My Experience with DCS

[FW]

Forrest, does this mean that all those aspirin we took and quarts of Gatoraid we were told to drink was wrong? I never did like Gatoraid.

Apparently, I never liked Gatoraid either

[Sh0use]

I recently did an extensive research project concerning DCS treatment and prevention. It seems, as some have said, there is little that is really known regarding risk favors and predispositions. However, one thing I believe should be considered a risk factor is dehydration. Here is a link to a fairly recent study investigating the link between dehydration and DCS.
http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~fahlman/p...2-106-2006.pdf

The use of animal models brings to question the applicability to humans, however it is pretty interesting to read. If anyone is interested I had to write up a paper focusing on 4 different studies looking at DCS treatment and prevention. Id gladly send it and would love to discuss this topic further.

[FW]

I recently did an extensive research project concerning DCS treatment and prevention. It seems, as some have said, there is little that is really known regarding risk favors and predispositions. However, one thing I believe should be considered a risk factor is dehydration. Here is a link to a fairly recent study investigating the link between dehydration and DCS.
http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~fahlman/p...2-106-2006.pdf

The use of animal models brings to question the applicability to humans, however it is pretty interesting to read. If anyone is interested I had to write up a paper focusing on 4 different studies looking at DCS treatment and prevention. Id gladly send it and would love to discuss this topic further.

That article is 10 years old, and people are saying there is more recent research.

[Kelly Jessop]

Forrest, does this mean that all those aspirin we took and quarts of Gatoraid we were told to drink was wrong? I never did like Gatoraid.

I recall a story of Sheck having the idea to hydrate during deco and he would take out his regulator and drink spring water. I guess his dive buddy had needed to #2 and removed his wet suit and was taking care of business. When Sheck saw the brown trouts,that stopped his deco hydration habit.

[Sh0use]

Br J Sports Med-2009-Gempp-224-8.pdf

That article is 10 years old, and people are saying there is more recent research.

I would appreciate seeing something more recent in a controlled environment. I was unable to find anything.

EDIT:
I am attaching a more recent document suggesting a similar relationship between dehydration and DCS.

[FW]

Attachment 14629

I would appreciate seeing something more recent in a controlled environment. I was unable to find anything.

EDIT:
I am attaching a more recent document suggesting a similar relationship between dehydration and DCS.

Ask some of the guys on page 2, like Kelly, loquat149, mdax, and midway.

[Sh0use]

Ask some of the guys on page 2, like Kelly, loquat149, mdax, and midway.

My hope was that they would chime in after seeing my post.

[TONY CHANEY]

I am not a MD but a RCP/RRT and have seen dehydration way too many times. To me it really is all about the cardiovascular system. Instead of me trying to tell all about it I like this link: http://scubaguru.com/why-is-hydratio...-scuba-diving/ .

As for voiding and high blood sugar: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-...ww.google.com/

So glad all came out well Tammy.

[Kelly Jessop]

My hope was that they would chime in after seeing my post.

There is a long story to this,so I won't go into detail. I ended up talking to two researchers in hyperbaric medicine that are affiliated with Duke Univ and DAN,plus they practice hyperbaric medicine. They both separately confirmed that dehydration plays less of a role in DCS than we think, and there is research to support it. Did I get a link to a study,no , we were talking on the phone. I believe what they are saying,because scuba diving will hold onto traditions longer than the science supports (for example, staying a few minutes longer at a deeper stop),but I still plan to hydrate myself well,because the worse that can happen is my drysuit floods it the p-valve tubing kinks. But, knowing that dehydration played less of a role, I looked at other factors that were causing some post-dive symptoms, and altered my diving style.

Firstly I am glad that things turned out well for Tammy, and was able to get attention. Secondly,it is great we have workshops with presentations on exploration projects around the world. Maybe it is worthwhile to have a hyperbaric researcher provide information on the current levels of research, and how they can benefit our diving.

[JCGoodwin]

After being around some DCS hits its become apparent to me there are obvious indicators and not so obvious.
Our bodies are not always on our side and AGE is always our enemy!
PFO's are a no brainer.
Our cardio-vascular system and ANYTHING that effects becomes attributing factors.
I think the older we get our bodies become less efficient, skin less elastic, arteries a little harder, etc.

I realize there is a healthy life style out there but at some point our physiology is going to dictate what we can do.
Learning the lines, conservatism, and when to defer is key in diving without incident.
In some cases as Tammy's you do nothing but what you normally do and find out post dive there is a new health issue.
Im not beating a dead horse but having to do CDL physicals every three years is a minimum requirement.
Possibly as divers over 40 we should get yearly checkup and preventative maintenance.

I love going in for check ups!
NOT!

JCG