got bent

[deep spear hunter]

i've been diving for over 4 years ,my last dive was 12-18-08 on that day i got bent on the frist dive, we where 57 mile off shore ,i thought i did everything right i thought but got bent ,we where 110ft deep, i still have numness in my legs ,has anybody been through this.

[ndv21]

Must be a horrible experience. I have not gotten bent but I think everyone could benefit if you were to re-enact the specific actions of your dive or the course of events.

[deep spear hunter]

dan said there was something wrong with me before i went diving ,i don't know what it was ,i've went over it again and again .my buddy was with me the whole time ,i was in the hospital for 12 days i did 50 hours in the chamber 10 treatments.

[navyhmc]

What was the profile for the dive? Did you do a safety stop? When did the symptoms begin? And if you are willing, what was the pre-existing condition.

The closest I have gotten was 90' for 40 minutes, no safety stop, out of the water, new tank and down to 60' and did incremental stops at 10' intervals: 60' for 5 min, 50' for 5 min, 40 for 10 min, 30' for 15 min, 20 for 20' and 10' for 20 min. No more diving that day either. Overkill? maybe.

Here's hoping that you get back to pre-DCS health.

[deep spear hunter]

i was 22 minutes on the bottom 2 minute stop at 38 ft 3 minute stop 22 ft got in boat ,5 minutes later went tite in stomach and i couldn't breath we had 60 minute bottle 100% O2 on boat got on it , i thank it saved me,i started breathing better in 10 minutes but went numm from my stomach down i couldn't move my legs ,30 to 45 minutes the filling came back i thought the worst was over but it wasn't

[BubblesMcCoy]

I wish you the best deep spear. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Please know how much we all appreciate you sharing your experience. It really reminds us how following the tables and computers isn't a guarantee that we won't get a dcs hit.

Any details that you feel like sharing about the treatment, your prognosis, what you learned from DAN would be most appreciated.

[IndyDiver]

Not a very aggressive profile, especially to get a hit like that on the first dive. Whenever something like this happens, the thought of a PFO comes to my mind as a leading possibility. Have you had yourself tested for one since the incident?

[mm2002]

Originally Posted by deep spear hunter

i was 22 minutes on the bottom 2 minute stop at 38 ft 3 minute stop 22 ft got in boat ,5 minutes later went tite in stomach and i couldn't breath we had 60 minute bottle 100% O2 on boat got on it , i thank it saved me,i started breathing better in 10 minutes but went numm from my stomach down i couldn't move my legs ,30 to 45 minutes the filling came back i thought the worst was over but it wasn't

Well, according to the "tables", you overstayed your depth at 100 by 6 min. That's maybe long enough to saturate to a point where your shallower stops weren't held long enough to off gas sufficiently? I'm not a deep tech diver, but just guessing, you maybe should have stopped at 50 ft for around 10 min (air allowing) for starters? Maybe the techies could elaborate on this.

On the other hand, a different person could have likely got away with it....you obviously didn't. Interesting, but I'm really sorry to hear about your troubles.

[deep spear hunter]

we where on 31 nitrox and dove there many times i gess it was to much for me that day but i really love diving and hate to stop but don't want to go through this again.

[IndyDiver]

With EAN31 this is a NDL dive, and you did 5 minutes of safety stops starting at 38 feet. Even for those who don't like Buhlman and prefer deep stops, a 2 minute stop at 40 feet and a 3 minute stop at 20 feet is pretty conservative bubble control on a NDL dive.

This is where a PFO can be a real wild card. The normal pressure in the heart can keep the flap sealed closed until a rise in veinous pressure from upper body exertion, an overly tight wetsuit, or even a valsalva maneuver causes it to push open, and then a stream of bubbles unfiltered by the lungs is going straight into your arterial system. All of a sudden, you get a type 2 DCS hit on a dive that is less extreme than ones you have done in the past.