Have you ever really experienced DCS?

+2 votes
asked Apr 27, 2017 in Scuba Diving by George1224 (5,147 points)

4 Answers

+2 votes
answered Apr 30, 2017 by Pablo (1,108 points)
While I have never been hit, I had a diver in my group get DCS while on a trip to Belize. She and her boyfriend got there 2 days early and had completed 6 dives. The first night we were there at dinner, I noticed she acted like she had no appetite, and lethargic (not at all like her). She was quiet, and mentioned she had a headache. I asked her to speak with me privately, and learned of her dives. She was slightly unsteady and did not feel well. I asked her to take my hands and squeeze, as she did I noticed she had half the strength in her left hand. I knew there was a chamber on the island, but at 9:00 it was not easy finding the only doctor. When I did find him, he came to the hotel and quickly diagnosed her with DCS. She spent the next 4 days doing multiple hours of treatment. After each treatment he would examine her, and teaching me what he was looking for. Coordination, how her eyes moved, attitude...these and other things I had never been taught, were observed to improve after each treatment. Was was fine, but no more diving on the trip.
+1 vote
answered May 2, 2017 by alwaysdiving (780 points)
Yes, and it was incredibly subtle. Not very hungry, extremely tired and lethargic, pounding headache. My friends ultimately took me to a diving doctor in Miami because I wasn't acting myself. I went through two days of hyperbaric therapy and came out a new person.

I was sure it couldn't be DCS because I didn't have any "big" symptoms like loss of feeling, vomiting, or fully passing out. I just felt wasted like I'd worked too hard, but it didn't go away. What was even more unbelievable was how much better I felt after my first session in the chamber.

If you're unsure, it is 100% worth it to get checked out by a medical professional. There is a broad range of DCS symptoms and diagnoses.
+1 vote
answered May 2, 2017 by jerpratt (125 points)
I have not been bent but I thought that I might have been once. Coming back in from a 2 tank boat dive I was having severe back pain and was very tired. Unfortunately I didn't tell anyone thinking that it would just go away. The next day I didn't feel any better. So I called DAN and they recommended that I go to a local hospital that had a chamber, which I did. I had my dive profile from my computer uploaded already to my online dive log so while being examined I was able to provide that data. Turns out the problem was unrelated to the dive but I was glad I had it checked. And I was extremely happy with the support that DAN provided.
0 votes
answered May 14, 2017 by hurfish (3,024 points)
No and hope I never do
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