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What doctor have you seen to obtain your diagnosis? It is fortunate you are funtioning quite well for a CNS hit. DAN’s hotline is answered directly and you should only be waiting for a call back for proper treatment (hopefully obtained by now). For future reference here is a link including DAN’s contact directives with contact numbers in BLUE taken from site. http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=65
IV. Get the Injured Diver to the Nearest Medical Facility and Call DAN Call for local EMS first; then call DAN. Depending on the severity of the injury (see above), take immediate care for the diver’s Airway, Breathing and Circulation and contact local EMS. After making contact with EMS, then call DAN.
Call DAN’s Diving Emergency Hotline
+1-919-684-8111 or +1-919-684-4DAN (-4326) - to talk to an expert in diving medicine. Remember, +1-919-684-4DAN (-4326) accepts collect calls. DAN medical staff is on call 24 hours a day to handle diving emergencies.
When You Call the DAN Hotline:
1. The Hotline numbers are answered at the switchboard of Duke University Medical Center. Tell the operator you have a diving emergency. The operator will either connect you directly with DAN or have someone call you back at the earliest possible moment.
2. The DAN staff member may make an immediate recommendation or call you back after making arrangements with a local physician or the DAN Regional Coordinator. DAN Regional Coordinators are familiar with chamber facilities in their area, and because they’re qualified in diving medicine, they make recommendations about treatment.
3. The DAN staff member or Regional Coordinator may ask you to wait by the phone while he / she makes arrangements. These plans may take 30 minutes or longer, as several phone calls may be required.
This delay should not place the diver in any greater danger. However, if the situation is life-threatening, arrange to transport the diver immediately to the nearest local medical facility for immediate stabilization and assessment of his or her condition. Call DAN TravelAssist at 1-800-326-3822 (1-800-DAN EVAC) at this time for consultation with the local medical provider.
A Perspective The above tries to paint an accurate picture of DCI and its consequences; you should not conclude, however, that recreational diving is likely to cause injury. In fact, DCI is rare: researchers estimate between three and four cases of dive injuries reported for every 10,000 dives - approximately 1,000 cases per year. In addition the vast majority of the DCI cases are minor and treatment results in complete resolution with no impact on future diving activity.
DAN is not resting on its laurels, though. We’re continuing to look for ways to reduce the number of diving accidents even further. Project Dive Exploration (PDE) is a study designed to do just this. This study trains observers to recognize DCI, and they then collect dive profile data and compile information on behavioral and health aspects. The principal goal of PDE is to establish a recreational dive database that will serve as resource research in dive safety. To learn more about PDE, see www.DiversAlertNetwork.org/medical/research/pde/
Good Luck......Daniel
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