I know it can't be good....

[Berritt]

and I am going to swap out my wrist seals for the next size up before diving again... but yesterday after diving 2 dives in my new dry suit (We were actually planning 3 dives, but called the last one due to the wrist seal issue and hand pain.) my hands were puffy and numb. I knew they were too tight as they were a little tingly while diving. The thing I am concerned about is that there is still some numbness (just the skin, nothing deeper) on top of my right hand. How long will that last? I hope I didn't permanently damage anything. My hand works perfectly fine. The swelling went away quickly, It's just the slightly numb sensation remaining that's worrying me. I *think* it's getting better, but I am not certain of it. Maybe I am just getting used to it.


:luv: Thanks.

[spatman]

hi berritt

i can't really comment on your hand being numb, other than saying if it persists to go see a doctor.

but regarding your wrist seals, i'm assuming they are latex seals, correct? if so, they can be trimmed back a little bit which would lessen the constriction. it might be worth trying to trim them before paying the expense of replacement.

and I am going to swap out my wrist seals for the next size up before diving again... but yesterday after diving 2 dives in my new dry suit (We were actually planning 3 dives, but called the last one due to the wrist seal issue and hand pain.) my hands were puffy and numb. I knew they were too tight as they were a little tingly while diving. The thing I am concerned about is that there is still some numbness (just the skin, nothing deeper) on top of my right hand. How long will that last? I hope I didn't permanently damage anything. My hand works perfectly fine. The swelling went away quickly, It's just the slightly numb sensation remaining that's worrying me. I *think* it's getting better, but I am not certain of it. Maybe I am just getting used to it.


:luv: Thanks.

[pogiguy05]

I will assume that they are relatively new and add try stretching them around something. I know my latex neck seal was a little tight but it relaxes after a period of time.

I am sure some of our more experienced people will have some better thoughts. Only thing I would add is be sure to use seal saver after every dive to prolong the life of your seals.

[Joshua Smith]

and I am going to swap out my wrist seals for the next size up before diving again... but yesterday after diving 2 dives in my new dry suit (We were actually planning 3 dives, but called the last one due to the wrist seal issue and hand pain.) my hands were puffy and numb. I knew they were too tight as they were a little tingly while diving. The thing I am concerned about is that there is still some numbness (just the skin, nothing deeper) on top of my right hand. How long will that last? I hope I didn't permanently damage anything. My hand works perfectly fine. The swelling went away quickly, It's just the slightly numb sensation remaining that's worrying me. I *think* it's getting better, but I am not certain of it. Maybe I am just getting used to it.


:luv: Thanks.

We have actual experts on this site, but it sounds to me like some minor nerve damage that will go away in a day or so. Matt's right about trimming the seals, but another good idea is to use 12 oz. cans of soda to stretch them out- if you trim them before they get stretched, they may end up being too big, and you'll have to replace them. Leave the soda cans in there for a few days and try them on for size afterwards.

[spatman]

Matt's right about trimming the seals, but another good idea is to use 12 oz. cans of soda to stretch them out- if you trim them before they get stretched, they may end up being too big, and you'll have to replace them. Leave the soda cans in there for a few days and try them on for size afterwards.

yeah, these guys are right, if they are new seals, definitely try stretching them first.

[Nwbrewer]

and I am going to swap out my wrist seals for the next size up before diving again... but yesterday after diving 2 dives in my new dry suit (We were actually planning 3 dives, but called the last one due to the wrist seal issue and hand pain.) my hands were puffy and numb. I knew they were too tight as they were a little tingly while diving. The thing I am concerned about is that there is still some numbness (just the skin, nothing deeper) on top of my right hand. How long will that last? I hope I didn't permanently damage anything. My hand works perfectly fine. The swelling went away quickly, It's just the slightly numb sensation remaining that's worrying me. I *think* it's getting better, but I am not certain of it. Maybe I am just getting used to it.


:luv: Thanks.

Hi Berritt,

+1 to what these guys said about stretching them. Stretch them, and if they are still too tight cut them 1 ring at a time until they fit right.

As far as your symptoms, definitely go see a doc if it doesn't go away. I did the same thing when I first got my suit, my left hand was kind of numb in the skin along the edge of my hand up the pinkie and the ring finger. Took about a week to start to come back, the doc called it something I don't remember, but basically it's nerve damage. Something similar happens to drunks a lot where they leave their arm over something when they pass out, and pinch the nerves on the inside of the bicep, only that gets their whole arm. In my case it went away completely in about 2 weeks.

If you really need to change the seals, you might also consider drygloves. Just a few $ more than new seals, and you'd have dry hands!

Jake

[Berritt]

Thanks, I do think it's getting better.

I can try and stretch them. I'm just waiting for the silicone seals that I got to feel at expo to come out. I want those BAD!

Jake, I have dry gloves, I am diving with the bare xcd2, and got the built in rings put on and they have seals under the rings anyway. And they aren't ringed seals. So I think trimming them isn't an option.

Thanks for all your advice. Going to have to get a couple of cans of soda.

[cardiver]

Thanks, I do think it's getting better.

I can try and stretch them. I'm just waiting for the silicone seals that I got to feel at expo to come out. I want those BAD!

Jake, I have dry gloves, I am diving with the bare xcd2, and got the built in rings put on and they have seals under the rings anyway. And they aren't ringed seals. So I think trimming them isn't an option.

Thanks for all your advice. Going to have to get a couple of cans of soda.

What brand of dry gloves did you get? With the DC rings you can attatch them without using your wrist seals. They fold over the rings and let air move into your gloves, freely. If you want to go back to wrist seals you just pull the rings out and you have them back!

[trevorrowe]

... I have dry gloves, I am diving with the bare xcd2, and got the built in rings put on and they have seals under the rings anyway. And they aren't ringed seals. So I think trimming them isn't an option. .

The rings are just cut guides, but are not required for cutting. You can cut any latex seal with a sharp pair of scissors and a steady hand.

[Dashrynn]

... I have dry gloves, I am diving with the bare xcd2, and got the built in rings put on and they have seals under the rings anyway. And they aren't ringed seals. So I think trimming them isn't an option. .

The rings are just cut guides, but are not required for cutting. You can cut any latex seal with a sharp pair of scissors and a steady hand.

WHat type of seal? bottle or cone? I like the stretching method TMIO

[lizard0924]

Berritt....you can always try using wine bottles to stretch the wrist seals. Worked wonders for Shell last night.

[Blaiz]

Also, is there any wiggle room for where on the wrist the seals sit? I too noticed my hands being numb and tingly, and try to set the seals a little more onto the meat of my arm, instead of over the little bones and nerves and blood vessels of the wrist itself

[BASSMAN]

You should let your local dive shop trim your seals. That way if something goes wrong, like a tear, they can be the ones to replace them.
Just my two cents.

[oregondiver]

Berritt....you can always try using wine bottles to stretch the wrist seals. Worked wonders for Shell last night.

Berritt....I still have nerve damage (pain) in my right hand. It is still swollen and puffy...but we used seal saver and wine bottles over night (it took us a few hours to empty the wine bottles before we could use them on my gaskets ) and it worked AWESOME. Still hurt a smidge for SUnday dives...but that could be remaining damage from our dives on Saturday. It hurt to drive (ie bend my hand) so my husband drove home yesterday.

Today is much better. SO I am going to do a few more days of stretching (hmmm, need to drink more wine to get bottles again????) with seal saver and I bet that does the trick. Did you try that over the weekend like we talked about?

Now if only we could figure out how to remove the gaskets! (berritt...do you remember which brand of drygloves we have? I don't). Trimming them isn't an option since they are bottle shaped and any trimming will not "open" up the opening....

[LCF]

The range of damage that you can do with wrist seals which are too tight starts with impeding venous return from the hands -- which is likely what is causing the puffiness. The venous system is low pressure, so it doesn't take something very tight to begin to affect venous return. As long as this is not prolonged, it's annoying but not dangerous.

Beyond that, you can get neurapraxia (temporary nerve dysfunction) from local pressure. As one might imagine, all the nerves that serve the hand run through the wrist, and they aren't very deep, so it's quite possible to compress them. Numbness and tingling are symptoms of this, as are poor grip or clumsiness of the fingers. This should be temporary, but the length of time to recovery is dependent on how serious the compression damage to the nerve is, which is a product of how tight the seals are and how long you have them on. Beyond that, it will also well documented that you can develop DCS in areas of the body that are compressed enough by clothing or equipment to hinder offgassing. I don't know what your profiles for the weekend were, but it's something to think about, particularly if the symptoms are slow to resolve.

Moving a wrist seal up the arm is very useful for reducing leakage from wrists with prominent tendons -- but as the arm circumference increases as you move away from the wrist, it's going to make the seal even tighter, and can make the circulation problems worse.

The bottom line is that seals should be the right size -- new seals should be a little bit tight, but not uncomfortably so. If they simply lie flat on your wrists, they will stretch out to leak. But if they are really indenting the skin, or if your hands begin to turn dark red or purple before you can get your gloves on, they are too tight. If you come out of a dive with swollen hands or with neurologic symptoms -- don't dive again until you do something about the seals! We use our hands for almost everything in life. Courting prolonged numbness or clumsiness just isn't worth it, IMO.

[smike]

It was suggested to me by my physical therapist (another issue) to stretch the area of nerve damage, I think stretch the seals and stretch you wrist. You can push your palm back and forth, with your other hand, holding a stretch for 20 seconds, which should be uncomfortable, but not painful. Probably twice a day for 2 -3 days.

I'm not a doctor, but this helped me in my similar condition.

Mike

[ljjames]

trimming them will likely help, i'm not aware of any seals on the market that cant be trimmed. if you trim them so the neck of the bottle is shorter it should help dramatically... might as well try it since yer planning on changing them anyway