Posted by Kendall Raine on October 02, 2002 at 12:04:00:
In Reply to: Masking symptoms posted by Ken Kurtis on October 02, 2002 at 11:31:45:
Using the terms synonymously, regardless of context, is still materially inaccurate. Saying O2 masks symptoms suggests early use of O2 can hurt you, or is somehow deleterious, per se. That's silly. What hurts you is what you do, or don't do, after using O2. If you jump on a plane, or drive to Big Bear, thinking the O2 has made you bullet proof, you could be in for a surprise. Feeling bad post dive, without frank symptoms, and avoiding a proper evaluation just because you used O2, is also nonsense. Feeling bad after a dive, and then feeling better after O2, and then doing another dive, is probably the dumbest of all. It doesn't take a lot more effort to be clear.