I got type 2 DCS about 8 years ago. Had to do 2 rides in chamber. I saw dr. Piccolo. My united healthcare covered me 100%. Dr piccolos wife Heidi is american and dealt with my insurance. I had Dan and they paid Dr. Piccolo then united sent me a check and i sent it to Dan. The chamber and hospital were excellent and alot cleaner than ones in USA and rhey brought tacos. i agree if u happen to get bent cozumel is place to be.
Get the DAN insurance
- Thread starter shadling
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For those that have been bent, were these unexpected, undeserved hits or were they a result of something predictable?
Jay
Jay
Diver below 83
Contributor
And why do so many seem to get bent in COZ
Why do you think "so many" get bent in Coz? Because of a handful of anecdotal stories here? Cozumel has a huge number of divers. The Coz forum here is by far the most active one in the Caribbean.
I'm not ready to say diver issues are any more frequent (as a percentage) in Coz than any other tourist destination, but if they are maybe it is because Coz is one of the first places people advise brand new divers to go?
AdivingBel
Diver
@jbjclj - I had not heard and I am SOOOO glad you made a full recovery, had such excellent care and can continue diving! I love Dr. Garcia and Dr. Dario - and I would (and have) put my life in either of their hands at any time!
@shadling - how is your wife today? Sounds like her hit was more than a simple cutaneous DCS - clearly there were some neurological symptoms as well based on what you've described which makes sense why she would need more treatment. Hoping the worst is over and she continues to recover and can get back to diving in time. Continued prayers for you both.
@Jayfarmlaw - as many here know, over the past 16 years, I've suffered Type II DCS 3 times, and 1 cutaneous DCS hit (very common in women and those with extra body fat or scar tissue) which did not require hyperbaric treatment, only a couple of hours of O2 in the hospital. Of the Type II, two were unexplained/ "undeserved" and one was from severe dehydration. I've been tested for PFO which was negative. My computer profiles were reviewed and examined by DAN, Dr. Piccolo and Dr. Gomez - but no real answers other than the dehydration in March 2011. Dr. Gomez is convinced there is something neurological going on with me - all three of my DCS II hits have been identical. I'm now limited to ONE dive per week, max 50/60 feet/45 minutes on 36% and only if I check off a bunch of boxes with a pre-dive self exam. But I am grateful for that and I'm grateful for all of the dives I've had the fortune and privilege of having under my belt here and around the world! AS I've often been told jokingly - but truth - "the only way to guarantee you wont get "hit" is either not to dive, or not to come up." We can do the same dive under the same conditions 10 times and with another person - and we can get hit on the 11th time and our dive buddy will be fine.
@Diver below 83 - Based on my observations over the last 17 years of being an Instructor and owning my operation, I'd say MOST cases of DCS in Cozumel are from dehydration. People don't take the intensity of the sun seriously here, they overindulge in alcohol and don't hydrate properly. We also have a very large number of divers in the water on any given day, so statistically, we aren't doing too bad.
@shadling - how is your wife today? Sounds like her hit was more than a simple cutaneous DCS - clearly there were some neurological symptoms as well based on what you've described which makes sense why she would need more treatment. Hoping the worst is over and she continues to recover and can get back to diving in time. Continued prayers for you both.
@Jayfarmlaw - as many here know, over the past 16 years, I've suffered Type II DCS 3 times, and 1 cutaneous DCS hit (very common in women and those with extra body fat or scar tissue) which did not require hyperbaric treatment, only a couple of hours of O2 in the hospital. Of the Type II, two were unexplained/ "undeserved" and one was from severe dehydration. I've been tested for PFO which was negative. My computer profiles were reviewed and examined by DAN, Dr. Piccolo and Dr. Gomez - but no real answers other than the dehydration in March 2011. Dr. Gomez is convinced there is something neurological going on with me - all three of my DCS II hits have been identical. I'm now limited to ONE dive per week, max 50/60 feet/45 minutes on 36% and only if I check off a bunch of boxes with a pre-dive self exam. But I am grateful for that and I'm grateful for all of the dives I've had the fortune and privilege of having under my belt here and around the world! AS I've often been told jokingly - but truth - "the only way to guarantee you wont get "hit" is either not to dive, or not to come up." We can do the same dive under the same conditions 10 times and with another person - and we can get hit on the 11th time and our dive buddy will be fine.
@Diver below 83 - Based on my observations over the last 17 years of being an Instructor and owning my operation, I'd say MOST cases of DCS in Cozumel are from dehydration. People don't take the intensity of the sun seriously here, they overindulge in alcohol and don't hydrate properly. We also have a very large number of divers in the water on any given day, so statistically, we aren't doing too bad.
AdivingBel
Diver
Everybody is different, there are so many variables, and there are lots of divers. That said, in addition to what other experienced Coz divers have said, my personal theory is that Coz drift diving is sooooo easy. Once you get the hang of it (not everybody does
) there is so little exertion required even new divers and otherwise "heavy breathers" can push NDLs HARD. If you're not used to it and aren't careful, you can find yourself in unaccustomed situations regarding NDLs and push an already grey, fuzzy line. All IMHO, YMMV.
I'd say it's because so many people are diving there.
Brules
Contributor
Wow hope your wife makes a full recovery. A thread like this needs to be stickied so new people see it and read it (hopefully!). I have carried DAN for years and will NEVER dive again without it. A few years ago a couple staying at my hotel had an incident where the wife had a pulmonary edema. They had NOT renewed their DAN that year as they "had never needed it before".
Hospital bill was huge! That right there convinced me to never dive without it again and never let it lapse.
Please heed the warnings and GET DAN!
Hospital bill was huge! That right there convinced me to never dive without it again and never let it lapse.
Please heed the warnings and GET DAN!
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