Just a few questions

[milldog]

Originally Posted by Crisspy Fiver

If you get bent lets say for example that you are in a remote area. No chance of chamber treatment.
Its only a minor bend if there is such a thing. You can still walk talk and do everything but you have some tingling in your hands. Maybe your feet as well.

If there is no re-compression chamber around and not one for some time, dependant on what you have got you could do in water re-compression 100%
on a dive for as long as the cylinder lasts, you could always repeat but use the air breaks for the dive and have a buddy to watch you

Originally Posted by Crisspy Fiver

What happens now. I was reading the other day on some minor bends its possible to breath pure O2 and this will sort the problem with any residual nitrogen escaping through the skin. Is this true and how does this effect the person? Will they eventually be back to normal and be able to dive again after a period of rest?

If you leave the symptoms of a bend they have long term problems but this wont be everyone but why take the risk, they can be Bone disintegration, short/long term memory loss and skin disorders

Originally Posted by Crisspy Fiver

Why is it said that once you have been bent you are more likely to have a hit again. Is this true only for people with a PFO or for all divers.

that would depend on the bend and it's location i have had a bend in my left arm the doc put it down to me doing a double somersault off the back or the boat and hitting my arm on the lift (all planned of course) and thats where the bend formed due to the injury,

the best people to talk to is Plymouth DDRC they are really helpful

[Crisspy Fiver]

Hi me again.

Just reading in the new copy of Beyond the Blue about a diver who had done about 600 dives before he go a serious bend. It had turned out he had a PFO and had skin bends before but had believed them to be just part of diving.

See my point is im starting to train for next years London Marathon, thats if i ever get in again. This is going to mean lots of aches and pains. At the same time Im also starting to do a bit more deco diving. Nothing major but its still deco diving.

If I have a serious bend its going to be obvious. But if its something little and your have to excuse my being stupid here but is it possible for me not to know Im bent and think its just training strain from the running and things.

I also wonder what sort of damage would have been done to the guy who is mentioned briefly in the articles body?

Thanks

Jamie

[Scuttler]

Originally Posted by Crisspy Fiver

Hi me again.

Just reading in the new copy of Beyond the Blue about a diver who had done about 600 dives before he go a serious bend. It had turned out he had a PFO and had skin bends before but had believed them to be just part of diving.

I believe that skin bends are commonly associated with PFOs (or a cardiac shunt) and they recommend if you get skin bends you should as well as getting treatment be tested for a PFO. There is a possibility, if left untreated/unchecked of neurological decompression sickness. This can also occur on future dives even if you dive well within the tables due to the PFO allowing microbubbles from the venous system into the arterial system.

[SoggyFox]

Originally Posted by Crisspy Fiver

If I have a serious bend its going to be obvious. But if its something little and your have to excuse my being stupid here but is it possible for me not to know Im bent and think its just training strain from the running and things.

this has been my concern also as have at times trained regulary in a gym, and on a number of occasions i develope strains after a gym session and it has made me wonder what if that occured after a dive and a gym session, how would you differentiate and would i end up being a dumb mo-fo and convincing myself it was a training strain.

now i think i'll just make the call and let someone with a higher IQ than mine make the call for me. I also tend to leave a gap between diving and any strenuos gym sessions, so far i've left 4 months, better safe than sorry i say.

[chrisch]

Originally Posted by Crisspy Fiver

...
If I have a serious bend its going to be obvious. But if its something little and your have to excuse my being stupid here but is it possible for me not to know Im bent and think its just training strain from the running and things.
..

It is easy to mix up aches and slight bends according to some sources. However, O2 will improve the bend but not the muscle strain. Generally the aches and pains are "won" during diving and hence the confusion. If (as in your case) you have athletic training related aches before the dive you will know where they are...

The simple answer to your dilema is to err on the cautious.

Very slight bends should - theoretically - clear, the issue being long term tissue damage due to the embolism depriving "downstream" tissue of O2. The nitrogen bubble should eventually (in theory) disperse into the surrounding tissue. Big bubbles tend to absorb more N2 from the surrounding tissue on the other hand.

Its all a bit vague and the final call is yours. Bends are very rare and often as a result of "pushing" near to the limits or failing to consider stress factors like cold water or exertion on a dive. If you are planning deco dives add a bit of conservatism, likewise lengthen the safety stop on no-stop dives.

I personally would look a bit more into the relationship between the time between exercise and decompression illness if doing something like this. If I spot anything I post a link back here for you..

Being physically fit is generally "A Good Thing" for DCI prevention.

Chris

[kath2407]

I asked the quesdtion when I was sat in the pot. My "bend" (still unconfirmed but potted on the safe side) was in my elbow joint. asked "What would have happened to me if I have written this down to a muscle strain?"

The nurse said that eventually the bubble would dissapate but the tissue in the surrounding area would have been ir reparably damaged. Think of the bubble as being like any foreign object in your body. It is taking up space normally occupied by tissue and therefore causing pressure on healthy tissue. This will cause damage.

FWIW my letter from the diving doc states "I am still not convinced that you had a bend but recompression treatement was the safest option." The hyperbaric treatment could have just help with normal soft tissue injury. Needless to say the pot was not a pleasant experience - I cried like a girl and now dive nitrox on an air computer and try to minimise my planned deco diving!!!!

K XX