Posted by Eins on November 06, 2001 at 21:02:03:
In Reply to: AAARRGGGHHH! I got bent! Or did I? posted by msblucow on November 06, 2001 at 14:59:58:
Marta,
Sorry to hear of your malaise and happy to hear that you are back alive and pretty well.
On the background of all that has been said below, I can't add many new thoughts but I can share my experience with tight arm enclosures.
The wrist seals of my drysuit are very tight. They seal well, but after every dive I have a numb thumb and numb parts of my hand. I don't remember now if it is on both hands, but it always goes away a short time after I get out of the sleeves. It never made me nervous the first time(s) it appeared because I knew that the seals were really too tight. But because I have skinny wrists with tendons forming channels when I move my hands, I prefer the seals as tight as they are.
With regards to the Nitrox discussion, I hold that the promised safety benefit would only be there if the diver follows air tables which a lot of EAN divers don't do. As soon as the diver takes full advantage of longer bottom times, the risk level is the same (as far as DCI is concerned; narcotic effects should be less).
As far as solving problems BEFORE they occur--this is easily said after the fact. A similar problem could just as well have happened with EAN. IMHO, you handled the situation very well. The fact that nobody else (and your buddy in particular) got any symptoms supports my view and also proves that every person (= organism) may react different to the same exposure. That's where unexpected hits come into discussion.
Thanks for sharing your experience and may you get l00% well again soon.
Arno