Dear mike:
Unless an individual is actually paralyzed or having problems breathing, it is difficult to say s/he absolutely must go to a chamber. Some minor joint pain problems are indistinct, fleeting and remit in a short time. Your question and problem is best answered with hindsight, which we all know is very good. One feature of DCS is that it often gets worse before it goes away. How much worse? It can progress to neurological problems - - starting with simple joint pain. This is another time bomb ticking away inside of you :boom:
It is prudent to begin a trip to a chamber -- and breathe oxygen on the way if possible. While going to the chamber, some problems do remit on their own - - especially joint pain. The problem is with neurological incidences, since these can lead to permanent and very serious injury. Treatment and rehabilitation costs for serious problems caused by delay can be enormous, and the results are usually disappointing. :nono:
In research work, recompression is always immediate and residuals are usually nonexistent. In one research group, a one-hour delay, because of questions in the diagnosis, lead to the progression to neurological DCS. This required several treatment sessions. The result was good with remission of symptoms. Because this was a research setting, the individual did not pay for the treatments. If he had delayed on a dive trip and had encountered these problems, he would not have like the bill he received.
Move fast. Prevention is always cheaper than treatment of a refractory, full blown case of DCS.
Dr Deco
