AD 2017 Q3

RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
DAN WAS THERE FOR ME
STEPHEN FRINK
Severe DCS in
the South Pacific
By June Evans
I’m a 61-year-old woman in good physical
condition. I’ve logged around 400 dives and
am conscientious about my dive planning and
safety. On a recent trip to the South Pacific, I
had an experience I would not want to have
gone through without DAN®.
Almost immediately after we rolled into the water
for our first dive on the second day of our trip, my
husband, Michael, our dive guide and I got caught
in a strong downdraft current that quickly pulled us
down to 96 feet. We put air in our BCDs and kicked
vigorously to stop the descent. Fortunately we escaped
the downward current, but we then found ourselves in
an upward current that quickly carried us back to the
surface. This dive lasted less than three minutes.
Contrary to our intuition, we followed our guide’s
lead, got back in the water and did a dive to 71 feet for
57 minutes. After breakfast and a long surface interval,
we spent another 67 minutes among the most beautiful
soft coral I’ve ever seen, diving to a maximum depth of
80 feet. On our third dive, after lunch and another long
surface interval, we encountered more strong currents.
We swam hard to reach a pinnacle, sometimes kicking
forcefully without making progress. The dive guide had
to grab my hand and pull me along for a bit. Once we
made it to the pinnacle, we tied in with our reef hooks
and got a bit of a respite. We were treated to schools of
sharks and thousands of beautiful fish, but this dive was
still 47 minutes of exertion.
We got back on board the dive boat around 4 p.m.,
and within moments I felt a severe pain in my neck
and shoulder. I knew something was very wrong. Soon
Currents can be challenging and sometimes
hazardous. Following several dives in heavy
currents that involved an uncontrolled
descent, a rapid ascent and heavy exertion,
June Evans experienced serious symptoms
of decompression sickness (DCS).
I was unable to move my left arm, hand and fingers.
The crew administered oxygen and considered the
possibility of both decompression sickness (DCS)
and a stroke. The cruise director called DAN, which
recommended turning the ship around and making the
four- to five-hour journey back to shore. Fortunately,
one of the guests was an obstetrician and another was
a nurse. They were very comforting and helpful as they
monitored my condition during the journey back.
When we finally made landfall, I had to board a small
tender in huge swells and pouring rain. On shore we met
a taxi, which we understood would get us to the clinic
much faster than an ambulance would. The crew showed
Michael how to change the oxygen tanks en route.
We began the three-hour nighttime journey to the
hospital on a curvy road in driving rain. This is when
things got really scary for me: During the drive, both
of my legs went completely numb. It started at my feet
and crept upward. I sat quietly, thinking of every person
I knew and saying a silent goodbye to each as tears
streamed down my face.
When we got to the clinic, the doctor and nurse who
operated the chamber weren’t there. The staff told us
the doctor wasn’t coming in until the morning, so I
turned to Michael and said, “Call DAN.” He did so, but
not before insisting that the hyperbaric doctor get to
the hospital right away.
The doctor arrived a little while later, around 2:30 a.m.,
and I told him my joints ached, I had a headache, I couldn’t
move my left arm or hand and both my legs were numb.
He said he would put me in the chamber in the morning
after the nurse who operated it arrived — around 9:30 a.m.
46 | SUMMER 2017