 |
| Isla Mujeres Hyperbaric Chamber |
The
Hollywood A-list actors have a big secret. It is a hyperbaric
chamber, normally used for saving the life of a diver, or a lobster
fisherman who has been too deep under water, for too long, resulting
in decompression sickness.
For
years we have walked past the local hyperbaric chamber located
slightly behind the health clinic and beside the new public washrooms
in centro. The unassuming building has an abandoned feel to it, and
we never give it much thought. Recently when chatting with local
friends, Sue Lo and Len Sacks, we discovered that Len was undergoing
a series of treatments for a shattered humerus bone, that involved
twenty visits to the local facility. “Really? How does that
work?” I asked.
 |
| Unassuming exterior of the building |
Called
hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) it is used by many medical
facilities including the Mayo Clinic in New York. The increase in
barometric pressure squeezes the oxygen molecules to allow more
oxygen to enter the blood stream, and increasing the healing ability
of the body. Sue explained Len's orthopaedic surgeon in Mérida
prescribed the sessions to speed the healing of his bone from an
accident a few years ago. Patients with diabetes, or who have
recently had radiation treatments also benefit from the therapy,
allowing their skin lesions to heal over.
 |
| Simulating diving pressures |
With
each treatment the patient enters the chamber and remains inside for
quite some time. First the pressure is slowly increased to mimic
being the equivalent of 45 five feet under water. Then for thirty
minutes he or she is given oxygen, then five minutes of regular air.
This is repeated twice more; thirty minutes of oxygen and five
minutes of air. The final time the barometric pressure is slowly
decreased back to normal atmospheric readings. Len will do this for
five days on, and one day off for until he completes his twenty
treatments; pressures
and times vary according to a patient's complication.
 |
| Len - reading to pass the time |
Len
is currently sharing the chamber with a young man from Cancun who has
a broken
leg, and a local fisherman who was diving at 120 feet of depth for a
long period. I took a peek through the porthole into the chamber.
Len was reading a book, the other two guys were just relaxing. They
are in communication via a two-way radio channel with the operator of
the unit. There is also an internal camera for monitoring during
emergency situations such as when the fisherman was first brought to
the unit.
Operation
of the local hyperbaric chamber, including wages, is funded by the
fishing co-operatives with government assistance for the utilities.
At times when the fishing season is slow, or the lobster season is
closed the funding is sparse or non-existent. The unit is supervised
by long-time resident of Isla Mujeres, Rosember de Jesus Dzul Ochoa.
He grew up on Isla, continued his education for eighteen months in
Chetumal, before spending four years at the UNAM in Mexico City.
(Universidad Nacional Autónoma
de Mexico).
 |
| Inside the chamber - photo by Sue Lo |
Rosember
has worked with hyperbaric chambers for fourteen years, six of those
on Isla. Part of his studies involved oceanography plus a week of
studies in Cuba, sponsored by Pemex and the university, for
specialized training. He says he knew when he was still in high
school that this was the career that he wanted. Rosember lives on
Isla with his wife and two young daughters. He really enjoys his
work, helping out lobster fishermen, divers, and other patients. All
of his training upgrades are paid for out of his own pocket.
Starting in July 2016 Rosember will begin training local fishermen on
the operation of the unit, allowing him to not be on call 24/7.
 |
| Rosember Dzul Ochoa |
When
asked approximately how much oxygen is used for the procedures,
Rosember replied about one and a half tanks, depending on how rapidly
or deeply the patients are breathing. These are not your standard
recreational-diver sized tanks. They are much larger, standing about
five feet tall, and costing about $1425.00 pesos per tank to refill.
The
interesting side effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a
reduction in skin wrinkles for a short period of time! Now you know
Hollywood's big secret. Of course if you live on Isla, the high
humidity also significantly reduces skin wrinkles without spending
hours in a hyperbaric chamber!
On
a positive note, the young man who is currently undergoing treatments
for a leg fracture is improving. For two years his leg fracture
would not heal. The x-rays now show his leg is on the mend. How
fortunate that we have the availability of the hyperbaric chamber and
a trained operator, Rosember
Dzul Ochoa, to save lives and limbs.
Hasta
Luego
Lynda
& Lawrie
Breaking
News:
Our
bilingual (Spanish & English) book for children – The
Adventures of Thomas the Cat / Las Adventuras de Tomás
el Gato is now available on E-Books, via Amazon Kindle Books.
Order
yours today!
