[jimbob]

Did a couple of shallowish dives on Saturday with a few ascents and descents.
Woke up on Sunday, feeling utterly wretched, tired, aching, with a sprained wrist and hand. Thought I might have been overdoing things recently, binned the days diving and drove home.
Abandoned my kit and collapsed on the sofa. Couldn't stay awake at half nine so went to bed.
Woke up feeling pretty grim and went to work. Whilst at work felt completely drained, helpless and unmotivated, So assumed it was a normal Monday morning however I also felt dizzy, light headed and with an aching elbow and wrist. Started to wonder. Felt like passing out a couple of times and really began to think I should do something about it. As the day wore on things seemed to be getting worse, started to notice the side of my face was feeling numb and tingly. Not good. Really starting to be concerned in a stiff upper lip fashion of course. I felt I was ticking loads of DCS boxes.
I looked up the number of a chamber doctor, uhmed and aahhed. aahhed and uhmed.
Put off phoning, couldn't help thinking that they'd get me in to be on the safe side and still wasn't convinced it was DCS and didn't want to waste their time tie up resources......
Thought about posting here, but decided there would probably be only one sensible answer. Still undecided. Gave myself a slap and told myself to pull myself together. Sat at my desk giving myself a bodged neuro exam. Quite difficult whilst answering calls, and you get some funny looks whistling at the shiny side of a CD, rubbing your fingers together at arms length and straining to hear. Did a spot more uhming and aahing, and some warehouse pacing.
Finally worked myself up to phone the chamber, whilst mentally preparing a kit list of what to take up to London and that's when things started to improve, the Chamber Doctor was very helpful, was told they couldn't be sure of anything over the phone, I mentioned I knew a dive doctor locally and they recommended presenting myself to them. Called the local doc who was absolutely brilliant, started to feel less stressed just having made the decision to call.
Drove over to see them, had a chat, called the Navy doctor and the result was that it was highly unlikely to be a bend.
The most shocking thing was how much difference knowing it wasn't a bend made to how I felt. I still feel pretty bad but better than I did and I wonder now how much of my symptoms were anxiety related. I thought I was being pretty cool and collected at the time, joking about it etc but now I'm not so sure. I still feel like I've been chucked out of a third storey window but things seem more manageable knowing it's not diving related.
So what did I learn?
Well. I learnt that..
1/ Making the call to the chamber does not automatically launch a chain of events leading to the pot.
2/ That calling them early is a good idea as it takes a load off instantly.
3/ Putting it off and fretting can exacerbate how you feel.
4/ That I'm a muppet, but I'm happier being a muppet and getting on with being good and proper old school ill than being a sick muppet freaking out about possibly having a bend.
Oh yes and that Doctors are very nice people and should probably have a weekly parade that we can go and cheer at.