Former FLL Now MSP Diver
Contributor
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 02:34:03 -0000
From: "sharkbaitwoman2002" <aagaskell@a...>
Subject: DCS Report by Adrienne
I wasn't going to bore everyone with all the gory
details of my unfortunate adventure, but since several people have asked I'll give the report. The medical staff at Mariner's Hospital told us that approximately 60 - 70% of the people they get with DCS do nothing wrong, which is pretty scary. I did the same dive as Eric and Carl, same nitrox mix, depth and dive time, the only difference was that my profile was probably more conservative. We had 4 computers between us and all of them said we were well within the safety margins. They were both fine, I got bent.
Jeff Bersch, Director of Hyperbaric Medicine, said that the rate of
incidence is greatly increased when diving at depths over 80 feet.
I've also done a follow up visit with my own physician who is a diver and familiar with hyperbaric medicine and he said the
cause of DCS is generally very puzzling. The worst part is I can't do any diving at all for 6 weeks and nothing deeper than 30 feet for another 6 weeks.
The good part is that the research data says that I
won't be any more prone towards DCS than anyone else after the waiting period. Matt was told he could dive after 6 weeks but the Doctor told me that it takes a full 12 weeks for the vascular system to repair itself.
As far as insurance I have Cigna with no additional dive insurance
and so far I've only paid my $25 emergency room co-pay. The hospital billing department said my insurance should cover
everything. If it turns out differently I'll post that information.
Unlike Matt, my symptoms started within a couple of minutes of
getting back on the boat after our first dive. I felt a slight pain
in my lower right back just above the waist. Over the next 30 or so minutes the pain continued to intensify and was becoming unbearable when my right leg went numb, from my toes to my hip. That made everybody spring into action and I was put on oxygen. As soon as I went on the oxygen the pain in my back disappeared, that was when I realized what was wrong. Until then I wasn't convinced it was DCS.
A Fish and Wildlife boat was at our boat within about
5 minutes. I was quickly on board along with Laurie (from the
Scuba-Do), Carl and Eric. Scott, our escort, gave us a 45 M.P.H. ride to the dock where the ambulance was waiting with 3 EMTs ready to jump on the boat. There was a minimal delay for vital signs and to be strapped to a board. I was then quickly carried to the ambulance.
An IV for hydration was administered in route to the hospital.
I was also on oxygen, which had been continuous since Laurie first administered it on the Scuba-Do. The hospital ride was less than 10 minutes. I think Carl might have been driving; he rode up front and was happy to report that it was his fastest time ever on that stretch of road. He especially enjoyed the siren getting all of the slow pokes out of the way.
By the time we were in the emergency room the numbness in my leg was gone. The medical staff indicated that sometimes oxygen made DCS difficult to diagnose since it masks all of the symptoms.
There isn't any test to detect DCS; they did many tests, EKG, chest x-rays, blood gas, and other lab work, however these were to rule out other medical problems and to be sure I would be able to go into the chamber. The results were all normal so they were
then able to determine what was wrong by my description of my
symptoms.
My first hyperbaric treatment was 6 hours in the chamber. The
treatment started at about 7 p.m. Saturday night. By then I was
pretty miserable, but I can only imagine how much worse it would have been in the old small cramped chamber. At least I was fortunate to have the benefit of the new chamber at Mariner's
Hospital, which is 24 ft. long and eight-foot round. It is necessary to have an RN in the chamber for the duration and I was very fortunate to have a wonderful nurse, Laurie, who keep track of my vitals, helped me with the oxygen mask and generally tried to make the experience more pleasant. The mask itself is torturous. It resembles something a fighter pilot wears, covering the entire face except the eyes and wraps around the head to hold it on. It is very heavy and fits extremely tight on the face. There are two large heavy black tubes attached at the mouth, inhale and exhale, that weigh the mask down so Laurie had to prop it up with a pillow to keep my head in a more comfortable position. The mask is on for 20 minutes and then off for 5 minutes throughout the 6 hour treatment. I was still on the IV, which was becoming painful and I had to stay in a horizontal position that I had been in since I was on the Fish and Wildlife rescue boat.
I was taken down to 60 feet for 4 hours and then we went to 30 feet for 2 hours. Once I got to 30 feet I could finally sit up and, more importantly, eat. After seeing Matt's photos I'm very happy to report that Carl forgot his digital camera and we don't have any photos to post of me in a hospital gown.
I had a pretty horrible, painful night in a hotel a few blocks from
the hospital. I was given the choice of being admitted to the
hospital or staying close by in case of needing medical assistance
during the night. I went back in the chamber Sunday morning for 2 hours. This was much easier than the night before because I was able to sit in a recliner and didn't have to have the IV.
I was still having some pain Monday morning so I went in for another 2-hour stint. This is not something I ever want to do again but I want to say that everybody, Laurie and Tony on the Scuba-Do, Scott the Fish and Wildlife boat captain, the 3 EMTs, the emergency room and other hospital personnel, Al, the hyperbaric chamber operator, the 3 hyperbaric nurses who keep me company in the chamber, Dr. Peter Mehta the hyperbaric doctor and last but not least Jeff, the Director of the Hyperbaric Medicine Department, all treated me like I was the only patient they had to care for. I'm definitely having all my dive accidents in Key Largo.
Oh, and by the way, I was officially the first person bent on the
Spiegel Grove. I'm having a T-Shirt made to commemorate the event.
From: "sharkbaitwoman2002" <aagaskell@a...>
Subject: DCS Report by Adrienne
I wasn't going to bore everyone with all the gory
details of my unfortunate adventure, but since several people have asked I'll give the report. The medical staff at Mariner's Hospital told us that approximately 60 - 70% of the people they get with DCS do nothing wrong, which is pretty scary. I did the same dive as Eric and Carl, same nitrox mix, depth and dive time, the only difference was that my profile was probably more conservative. We had 4 computers between us and all of them said we were well within the safety margins. They were both fine, I got bent.
Jeff Bersch, Director of Hyperbaric Medicine, said that the rate of
incidence is greatly increased when diving at depths over 80 feet.
I've also done a follow up visit with my own physician who is a diver and familiar with hyperbaric medicine and he said the
cause of DCS is generally very puzzling. The worst part is I can't do any diving at all for 6 weeks and nothing deeper than 30 feet for another 6 weeks.
The good part is that the research data says that I
won't be any more prone towards DCS than anyone else after the waiting period. Matt was told he could dive after 6 weeks but the Doctor told me that it takes a full 12 weeks for the vascular system to repair itself.
As far as insurance I have Cigna with no additional dive insurance
and so far I've only paid my $25 emergency room co-pay. The hospital billing department said my insurance should cover
everything. If it turns out differently I'll post that information.
Unlike Matt, my symptoms started within a couple of minutes of
getting back on the boat after our first dive. I felt a slight pain
in my lower right back just above the waist. Over the next 30 or so minutes the pain continued to intensify and was becoming unbearable when my right leg went numb, from my toes to my hip. That made everybody spring into action and I was put on oxygen. As soon as I went on the oxygen the pain in my back disappeared, that was when I realized what was wrong. Until then I wasn't convinced it was DCS.
A Fish and Wildlife boat was at our boat within about
5 minutes. I was quickly on board along with Laurie (from the
Scuba-Do), Carl and Eric. Scott, our escort, gave us a 45 M.P.H. ride to the dock where the ambulance was waiting with 3 EMTs ready to jump on the boat. There was a minimal delay for vital signs and to be strapped to a board. I was then quickly carried to the ambulance.
An IV for hydration was administered in route to the hospital.
I was also on oxygen, which had been continuous since Laurie first administered it on the Scuba-Do. The hospital ride was less than 10 minutes. I think Carl might have been driving; he rode up front and was happy to report that it was his fastest time ever on that stretch of road. He especially enjoyed the siren getting all of the slow pokes out of the way.
By the time we were in the emergency room the numbness in my leg was gone. The medical staff indicated that sometimes oxygen made DCS difficult to diagnose since it masks all of the symptoms.
There isn't any test to detect DCS; they did many tests, EKG, chest x-rays, blood gas, and other lab work, however these were to rule out other medical problems and to be sure I would be able to go into the chamber. The results were all normal so they were
then able to determine what was wrong by my description of my
symptoms.
My first hyperbaric treatment was 6 hours in the chamber. The
treatment started at about 7 p.m. Saturday night. By then I was
pretty miserable, but I can only imagine how much worse it would have been in the old small cramped chamber. At least I was fortunate to have the benefit of the new chamber at Mariner's
Hospital, which is 24 ft. long and eight-foot round. It is necessary to have an RN in the chamber for the duration and I was very fortunate to have a wonderful nurse, Laurie, who keep track of my vitals, helped me with the oxygen mask and generally tried to make the experience more pleasant. The mask itself is torturous. It resembles something a fighter pilot wears, covering the entire face except the eyes and wraps around the head to hold it on. It is very heavy and fits extremely tight on the face. There are two large heavy black tubes attached at the mouth, inhale and exhale, that weigh the mask down so Laurie had to prop it up with a pillow to keep my head in a more comfortable position. The mask is on for 20 minutes and then off for 5 minutes throughout the 6 hour treatment. I was still on the IV, which was becoming painful and I had to stay in a horizontal position that I had been in since I was on the Fish and Wildlife rescue boat.
I was taken down to 60 feet for 4 hours and then we went to 30 feet for 2 hours. Once I got to 30 feet I could finally sit up and, more importantly, eat. After seeing Matt's photos I'm very happy to report that Carl forgot his digital camera and we don't have any photos to post of me in a hospital gown.
I had a pretty horrible, painful night in a hotel a few blocks from
the hospital. I was given the choice of being admitted to the
hospital or staying close by in case of needing medical assistance
during the night. I went back in the chamber Sunday morning for 2 hours. This was much easier than the night before because I was able to sit in a recliner and didn't have to have the IV.
I was still having some pain Monday morning so I went in for another 2-hour stint. This is not something I ever want to do again but I want to say that everybody, Laurie and Tony on the Scuba-Do, Scott the Fish and Wildlife boat captain, the 3 EMTs, the emergency room and other hospital personnel, Al, the hyperbaric chamber operator, the 3 hyperbaric nurses who keep me company in the chamber, Dr. Peter Mehta the hyperbaric doctor and last but not least Jeff, the Director of the Hyperbaric Medicine Department, all treated me like I was the only patient they had to care for. I'm definitely having all my dive accidents in Key Largo.
Oh, and by the way, I was officially the first person bent on the
Spiegel Grove. I'm having a T-Shirt made to commemorate the event.
