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From: "Richard Pyle" <deepreef@bi*.or*>
To: "Bill Mee" <wwm@sa*.ne*>
Cc: "Jess Armantrout" <armantrout@wo*.at*.ne*>,
     "Techdiver" , ,
     "Houston Cavers List" ,
     "Cost effective home improvement" ,
     "cavers" ,
Subject: RE: More USDCTisms
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 21:45:52 -1000
> So Vanderleest's DCS is more than a little "leg pain" huh?

Who said that?  Bends is bends.  It is always a serious matter.

> As for your "Cutis marmorata", skin bends for the for the English
> speaking,

That's an oversimplification.  "Skin Bends" is a colloquial term that refers
several different, and apparently unrelated barotrauma.  The common forms
are generally thought to be mild and are often categorized as "Type I".
C.M., on the other hand, appears to be a CNS ("Type II") disorder; affecting
the spinal column and primary nerves.  It's also a very ominous form of
bends, for documented cases tend to preceed more serious symptoms like
chokes and death.  It is **NOT** simply "massive edema which accompanies dcs
of the fatty tissues surrounding the abdomen".  We have a diving physiology
workgroup consisting of myself, Joe, John Earle, Dave Pence (U.H. Diving
Safety Officer), and Dr. Bob Overlock (Chamber guru for the state of
Hawaii).  We meet about once a month to have serious discussions about
particular aspects of diving physiology.  One of our first meetings
discussed cutis marmorata.  We have it on videotape, if you'd like to see a
copy.

> we are talking about the massive edema which accompanies dcs of the fatty
> tissues surrounding the abdomen and we affectionately have termed
> "slobitis". You essentially become a temporary fat slob as a
> result of this
> or a fatter slob if you already are one.  Anyone can develop symptoms of
> this, even skinny  people such as yourself (I've seen pictures of
> you). What
> is amusing, assuming you still have a sense of humor is that an otherwise
> normal person develops what appears to be a beer gut, without the
> beer. You
> find yourself walking around for a week with belt undone and your
> shirt out. I thought you knew about these things.

Actually, I thought *you* knew about these things, but apparently you do
not.

> You learn to differentiate what is bad and what is just
> routine "beating".  In fact the term deco "beating" is accurate,
> because it
> sometimes feels as though someone physically beat you with a wooden bat
> about the fleshy areas if you do not do your deep stops just
> right.

I think I need to send you the tape on Cutis marmorata.  While I agree that
joint pain is not something to get "bent out of shape" about (so to speak),
the same is NOT true of C.M.  It's one of the most serious forms of DCS,
from what I've learned.

> Rich, now that Dituri has come out the closet, so to speak what
> will be next shoe to drop?

That's for you guys to guess.

> As for the dive times. At least you published your Mk 4 downloads
> during the
> Pahlau expedition and we could see just what happened. According
> to someone,
> the Cis Lunar dive logs are to be published on the website. This will go a
> long way to telling us just what is really going on. Why don't you mention
> this during your nightly conversation with Dr. Stone.

The last time I spoke with Bill Stone was Monday, November 30th.  I spoke to
him for 5 minutes on the phone, to ask him where to send some video image
download hardware.  Since then, I have had no contact with him whatsoever,
phone, email, or otherwise.  The only information I have besides what has
been posted on the web is a couple of short emails from Barbara Am Ende.
Most of that discussion was comments on the web site, and also asking her
where to send the video stuff. I haven't even heard from Joe yet - I guess
he still must be pissed at me.....

Aloha,
Rich

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