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Shallow water squeezes

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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casquerman

Member
Oct 4, 2018
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0
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Hello to everyone,

I am a freediver / spearo experiencing shallow water squeezes, at 20m more or less. Trying to put some light on this... So, lets start and explain you my case.
I am 37yo and I started freediving a bit late just 5 years ago. I did an AIDA course level 2 & 3. After the first year or so I managed to go to 40m, easily usually to 35m. 4 years ago I started to spearfishing and usually I was fishing around 20m and reaching 28-30m sometimes without problems.

In June 2016 I was freediving with 2 friends, bottom was 25m. We were doing FIM, as the bottom was shallow, we were trying to hold the line a bit at the bottom, I did few dives to 25m about 2´30" to 2´45". After one of the dives I coughed and I felt a bit of pain on my chest, but I did another dive as this was the first time it happen to me anything like this. After the next dive I coughed more and I spit about half of a glass of light red blood. I finished dives for the day but I didnt go to the doctor.
Day after I went road cycling and I felt really tired, with hart beats to high... Then I decided no to go freediving or spearfishing for the next weeks but continue doing some sport on bike or running. During the rest of the summer I was experiencing squeezes if I wanted to go deeper than 20m, usually if I had a squeeze I was resting for 10-15 days from water but not from others sports.

2017 was more or less the same. And at the end of 2017 beginning of 2018 I stopped going into the sea for few months, like 4-5, trying to give a good rest to my body to heal.

So, when I started spearfishing this year I decided to go really smooth and trying to gain depth slowly. My dives usually goes like few dives to 10m, then few more to 14-15m, and then after 1 hour in the water I reach 18m.
I had minor squeeze in May, I stopped going to the water for 20 days and stopped any kind of sport. At this point I decided to stop any kind of sport and center myself in spearfishing in case any other sport had a negative influence in my body or whatever. So, I´ve been for the last 5 months just spearfishing and I have continue experiencing some squeezes. Most of then are just nothing, just really tiny tiny dots of blood in a spit, and at this point any time I got and squeeze I stop the dives for the day. Only one was a "real squeeze" spiting once light red blood after doing a dive of 2´30" to 24m.

In 2017 I went to the doctor after one light squeeze, they did me all kind of medical exam but nothing found.
The point is that after experiencing a squeeze I feel pain at the lowest point of the breastbone, ie when I sitting driving or in the desk I can feel a continuous lightly pain there. Also If I do a complete exhale I experience pain at the lowest point of the breastbone.
I think this pain started when I was doing road cycling with some series of breath holding with residual volume back in 2016.

So, if anyone of you have any clue of what can be the problem...

Many thanks!!
 
Pains at lowest point of the breast bone could indicate costochondritus.. I suffer from this since a hockey related sternum injury, although it hasn't affected my diving.

As for the very shallow squeezes I'm not quite sure.. but maybe the pain isnt because of the squeeze but because of another problem which is causing both the pain and the squeeze
 
I heard an interview with woman whose lung collapsed while trekking in Nepal, on BBC radio 4 recently. She ended up with serious long term health issues. Your post brought it to mind. Sorry to say but I think you should consider giving up diving. Pity you didn't go to the doctor after the first incident/coughing up blood. It sounds to me like further medical examination is warranted.

BTW I was in my 40s when I started spearing (having snorkeled a little as a teenager) and I expect there are others that started later.

Sent from my S99 using Tapatalk
 
Sounds exactly like what a buddy of mine contends with. His appears to be some sort of restriction in the lung that shuts off air circulation and allows a squeeze at, in his case, about15-20 m, has contended with it for years . Once he's been squeezed for the day, squeezes happen shallower and shallower, so, for him, diving is done for that day and a week or two thereafter. He tried various stretches and worked some but not totally. Finally got off dairy prior to diving. He gets off 3 days before diving and has had no issues. One or two days doesn't seem to be enough.
 
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... Finally got off dairy prior to diving. He gets off 3 days before diving and has had no issues. One or two days doesn't seem to be enough.
So, perhaps some kind of dairy allergy? I know 4 people with dairy allergy - all self diagnosed. I don't but I tend to avoid milk before diving because I found it increased seasickness.




Sent from my S99 using Tapatalk
 
It might be all kinds of thing in that area of your body. E.g. hiatal hernia, gallstones, some kind of lung, diaphragm or spleen issue. See your GP, it may take a while - several visits - to figure it out. You might also need to see more than one specialist before they can get to the bottom of it.

I personally wouldn't dive until I had a better understanding of the cause and risks.

Sent from my S99 using Tapatalk
 
I agree with what Mr.X has said and or that not all chest pains come from your chest and can be a Gaul bladder,Gaul stones, digestive tract related problem and what other possibles which have been listed by Mr.X above and if you find stopping diary products makes the problem go away then rather than it being a diary allergy as such it can be that the diary products are irritating your problem. Ask for a second opinion if again the same doctor fins nothing as there is obviously an issue that needs getting to the bottom of.
 
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