Symptoms The unusual fatigue and the dizziness that Julie experienced are a couple of the usual symptoms of decompression illness. However, Julie apparently did not have the most common symptom associated with it, which is joint pain or difficulty in movement. She also did not have a rash, which is another common symptom. The symptoms are all caused by the bubbles that form in the blood and various tissues when the nitrogen can’t stay dissolved anymore. The joint pain is assumed to be caused by bubbles forming in or near the joints, and the rash is from the bubbles that form near the skin. Similarly, the bubbles may cause problems in the nervous system, respiratory system, and so on. Depending on where exactly most of the bubbles form, the condition may or may not be life-threatening. Julie appears to have had problems mostly in her nervous system, as she was experiencing dizziness and her right side had decreased sensitivity to stimuli. Since her balance was off, the bubbles may also have gotten into her inner ear.
Why did Julie have problems?(Julie and her buddy did a dive that was short enough and shallow enough that according to PADI and NAUI guidelines should not have caused decompression problems.)One cause of decompression sickness in divers is overexertion, or too much exercise, underwater. Julie had a very hard time getting to the surface, so that may have been part of the cause of her illness. It is also recommended to get as much rest as possible before diving, which Julie did not due to her seasickness and the rough weather. Also, she spent at least 25 minutes staying deep underwater and only 28 minutes underwater overall, which means she ascended much faster than is usually considered safe. Dizziness is also listed as one of the side effects of Scopalamine, which is the medication Julie took for her seasickness. Overall, maybe due to her relative lack of diving experience, Julie simply wasn’t careful enough to avoid the consequences. What if...If a diver with very mild decompression sicknessgets on a plane flight, the increased change in pressure can trigger or agitate symptoms that otherwise would have gone away on their own because the decreased pressure can add more nitrogen to the already existing bubbles. If Julie had taken a plane ride the day after her dive, her symptoms probably would have become much worse, putting her in a more dangerous situation than she already was. Even if she hadn’t been showing symptoms, taking a flight within 24 hours after a fairly deep dive is not the best idea, and she might have developed decompression illness anyway. Especially after her other careless mistakes, she probably should have considered the risk of flying right after SCUBA diving.
Why did Julie have problems?(Julie and her buddy did a dive that was short enough and shallow enough that according to PADI and NAUI guidelines should not have caused decompression problems.)One cause of decompression sickness in divers is overexertion, or too much exercise, underwater. Julie had a very hard time getting to the surface, so that may have been part of the cause of her illness. It is also recommended to get as much rest as possible before diving, which Julie did not due to her seasickness and the rough weather. Also, she spent at least 25 minutes staying deep underwater and only 28 minutes underwater overall, which means she ascended much faster than is usually considered safe. Dizziness is also listed as one of the side effects of Scopalamine, which is the medication Julie took for her seasickness. Overall, maybe due to her relative lack of diving experience, Julie simply wasn’t careful enough to avoid the consequences.
What if...If a diver with very mild decompression sicknessgets on a plane flight, the increased change in pressure can trigger or agitate symptoms that otherwise would have gone away on their own because the decreased pressure can add more nitrogen to the already existing bubbles. If Julie had taken a plane ride the day after her dive, her symptoms probably would have become much worse, putting her in a more dangerous situation than she already was. Even if she hadn’t been showing symptoms, taking a flight within 24 hours after a fairly deep dive is not the best idea, and she might have developed decompression illness anyway. Especially after her other careless mistakes, she probably should have considered the risk of flying right after SCUBA diving.