[bob wippin]

Recently heard someone trying to tell me that you should not drink fizzy drinks before diving as this will encourage bubble formation as you are absorbing bubbles into the bloodstream.....(not the bit about caffine effecting ADH secreation, causing dehydration)

I instantly dismissed this as rubbish, although I know this is rubbish why exactly is it rubbish?

I said it was because gases are absorbed throught the lungs, no gas can be absorbed through the stomach. Threrfore unless you are inhaling the fizzy drink it will not be a problem.... But is this correct.

 

[tiggerbiker]

even though i dont really know what i'm talking about! i'll think out loud on this one - if i may.

1) co2 is highly soluble and i dont think you could drink enough fizzy drinks to actually force actual bubbles of it into the bloodstream from the stomach

2)if co2 can get from the stomach to the bloodstream it would only be a relitively small amount and it would make a slight imbalance (minutly more co2 inside the body compared to normal) and would be given off quicker during the gas exchange in the alvioli - thus causing no real problems??
does that make any sense? (i know what i mean - even if it doesnt make sense here!!)

 

[Simon TW]

I believe it is possible but you have to snort a lot of coke

 

[Hellvet]

Dunno bout bubble formation - i always thought it was because you ended up with a lot of gas in your stomach which effectively created another gas space that could be affected by changes in ambient pressure making life uncomfortable and potentially very anti social...!:angel:

 

[Tonio Anastasi]

As I remember it, its not gas absorbtion you need to worry about.

The problem, and I stand to be corrected, is that the fizz in the drinks could, on ascent, expand in the airsapace of your stomach causing discomfort, in some instances injury, and/or some very serious belching.

 

[bob wippin]

As I remember it, its not gas absorbtion you need to worry about.

The problem, and I stand to be corrected, is that the fizz in the drinks could, on ascent, expand in the airsapace of your stomach causing discomfort, in some instances injury, and/or some very serious belching.

How can this be, if the gas from the fizzy drinks is not 'painful' on the surface when it compresses on descending and then decompresses on ascending, it is no worse than when you drank it on the surface, unless you have taken a 12 pack of coke down on the dive and drunk them all pretty quick at 30m before ascending instantly.....

I am talking about basically can the fizz in fizzy drinks be absorbed through the stomach to lead to supersaturation of gas in the blood on ascent when combined with the nitrogen absorbed aswell during the dive

 

[NeilP]

Well I would leave lager alone, stick with a real - ale as it has far less gas. You should be ok with that.

 

[Gimbo]

I don't think it's a problem, just doesn't help with the burping and farting.:angel:

 

[nigelH]

This is a gas you naturally produce and exhale.
It is the gas that drives your breathing reflex.
If CO2 moved into the blood you would feel out of breath and pant it out.

 

[5363]

I don't think it's a problem, just doesn't help with the burping and farting.:angel:

Hmmm, I've always find it helps the farting along very nicely

 

[bob wippin]

but still can gas be absorbed through the stomach of other organs except the lungs, in such a way that bubbles will form in the blood.... think we may need a med student to answer this sort of question?

 

[Tonio Anastasi]

I've just looked it up in my copy of the 1981 edition (I have a later copy somwhere) of 'THE DIVER'S MEDICAL COMPANION' Page 60.
I'll quote what it says.

"During a dive, considerable amounts of compressed gas may be swallowed by the diver, and on ascent these gases expand within the intestines. Drinking fizzy drinks prior to the dive compounds this problem, and can result in copius gas releases from oral and anal orifices ( I think they mean belches and farts ). Abdominal discomfort and colicky pains are rearely severe, but may cause some distress, especially in inexperienced divers. Vomiting may occure after surfacing.

The condition is best treated by slowing the rate of ascent or stopping ascent at a certain depth for a short while before resuming ascent. Descent to a slightly greater depth may be necessary to releive discomfort.

Avoidance of heavy meals or carbonated beverages for 4-6 hours preceeding any dive is the best means of prevention. Occasionally, descending in the upright position may help prevent the condition from occurring, as this will lessen the amount of gas which is swallowed into the stomach during descent"

On the matter of gas absorbstion through the stomach in this case, that of fizzy drinks. I would imagine that logically, unless there is an actual injury or damage to the intestinal wall exposing the venous system the co2 will not be absorbed into the blood stream.

 

[bootneck81]

It happened to me years ago, hot summers day , been drinking nice cold cokes before diving,, on coming home I spent the next two hours in doubled up with colic, not very nice but a lesson was learned

 

[frosty the snowman]

I seem to remember reading the BSAC incident report some time ago in which a diver was suspected of having a bend due to acute stomach pain after a dive which was subsequently discovered to be due to drinking a bottle of lemonaide before the dive. It was actually described as a 'lemonaide bend'!

 

[Tonio Anastasi]

It happened to me too, but it was not fizzy drinks.

After one of those minor things that turn into a larger cock up, you do not want to happen, I ended up with 5mins @ 10M and 5mins @ 5m deco stops on the old BSAC/RNPL tables.

Not enough air to complete the stops, so I had to uses a technique we used to teach then. Breathing from the Buoyancy device. This ABLJ (Adjustable Buoyancy Life Jacket),had a small high pressured (.o4 ltrs @200bar)air emergency bottle attached to it,which you would decant into the BCD, breath 4 times, empty the BCD and replenish the air with another squirt from the emergency cylinder.

The last 2 mins. @5M was done on this.

As soon as I surfaced, I could not move, I was paralyzed with pain, and had to be towed to shore. Every little movement shot massive pain through my body.

Landed onto the shore by my buddies. I was checked out. And as I made my way to the car, I belched, and belched and belched. The pain left me.

It turned out that I had swallowed some of that pressurized air and this expanded in my gut. Not a nice experience.

 

[motatoad]

I think one of the big issues about fizzy drinks is dehydration, as its a lot of sugar your body takes in and when your doing multiple dives it doesnt break down, giving the same affect as caffeine.
You should drink water to avoid this from happening

 

[desertrat]

On my TDI course the instructor did mention this. If I remember correctly its more to do with diet fizzy drinks and certain junk foods that contain something that promotes free radicals in the blood stream.

These are present normally and the body can deal with them but under pressure the bodies systems can get overwhelmed and this is the problem. I think it can lead to an increased risk of cns tox.

All that said I'm struggling to remember the exact details so I stand to be corrected.

 

[SilvaFish]

It is not a good idea to have or do something that will make you burp underwater. Whenever I dived, I always swallow air and ascents can be hairy, not because of the stomach aches from the expanding gas (can cope with that by 'inflating' the drysuit by 'unorthodox methods'), but because if you burp on ascent, if you are anything like me, I always bring up acid at 8m. This has always resulted in me getting this acid up my nose, and it's flamin' agony (it's probably why my sinuses are now shot?). Stick to water, juices and if you have to have caffienated drinks, the penalty is to drink more water.

Lou

 

[MattS]

On my TDI course the instructor did mention this. If I remember correctly its more to do with diet fizzy drinks and certain junk foods that contain something that promotes free radicals in the blood stream.

These are present normally and the body can deal with them but under pressure the bodies systems can get overwhelmed and this is the problem. I think it can lead to an increased risk of cns tox.

All that said I'm struggling to remember the exact details so I stand to be corrected.

You could be confusing a few things. Diet drinks contain Aspartame which is considered by some to be pretty nasty stuff. Fizzy 'Pop' and junk foods contain all sorts of nasty chemicals (additives) which are reactive or poisonous in sufficient dosage.

The process that causes acute CNS tox is thought to be similar to Parkinsons along the lines of free radicals knocking neutrons out of the brain stem until it destabilises. Breathing Hi PPOs is thought to do the a similar thing with Neutrons getting knocked away faster than new ones are accumulated. The idea of an air break being to give the CNS a break from the onslaught to recover.

I eat a lot of spinnach

 

[desertrat]

You could be confusing a few things. Diet drinks contain Aspartame which is considered by some to be pretty nasty stuff. Fizzy 'Pop' and junk foods contain all sorts of nasty chemicals (additives) which are reactive or poisonous in sufficient dosage.

The process that causes acute CNS tox is thought to be similar to Parkinsons along the lines of free radicals knocking neutrons out of the brain stem until it destabilises. Breathing Hi PPOs is thought to do the a similar thing with Neutrons getting knocked away faster than new ones are accumulated. The idea of an air break being to give the CNS a break from the onslaught to recover.

I eat a lot of spinnach

Told you I was probably talking bollocks lol

Must pay more attention in class!!