My Big Toe Story

[West Ireland Diver]

Right, I reckon I'm being paranoid but here goes........

A few years before I took up diving I got unexplained pain in my toe joint. It was put down to an infection I picked up while travelling. All sorted quickly.

Last year I took up diving. On a trip to the Carribean in March this year I got a bad pain in the same joint. During that day I had done two dives (24m, and 14m max), both well within limits but with a short surface interval. Anyhoo, I didn't really link this too diving as it was a prior injury. I did three more dives that week, one to 34m, one to 24m and a cave dive to 13m max depth but I was down for over 70mins.

Now, on Saturday I did my first dive in 5 weeks, I dropped to 24m briefly but spent most of the dive at 20m. Ascended very very slowly, did a safety stop and was back on the surface at 30mins. Approx 8 hours after the dive I started to get a real pain in my toe joint. The only other symptom is that on Sunday I was battered, completely dog tired. Today it's a little stiff but the pain has pretty much gone.

Now I could say I've also got some mild pins and needles all over, but I'm not sure if that's me working myself up. It's now getting a little too co-incidental that this flares up when I dive.

Soooo here are my questions.....

- Can previous injuries just be suseptible to flaring up while diving, not related to DCI?
- Could I just be unlucky and even though I was well within limits have an unexplained bend?
- If I suffered mild DCI while away in March and didn't get it treated could this now be causing me problems?
- Would fairly strong pain from a bend be mostly gone within 48hrs?

The nearest chamber is 4.5hrs away, I know I should go if I have too, but I reckon I'm just working myself up!!

Cheers
Ed

[Digger]

That's a bend. Get to a pot. Bubbles will form around scar tissue or previous damage more readily than nice smooth normal tissue or joint.

Unexplained bends happen all the time.

Yes, the untreated DCI could now be causing problems.

Digs.

[Steve S]

Originally Posted by West Ireland Diver

Soooo here are my questions.....

- Can previous injuries just be suseptible to flaring up while diving, not related to DCI?
- Could I just be unlucky and even though I was well within limits have an unexplained bend?
- If I suffered mild DCI while away in March and didn't get it treated could this now be causing me problems?
- Would fairly strong pain from a bend be mostly gone within 48hrs?

The nearest chamber is 4.5hrs away, I know I should go if I have too, but I reckon I'm just working myself up!!

Cheers
Ed

Hi Ed,

sorry to hear of your problem, baring in mind I'm not a medical professional

1) IME yes, FTR are your fins/boots too tight? but obviously anything you come up with that you didn't go in with should be treated as DCS initially

2) Yes, definitely

3) Again yes a previous episode of DCS makes you more susceptible even if it's treated

4) Possibly not but as I'm sure you know the longer you leave it the more chance of serious permanent damage there is.

I'd give the RN diving doc' a call, it can only help to either put your mind at ease or get you the treatment you may need.

Good luck.

Safe diving,
Steve

[andrallan]

Call the nearest chmber or DDRC amd speak to the duty doc. do it NOW

[scubagit]

Worst timing in the world eh? Bend waits until the local chamber is closed before it strikes!!
Hope all agoes well but as said before, best to get it checked before it gets worse.

[West Ireland Diver]

Cheers guys

Bleeding typical though. I live in Galway, the Galway chamber closes down, I get a suspected bend with the nearest chamber now 4.5hrs away!!

I'm gonna be on the phone to the Craigavon chamber in oooooo, 30 seconds or so!!!

[dublinbay]

Ring Des Quigley NOW. National Hyperbaric Centre Great Strand Street Dublin 1

[balbrigganbloke]

Ring them heres the numbers
Tel: 01 8733044, Fax: 01 8733969, e-mail hyperinfo@eircom.net
Emergency Number: 087 9729366
Ring them theyve been to college for these things they KNOW if theres a problem
Ring them NOW!

[West Ireland Diver]

As I'm sitting at my computer before leaving for the chamber thought I would update you on the conflicting views.....

Dublin Hyperbaric Chamber.....you're in denial, get to a chamber now. However we won't treat you because your don't have DAN insurance and the insurance you do have doesn't cover you for our chamber so you'll have to find another one.

Craigavon Chamber (Northern Ireland).....of course we'll treat you but from your symptoms it doesn't really sound like a bend. I'm not sure even if you were down the road we would advise you going into a chamber.

I think I'll be making the trip, but why do I live in Ireland!!!!

[Robin Jones]

As they all say-get to the chamber, so you are on the way now no doubt.

The original problem though was pre- diving so have you / your Doctor considered the posibility it may have been Gout? Classic pain in big toe.

I had it for a number of years before diagnosis and treatment- but fine now.