SCUBA: Decompression Illness Julie, 47, is a novice SCUBA diver, certified with 5 beach dives in Hawaii in 1999, and several subsequent boat dives. She recently went diving for the first time in 6 years while on a 6-day cruise to the Coral Sea.
Julie and her group encountered very rough seas on their way to a shipwreck that they planned to dive. Many passengers, including Julie, became very seasick, and most took Scopalamine as a remedy. After a poor night of sleep, and in rough seas with a strong current, Julie and her buddy descended to 26 m for 5 min, and remained at around 17m for about 20 m. She logged a total bottom time of 28 minutes. Because of the strong current, the divers used their oxygen supply more rapidly than expected, and their tanks were quite low when they ascended. The swell at the surface made it very difficult to swim back to the boat, and when she did arrive Julie was too tired to climb aboard without help. She was exhausted and collapsed in her bunk with a terrible headache and dizziness.
Julie was supposed to fly back to the US on the following day, but was still experiencing the headache and dizziness. She decided to visit a doctor as a precaution. The doctor tested her balance, which was poor, and tested the comparative sensation in her left and right sides, finding the right hand to be much less sensitive to a variety of stimuli. He also tested her mental abilities by timing her as she counted backwards by 7s from 100.
The doctor determined that Julie was suffering from decompression illness, or the “Bends,” and recommended that she be treated immediately in a hyperbaric chamber.
To learn more about decompression illness in general, click the Decompression Illness link below, or click on Julie's Case to compare her symptoms to the usual symptoms of decompression illness. For background information about the circulatory system in general, click the link to the Circulatory System.
Julie, 47, is a novice SCUBA diver, certified with 5 beach dives in Hawaii in 1999, and several subsequent boat dives. She recently went diving for the first time in 6 years while on a 6-day cruise to the Coral Sea.
Julie and her group encountered very rough seas on their way to a shipwreck that they planned to dive. Many passengers, including Julie, became very seasick, and most took Scopalamine as a remedy. After a poor night of sleep, and in rough seas with a strong current, Julie and her buddy descended to 26 m for 5 min, and remained at around 17m for about 20 m. She logged a total bottom time of 28 minutes. Because of the strong current, the divers used their oxygen supply more rapidly than expected, and their tanks were quite low when they ascended. The swell at the surface made it very difficult to swim back to the boat, and when she did arrive Julie was too tired to climb aboard without help. She was exhausted and collapsed in her bunk with a terrible headache and dizziness.
Julie was supposed to fly back to the US on the following day, but was still experiencing the headache and dizziness. She decided to visit a doctor as a precaution. The doctor tested her balance, which was poor, and tested the comparative sensation in her left and right sides, finding the right hand to be much less sensitive to a variety of stimuli. He also tested her mental abilities by timing her as she counted backwards by 7s from 100.
The doctor determined that Julie was suffering from decompression illness, or the “Bends,” and recommended that she be treated immediately in a hyperbaric chamber.
To learn more about decompression illness in general, click the Decompression Illness link below, or click on Julie's Case to compare her symptoms to the usual symptoms of decompression illness. For background information about the circulatory system in general, click the link to the Circulatory System.
Circulatory System
Julie's Case
Decompression Illness