For those with an interest, I can give you a perspective from having a case of the bends in 1986 in Houston. Ironically, I wasnt in the water when I get hit, but in a chamber doing test runs at 165 feet (I was a hyperbaric medic).
I came down with symptoms while driving up US59 and pulled into a fire station. I presented my credentials (commercial diving and hyperbaric) and told them I am showing symptoms of DCS.
The ambulance (not Houston EMS) dumped me at Ben Taub. Ben Taub was very honest about their lack of knowledge related to DCS and contacted DAN. I learned Brooke Army (San Antonio), John Sealy and Joe Ellen Smith (New Orleans) all wanted to treat me.
Fortunately, I reached my company and was taken to their facility and was pressed down to 165 fsw to begin sucking O2. I had relief within 10 minutes of reaching 165.
If you have been diving and have symptoms, the key is getting to a place like Hermann. Dont drive yourself, call 911 and request to be taken to Hermann. The key is telling them you have been diving and when, the depths and the like. Once you get to Shock Trauma, tell them the facts, and if you feel the doctor is unresponsive, ask to see the Chief Trauma doctor or Red Duke if he is available. They will grasp the big picture.
Having been through the treatment myself (4 treatment tables) and been involved in treating more then a couple other suspected cases, the best advice I can give you is relax. Going in the chamber is not a big deal, nothing to be nervous about. A test of pressure is a small price to pay to rule out DCS.
