The bends, or not the bends. That is the question.

[LadyGoDiver]

Ever think you had the bends, but it was something else? Or was it the other way around? When did you realize? What did you do? How are you now? Please share experiences.

[cheebaweebie]

Have surfaced to quickly on a 90 ft dive and had a headache for 2 days. Didn't get the bends though. As I understand it, DCS manifests itself in stange ways...

[divingchef]

after every dive, no matter how deep, how long, perfect ascent, no probs.....I sort of imagine nitrogen bubbles flowing through my bloodstream....for a long time I thought it was real.....I even went to a medical dive center.....they told me after the third visit that it was psychosematic (spelling) I was imagining the whole thing.....it still happens 10 years later....but now I just laugh and give thanks for an active imagination.....

[LadyGoDiver]

Originally Posted by divingchef

after every dive, no matter how deep, how long, perfect ascent, no probs.....I sort of imagine nitrogen bubbles flowing through my bloodstream....for a long time I thought it was real.....I even went to a medical dive center.....they told me after the third visit that it was psychosematic (spelling) I was imagining the whole thing.....it still happens 10 years later....but now I just laugh and give thanks for an active imagination.....

That's great. Now I don't feel alone. I called DAN the other night in a panic. Even after the very qualified Dr. told me the he didn't think it was DCS, I still keep wondering (I had actual symtoms)... I'm about one minor muscle ache away from a medical dive center or a psych ward.

[LadyGoDiver]

Originally Posted by cheebaweebie

As I understand it, DCS manifests itself in stange ways...

I think that's why denial is such an easy option (for me, anyway).


Anything other than headaches? I had major hip pain, and was seeing 'floaters'. Went away after some rest. Still a little freaked, though (happened last thursday). 90ft as well, shivering for the last 10 min (guide didn't seem to mind). A little buoancy issue on acsent, but not crazy. Who knows what I did to myself.

[BouzoukiJoe]

Personally I believe a lot more people get sub-clinical DCS than realize it.

[fireflock]

Once, in Cozumel, I had a tingling feeling in my wrist during ascent from a 120' dive during a week of heavy diving (4 a day). I thought I was having a DCS problem. I took the rest of the ascent real slow, and the tingling would come and go. I spent probably 15min at 20' and then had to surface. During that 15' I was thinking about every possibility in the book, trying to decide what I thought was going on. By that time a lot of the pain was gone, but I still had to decide what to do when I surfaced (take O2, see a Doc, call DAN, etc...).

About half way through the 20' hang it dawned on me that the symptoms I was having could also be from small jellyfish. Shortly after surfacing I found some ctenophores on my wrist and realized it was jellyfish after all.

It was an interesting thought process, however. For a while I was convinced there was something going on and my mind was racing with different scenarios. I never really worried about it because I knew there was O2 on the boat, and the crew was first class. I also knew we were only a few minutes from a couple of different chambers. For some reason it was comforting to know that help wasn't far away, especially compared to where I usually dive off the North Carolina coast.

Rich

[captain]

Years ago after a long weekend of muliti dive days I had some tingling on the skin of my left arm on the drive home. DCS? posible. Resolved itself by the time I got home

[LadyGoDiver]

Originally Posted by captain

Years ago after a long weekend of muliti dive days I had some tingling on the skin of my left arm on the drive home. DCS? posible. Resolved itself by the time I got home

Dives after that have been ok? Guess so, if it was years ago. That's good to know.

[CompuDude]

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