Tag Archive
Stress in Diving
I don't want to participate in any sport in which my species is not at the top of the food chain. Ken Fonte Stress in diving is probably the central problem in the accidents and resulting injuries and fatalitiesthat occur to divers . . . Art Bachrach and Glen Egstrom STRESS Many divers do not seem to place traditional activities in the context of stress-inducing scenarios. Diving is supposed to be fun, right? The following passage is excerpted from Bachrach and Egstrom's (1987) Stress and Performance in Diving: "We will cover your nose and eyes with a rubber and glass cup that will give you tunnel vision and prevent breathing through your nose. A snorkel which is partially filled with water will increase breathing resistance, especially when you work harder. A rubber suit will increase your surface area and your buoyancy while creating a restriction over each of the body's joints. (A partial adjustment will be made by fastening 15-20 pounds (6.8-9.1 kg) of lead to your waist.) Fins for your feet will make walking more difficult and require more energy when swimming. A buoyancy compensation device will provide additional drag, especially when it is inflated to increase your buoyancy. Approximately 40-50 pounds (18.2-22.7 kg) of steel or aluminum will be fixed between your shoulder blades by means of a backpack with a series of straps and buckles, which will terminate somewhere under the buoyancy compensator near the weight belt buckle. A regulator with various and sundry hoses and gauges will be attached to the tank and will cause you to breathe against an added resistance both during inhalation and exhalation. Various other items, such as knives, gauges, goody bags, cameras, spear guns, gloves, hoods and booties will be added for your comfort and convenience." These learned authors (by this... More »
Dive Accident Symptoms Delayed 6 Months?
(Q) 06.09.11 “Is it possible to suffer any problems from diving 6 months AFTER the dive? I had what I would consider a fairly normal dive experience. We were in Fiji and we dove to a max of 100ft. We flew home to New Zealand 2 days later. I had a panic attack (had only ever had one before in my life) where I felt like I couldn't breath about 3 weeks later but that was the only "odd" thing that happened. I've since flown to the States and back and when I returned from the States (it was almost 5 months post dive) was when I started noticing severe shortness of breath. (tests at the doc confirmed that I am only using 56% of my lung capacity and that my lungs are "restricted"). I never mentioned my diving because it never crossed my mind... especially since it was several months before the symptoms came on. I've had a lung x-ray and it showed no abnormalities. They haven't found a cause yet and the shortness of breath and chest tightness seems to be getting worse. A barium swallow and upper GI found some looping the bowel, but a chest x-ray, physical exam and EKG and exercise stress testing with echo were negative. Is there ANY chance it could be dive related??” (A) 06.14.11 “Hi m…., Given report that there was nothing abnormal in the dives, e.g., uncontrolled ascent, breath holding on ascent, chest discomfort, coughing up blood in the sputum; the first signs or symptoms of any medical problem weren't until about 3 weeks after the last dive ("panic attack," not further described); no pulmonary complaints (shortness of breath (SOB)) until about 5 months after ... More »
Hastening Drainage of Middle Ear Fluid
(Q) "Hi Doc, I am absolutely new at diving. Went through the course and then last week-end went to Florida for my 4 check out dives. I didn't have a cold, but my partner thought it was a good idea to take Sudafed just to make sure. I had a hard time equalizing, had to keep ascending slightly. After the first dive my ears were clogged, went down again, slightly easier to equalize, both dives weren't more than 10 meters each. By the next morning my ears were fine, but I took two Sudafed anyway. Dived to 20 meters, my instructor had me do the emergency ascent from 3 meters while saying ahhh, as you need that for check out, and I didn't want to do it the day before because of my ears. My ears squeaked like crazy on the ascent. But nothing else seemed out of line no pain. Went back down and then while trying to maintain neutral buoyancy at 5 meters, accidentally inflated my BCD rather than deflated, so I shot to the surface. After the trip three days ago, my ears are still clogged, I saw my general doctor. She says there is blood in my middle ear. She is not a dive doc, and didn't know about diving, but couldn't recommend it....actually thought flying was a bad idea too. We are going to Cozumel next week. Help! I really want to dive. Is there anything I can do to speed up healing? Is seeing an ENT dive doc recommended; would it help? Is there any hope of diving in a week? Also I started a salt water nasal douche hoping that might drag some of the gunk out of my middle ear. Thanks, L..." (A) Hi L...., That's unhappy news since SCUBA is out until a diver can equalize the... More »
So You Want to Climb Mt. Everest?
Many divers who emerge from initial diving certification programs with an “open water” certification choose not to pursue further formal training, going forward by acquiring practical experience though their diving activities. Often, this works well since practical “real life” experience arguably is just as relevant in producing a qualified diver. At least, in warm water, and under not-too-difficult, conditions. Many traveling divers are 55 years or older now in today's demographic. For some, sport diving was still in its infancy when they decided to jump in. A single “checkout” dive satisfied the criteria for a c-card and they went on to enjoy the sport without ever dipping a fin back into a training program. While certification agencies would now prefer that divers progress at least partly through an enhanced system of ratings, there is no requirement that they actually do so. Still, with age and prosperity also comes limitations that should be recognized as serious considerations. The 55-year-old plus diver has to take into account the realities of aging that include reduced stamina, possible high blood pressure, cardiac problems, reduced flexibility and mobility, arthritic joints, vision and hearing loss, deteriorated muscular strength, postoperative limitations, side effects of required medications, and general reduced physical fitness. Of course, there are exceptions to such broad-based generalities, but within the general population I’m identifying, possible limitations exist that can affect their fitness to dive. Hey, I’m soon to be 60 and certainly am aware that I’m not the specimen I was even in my forties and diving was my full time profession until just recently when I sold the last of my diving companies. I'm still active in diving, usually at remote areas... More »
Diving with Ear Tubes
(Q) I am a pre-grad med student from South Africa. I have had otitis media (middle ear infection) and in May 2010 received bilateral grommets. The right one gave me recurrent infections and I had it removed but the left one is still in place. I am a scuba diver and spearfisherman and am going down to the coast the end of the month to do mandatory training with a private GP for 2 weeks. I am planning on doing a lot of spearfishing. I have been told that the water will only pass through the grommet at a depth of 30m below surface and seeing that we spearfish on apnea diving I am only able to dive to about 20m. My question is, can I dive up to 20m or not and if not what can I do to make this possible. I have consulted with our local ENT and he gave me the advice that technically speaking the water would only enter my middle ear at 30m. I just want to be certain of this. (A) It is not unusual to have ventilation/ tympanostomy tubes placed following a history of repeated or intractable middle ear infection. I am not familiar with the reasoning that water will not enter a patent tympanic grommet until a depth of ~30m or greater is reached, nor can I say that this makes any sense to me. However, I am not an ENT and must assume that yours wouldn't say this without research, anecdotal or other sort of evidence to support it. In any event, diving with an open grommet would place you at risk for infection in the middle ear from pathogen-containing seawater and for caloric vertigo from temperature changes in the water column. The most conservative advice would be not to dive until the opening... More »
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