On Mon, 17 Sep 2001 Angelo Pardinas wrote:

>As soon as I sent that loooooong email I knew this would happen -
>people would just skim through it or not read it at all..

I read it honest! Just with all the shock & horror of late I wasnt really
in the mood to be chatty on the list.

>Well I wasn't asking for a medical opinion - I did write in my email
>that I called up the Singapore Hyperbaric Centre (listed in the DAN card)
>and talked to a doctor. I just wanted to hear the experiences of divers
>here - how you guys coped up with 'slight' DCS-like symptoms ?

I've not had that problem yet (touch wood) but a diver on a liveaboard I
was on experienced the ache in the arms symptoms. The arm he had wrecked
playing tennis. We were too far away from a chamber (Truk Lagoon) without
causing lots of hassles for Continental so the Skipper relied on advice
from DAN & had taken the precaution of booking a seat for this guy on the
next days flight just in case. As the guy was monitored in his cabin Im not
sure what else, apart from oxygen, was given.

In my early days I was a bit naughty when photographing a skittish
creature .. I would hold my breath *smack on wrist*. Side affect of that
WAS headaches.
I've thrown up once .. but that more a case of downing quite an acidic
orange juice which literally reappeared less than 5 minutes later. Remember
that one ... I just made it to the side of the boat to feed the fish. I
stick to plain water or cordial between dives now.

I think your problem though Angelo may be related to all the huffing &
puffing you did just to get out for a dive. Initial lack of sleep at the
beginning due to departure & arrival time, heaving all that equipment
around, current diving (I am assuming you were swimming against the slight
current instead of the usual go-with-the-flow?). Maybe dehydrated on top of
that.

To be honest I would be absolutely stuffed after all you packed in to that
small timeframe too. Just going to sea for the day makes me sleepy & I
sleep like a log after a day out at the beach let alone getting 3 dives
into that time frame with travel on top of it. One of the reasons I go for
liveaboard diving ie fall out of bed, have a cuppa & gear up for the dive.
On my return I thoroughly enjoy gorging myself on the nice nibblies they
supply after every dive & wash that down with lots of fluids while someone
else is doing all the grunt work to make my dive trip as pleasurable as
possible. I guess if I had to do all the work that the deckhand & boatboy
does I would be as lean as a bean pole but then I would be too exhausted to
go diving :-)
Viv