he didn't.

Long story short...a panic attack can hit anyone. Just recognise it for what it is and relax.

 

[lamont]

what you describe sounds to me like a paranoid narc.

they're more common in cold, dark waters. you just start thinking that something is going to go wrong and can't get that thought out of your head. you can do the same dive multiple times and sometimes you'll feel clear headed, sometimes you'll feel a warm and fuzzy narc, and sometimes you get the paranoia. with familiarity and comfort the paranoid narcs happen less often.

of course once the paranoia and anxiety start, the hyperventilation starts and then the CO2 builds up, and like other people have pointed out it becomes a viscious circle.

i'd vote that 130 on air is too deep. i dive cold waters with lots of gear though, so i have to be more on guard about narcosis. still, even in warm water i think this highlights how stress can cause narcosis to overwhelm you pretty quickly at 130, even if you're normally good with it.

a good narcosis test is to look at your pressure gauge, put it away and then try to recall what it read. if you have to look again, you're probably suffering from short term memory loss from narcosis. this happens to me consistantly when i go deeper than 85 fsw.

 

[Kestrell]

It sounds like there was some nitrogen narcosis involved here. In fact, at 140', there was definitely some nitrogen narcosis involved.

The panic was probably from the narcosis. Nitrogen suppresses the electrical impulses that nerves use to communicate with each other. Sometimes this can cause paranoia, feelings of non-specific dread or doom, etc. This effect can be exacerbated by taking over the counter decongestants. Did you happen to take a Sudafed before the dive?

As for 140' being too deep for air...

I'm sure there are plenty of people here who would argue that it is perfectly safe to be at 140', especially the more technical divers. However, as a recreational diver I wouldn't do 140' on air, and generally would try to stay above 120'.

 

[CUunderH2O]

My narcs are always 'dark' narcs. I've never had that warm fuzzy feeling type of narc. Most of my diving is done in so-so viz, dark & cold water. I've had an experience similar to Pam's, but mine was caused by overexertion at depth > 100 ffw, combined with the narcosis. I had to swim hard to catch up to my buddy and suddenly I felt like I couldn't get enough air, like I was sucking air thru a thin straw -- my breathing rate accelerated, my heart was pounding, and no matter how much I told myself to relax and breathe slower, that I WAS getting enough air, my body wasn't listening. We ascended to around 50 ffw, I caught my breath and we continued the dive with no problem. Overbreathing a reg at depth is not fun. Diving is supposed to be fun. If your 'little voice' tells you there's something wrong, listen to it, either don't get in the water or abort the dive when you feel you need to.

 

[starpilottom]

Dear Pam. I liked Terry's post about ending a dive, if any diver feels uncomfortable at any time during a dive. I would not dive with anyone who had a problem with that. Knowlege and training would help with predive anxiety. Deep diver and nitrox specialties would serve you well if your planning dives that deep. Also Rescue diver is a great course as it teaches you first how to rescue yourself as you did when you ascended on that dive. Tom

 

[PavoDive]

It's just strange, how I dove the same site a couple days earlier, and felt calm and relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the dive, and then dove the same site, with the same currents/conditions, and felt so much anxiety and near panic.
Pam

There's a chimney in Providencia Island, starting at about 80' and going almost straight down to 115'. I've dove the same site a zillion times, but I know for sure that there are some "no penetration days" and some penetration ones. I just know it when I'm there, in front of the opening. First times I dove there, I didn't pay attention to all those signs (increased breathing rate, heart pounding, family-thinking, etc) and had to find room down there to do the U turn.

Swimthroughs and chimneys are OK if you're ok, and sometimes I'm not, no matter hoy many times I've been to those places. NN hits me different every time, it seems, but the consequences of not realizing it are pretty much the same. An not really nice, by the way.

I think that by deciding not to go thru the swimthroughs you did the right thing, except for something, maybe you can give it a thought: next time you don't feel like swiming through (or going deeper, or etc.) have your buddy abort the activity as well. Chains do break by the weaker link, which in this case was you. A buddy inside a chimney is of little help to his narc'd, near panicked one outside (specially at 140' on air), an the opposite just holds the same.

Happy bubbles.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Narcosis my dear, I've had the exact same feeling and I mean your description took my breath away because it's the same feeling I had and extremely well described.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[pm3009]

Well....at least I'm not alone in experiencing that feeling on a deep dive!! And I agree....I should have had my buddy abort the dive. My buddy and the DM were both back with me in probably 30-60 seconds after I bailed out of the swimthrough. I don't know if they would have gone through more swimthroughs had I not let them know I had an issue. And I don't make it a habit of diving that deep. Normally my max is around 100 feet.

Bye
Pam