Catheters

[Omicron]

I came across this awhile ago on CDF, and had to post it here in this discussion.  Enjoy



I decided to do my final dive of 2004 to the small tunnel to the east of the big rock in the Big Room in Ginnie. I scootered in, clipped off to the guide line, and had a nice swim to the end of the line. Everything went to plan, until I got back to my scooter and felt the urge to relieve myself. I was diving dry, and had experienced good success using the Rochester Wideband catheters as a connection between me and my pee valve. Well, as soon as I tried to go I realized that something was kinked, as there was no flow. At all. I could feel the catheter trying to blow off, but the extra adhesive really held it in place. Too well. To the point where everything that had just come out went back in. And then out. And then back in again. Really disgusting. (sorry for the details, but it’s important, trust me.) As I made my hasty exit with just around an hour bottom time and minimal deco on EAN32, my emphasis was on getting out of the water and getting the hose unkinked. On leaving the water and inflating my drysuit as I walked up the stairs I could finally feel relief. It was around 8:00pm. There was a bit of discomfort in my system as I broke down my gear and prepared for the New Year’s celebration. I had a glass of champagne, a beer, and a couple glasses of water, and went to bed shortly after midnight.

The next morning I woke up around 7:00 with a burning in my lower pelvis, much more than a mild discomfort. I went to the bathroom and urinated in a foam cup to check for blood, but didn’t see any. The color of my urine indicated that I was dehydrated, so I started drinking water to bring my system back in line. As the morning progressed, I began to get chills to the point that my Wife realized I had a fever. I told her the rest of my symptoms and she called my doctor, who recommended I go to the hospital. Well, we all got in the car and headed over to Cave Excursions East, figuring we’d say Happy New Year to some folks and head over to Gainesville after that. I saw a few of my friends and told them what had happened, but I didn’t think it was too serious. After 10 minutes or so of socializing (from the car window – I was too uncomfortable to get out), we headed down CR340, towards High Springs. Well, I could just about see the towers for the Dannon Water Plant when I felt like I was going to vomit from the bottom of my feet. Now I hadn’t eaten anything that day, so when the car stopped, I rolled out onto the ground, dry heaved once and curled up in a ball, shaking from the fever and feeling like a block of ice. I heard an EMT vehicle pull up, apparently from the Spring Ridge Rescue Station, and a paramedic began taking information.

A decision was made on my behalf to transport me in the ambulance to the hospital of my choice, and my Wife looked at Lee, and he suggested Shands in case there were any directly related issues to diving, as that is the place to go if there is a need for hypobaric treatment. She was grateful for the advice, and agreed.

The ambulance ride is mostly a haze, and all that I remember was the paramedic asking permission to start an IV in my arm, which I was hesitant about, but agreed to. I also remember them saying when they got off I-75 in Gainesville that they were putting on the lights & sirens and running for it. I was shaking like a leaf for the entire ride, with the entire region below my belt feeling like it was on fire. A very hot fire.

My entry into the Emergency room was also a blur, with a rolloff transfer from the ambulance gurney to a hospital bed. I have no concept of what time it was, but from the time the whole sequence of events started I figure it was probably around 3:00. Well, the doctor decided to give me a dose of morphine to kill the pain in my groin and then signed me up for an MRI. My Wife helped me drink some of the nastiest Gatorade I’ve ever had (the hospital version with the dye in it), and it was up to the MRI room. The toughest part of the MRI was staying still with the fever still working it’s magic, as the tube passed over me. I could feel the contrast dye moving thru my system as I was put on the table, pretty gross. Afterward, I was brought back downstairs to the Emergency Room where I experienced an extended round of dry heaves from the dyes in my system. The pain was not abating at all, so they gave me something stronger than the original dose of Morphine. It was decided I would be admitted. I remember signing the admission forms, and my signature was worse than the Doctor’s!

On admission I was sent to the Trauma Floor, where the care was excellent. A staff member came in every time I was just about to go to sleep to check my blood pressure and temperature, and make sure I was OK. I learned later that I ran a temperature between 104º and 105º for most of the night. The staff finally got my temperature under control by administering the same antibiotic used to combat Anthrax, and by suppository doses of Tylenol. Over the course of the next day my temperature was gradually brought back under control, and by the second morning the pain was gone. I was released on Monday afternoon with a prescription for antibiotics, a warning to not drive as I had been on narcotics, and a note to stay out of work for a week.

All in all, I would prefer to never dive dry again, as the burning pain that I experienced in my infected urinary tract, and the risk I ran of bursting my bladder when the catheter forced waste back into my body is simply not worth it.