I hope you take the ride in the chamber and thank you for sharing. Thank you for warning us about the faceslap too, becuse I did do it. You are a good writer by the way. It take courage to talk about being bent. Many divers don't do it becuase the fear other divers won't dive with them like it was contagous or something. Been there done that, got bent on dive 12, still have a tingling in the foot 11 years later. Oh well, at least mine was an "unexpected hit".
I have often advised divers to skip the blue hole. There are lots of good dives in Belize (I have only been there once on a cruise and dove 2 dives) but from the people I have talke to the blue hole is not the best. It is one of those tourist trap things, you go, feel like you got robbed and tell everyone else it was great because you don't want to admit you got robbed. (Just IMHO, so lets not highjack this thread to debate that). But is seriously a foolish dive from the start. My rule is in recreational diving never dive deeper than your tank. IE, 80 Cubic Foot tank, 80 foot depth limit, 100 Cubic Foot tank, 100 Feet. Simple to remember and alows lots of air for you and your dive buddy. Yes I have been to 110 feet on an AL80 and had plenty of air to get me to NDL and back safely on the surface. But my normal SAC is 0.45 (0.35 to 0.5 but usally around 0.43 to 0.45 cubic feet per minute). I have read that the normal SAC is 0.75.
DAN - great organization and good insurance. Things it may cover that your health insurance may not are - cost of changing your plane tickets because you can't fly for a month after your treatment (if that is what you doctor decides) or if your doctor decides you need your family member wiht you they will fly them down, or fly your body back if the worst happens. Stuff like that. One diver I know lived in the mountains at 5,000 feet elevation. He had to rent a hotel at sea level for over a month as every time he tried to drive home he got bent. Remember that airplanes are usally pressureized to 7,000 to 8,000 feet elevation. So discuss your travel plans with your doctor.
You already know what you did and what you should not have done. But just to recap for the sports fans:
1. Dove beyond recreational limits
2. Dove a DECO dive (and knew it before you started)with out training
3. Dove a borrowed computer for dive two - Did this computer go to the same depth you did on dive 1? So the computer did not have accurate information to give you accurate information on NDL and deco.
4. Did multiple DECO dives without training or proper pre-planning
5. Did a dive with no timing device
6. Did a dive wiht no depth guage
7. Did a dive without using your dive tables to mannually plan the dive and no dive computer to do the calculations for you.
8. Drank alcohol a which contributes to dehydration. Dehydration is increases your risk for DCS
9. Drank a lot of alcohol which mask your sysmptoms of DCS (the pain pill does that too).
10. Did not have proper nutrition for the dive or hydration before you started.
What you did right
1. Called DAN
2. Took the chamber rides - and you are taking all the doctor recommended rides right (I did not and was back in the chamber the next week after a shallow dives to 40 feet. The second time I took all recommended rides)
3. Shared your story with others hummor and candor.
