Wow! We had our first patient today. Gentleman with mild Type II DCS (decompression sickness with neurological symptoms) and in stable condition. Class was suspended while we received a briefing on the patient and instructions on how to work in the chamber. A quick discussion about using a Table 6 for the diver. Ron supervised operations outside and was ready to lock in if we had problems. As for the newbie tenders, three of us tended the patient. Mark was first, with the press to 60fsw and the first hour. Then, Brooks locked in. Shortly after that, they ascended to 30 fsw for about 75-90 minutes. I had the last portion, lasting about 105 minutes. For the first time as tenders, it was an awesome experience. Time in the chamber and an intro into how to run the chamber from outside. Very cool stuff.

Here I am locking out at the end of the run.

Ah…a short break and some time to snorkel.  The weather finally cleared a bit, so I swam out to the reef today.  Wow!   Lots to see.  Here are a couple of photos I took while out there.

As I was swimming back, I crossed an open sandy area.  It seemed like this guy just wanted to be photographed:

Thursday and Friday this week were spent on airways. We started with the oral and nasal airways as adjuncts to using a bag-valve mask(BVM).  I’d learned how to use a BVM in a couple of the DAN courses (Advanced Oxygen First Aid and BLSPro).  Using an oral airway, though, makes it a lot easier.

Then, we learned how to use a laryngoscope and Magill forceps to remove foreign objects from the airway.  That rocked!  Here’s some of the cool medical equipment we get to use.

Friday, wow….advanced airways.   Esophageal-Tracheal combitubes, LMA’s, King tubes and the ever-popular endotracheal(ET) tube.  After playing with them, I can’t see why you’d use an ET tube.  It takes a lot of work and practice to use, of course they’re only a fraction of the cost of ET tubes.   Airway management can be critical for a Dive Medic.



Day 2 on the island...natives getting restless.  We can hear them making their war chants and sharpening spears.  I guess that might just be the folks in the kitchen making more awesome food, though.  :)

Kona was bouncing yesterday on the way here.   She's an awesome traveler, though.  

We took a walk down the beach to AKR.  No dolphin show today. :(   The walk, though, was pretty  awesome.  We found a small tide pool with a ton of hermit crabs and other life.   We could probably spend hours just watching them.

It's interesting to compare AKR with BB.  AKR is a much larger resort and has a corporate feel to it.  BB is significantly smaller and is a lot friendlier.  Nothing quite compares with the owner suggesting what you should have for dinner.

As we were walking back along the paved road (not suggested, btw), it started to rain a bit.  After we made it back, the skies opened up.  Coming from a desert, it was a pretty big storm.  During that, though, the power was out.  Good reason to pack a flashlight, since it's pretty dark in side with the cloud cover.

Later....

Kona and I went snorkeling off the dock.   This was her first time in the ocean and I think she had a great time.  I know I did.   Swarm of juvenile fish right as we entered.  Then we snorkeled out to the reef.  As we crossed a sandy patch, we saw lots of starfish.  Then, the coral.  Fish everywhere.  I should have had my camera, but since it was Kona's first venture into the ocean, not this time.  For those of us used to fresh water viz, viz was stellar.  [It was a great example of what happens to the dive environment after a rain storm though, as the turbidity from runoff was obvious.]

Ever since hearing “take bloodpressure, if you’re trained to do so”, I’ve wanted to know more.  DAN Dive Medicine for Divers helped, but it wasn’t enough.   In DAN BLSPro, it was “insert an oral airway, if you’re trained to do so”

ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!   NEED.   MORE.   TRAINING!!!!

Then, a friend suggested a DMT course.  How could I swing that?  I had to be an EMT-B to start.  All of the local courses wouldn’t fit my schedule.   No problem, my friend said, there’s a combined EMT-B/DMT course in Roatan.   It’s only 6 weeks long.   How to swing 6 weeks?    IV’s, chest tubes, hyperbaric chamber operations…talk about a training “fix.”

Flash forward almost a year.

6 weeks of vacation accrued.   Trip scheduled.  Last few months spent studying.

72 hours before flight:   nerves shot, grumpy, frustrated, pacing (don’t measure my BP right now, thanks).

48 hours:  a bit better, some packing done (including putting the med texts away)  Scotch in-hand.

Nerves still there.  Hmmm…seems like what I went through with the PADI Course Director program.   I’ve prepared, but I’m going to learn and be evaluated.   As James Morgan put it, it’s a life changing experience and a bit of stress is to be expected (sorry for the paraphrase, James).    Can I believe the same advice I give my PADI Instructor Candidates?  The same advice I was given before the CDTC and couldn’t quite take to heart?   Don’t psych your self out.  Riiiiiiight.

Focused history.   Rapid Trauma assessment.  Focused…rapid…detailed…  and I get grief for the acronyms for Open Water Diver, Adventures in Diving, Rescue Diver and Divemaster?!  😉

As it’s been a while since I’ve been “on the other side of the big slate” (being evaluated, that is), I’d like to think this is a great reminder of what my Instructor candidates go through.   [I think James Morgan mentioned something about that, too.   Remember that feeling & empathize.]

Time to take a deep breath, calm down and not rip the head off my darling daughter (who knows her ABCD’S, SAMPLE and how to use an AED!) and amazing wife that tolerates a helluva a lot from me.

Photos and more posts to come.