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Lim

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I took a PADI Open Water Diver course in 1994, when I was 21. I did a small number of dives that year and haven't since. I'm 47 now. I used to be an engineer, but most recently I've been a substitute teacher. My hobbies are mostly DIY, and scheming how to DIY everything, especially expensive things -- motivated by social justice concerns.

I'd like to get back into diving, perhaps very soon. Today I enrolled in a "ReActivate" course online.

[Edit 12/31 2:41PM: Never mind the rest. Near the end of the thread, my ongoing review of medical literature showed me that just normal everyday scuba situations accessible to the entry-level OWD certified -- or even less PPO2 than in a typical dive -- may be just as therapeutic as the more dangerous high-PPO2 ones. I mean, like normal air at only 1.2 ATA -- i.e. 7 feet depth.]

I have edited this a bit to clarify what I'm asking. I'm not trying to make it look like the first few respondents didn't read it.

Are you one of the few who are into "harm reduction?" If not, I get it, feel free to tune out, because this will be analogous to helping junkies find clean needles and naloxone.

I think I've already read about all the things that can go wrong. On the other hand, what's going most genocidally wrong in the modern world is that too few can afford the healthcare (or anything else they need) when provided through the parasitic gate-kept system of artificial scarcity. Scuba is somewhat of a luxury sport, I get it. But I'm not posh, I'm punk.

So I can assure you that all of my ideas are bad and dangerous, but maybe someone can help me identify the "least worst" of them before I choose randomly. Again, harm reduction.

My near-term goal is a DIY form of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). My doctor has prescribed HBOT to help recover from concussions I had many years ago. Rather than pay $8,000 (nearly all I own) for 40 HBOT sessions in a clinical setting (5 days a week for 8 weeks) or spend money on more dumb health-related equipment (yes, people have hyperbaric chambers at home, even build them inside propane tanks, but I already own so much get-healthy gear [I mean professional-sick-person gear, not sporting gear]), I thought I might rather be a digital nomad near warm ocean water for 2-3 months.

Specifically, in the near term, I'd like to get trained and equipped to breathe -- one way or another -- oxygen at 1.5 ATA for an hour a day, 5 days a week. So that's either pure oxygen at 17 fsw or, less likely, nitrox at a deeper depth.

Nitrox: Even after I've taken the Enriched Air Diver course, would dive shops sell me nitrox with enough O2 to do what I want? No, right, not without additional courses to dive deeper?

Since you know that I am definitely not going to spend $8K on professional hyperbaric oxygen therapy, what might be the least-worst path to be trained adequately (from a scuba perspective, not a medical one) for the situation I'm trying to create?

How about the Rebreather Diver course?

Can one rent a closed-circuit oxygen rebreather?


"Do you also want to actually dive for recreation?" you may ask. Yes, I do. I am interested in, especially, underwater photography of wildlife, and exploring shipwrecks, eventually. But for now, I could be anywhere.

But I don't much like cold, or dark. I haven't lived near warm water (over 80F) since that one summer in 1994. And I am quite frugal, so I could not justify more training in diving until I saw a health benefit to it also. But Ecuador is fully open despite COVID and I could fly there for $250.

Would appreciate any suggestions.

Here are some more-frugal ideas, the type of dangerous ideas that will continue to appeal to me until you tell me something more specific than "don't do any of that stuff and just pay the $8K."

Yes, I know I can buy oxygen for welding. They'd fill a steel tank, $30 for 80 cu ft at Praxair. Even industrial gas suppliers have said it's the same as medical oxygen; the only difference is in how the rinse out the tank. I could provide my own brand-new tank and insist on getting that one back. Surely I could buy or build an adapter from CGA540 to a yoke. I'd need a regulator and valves cleaned for oxygen.

Yes, I know one can build an oxygen rebreather. Many have done it, and they've all said "kids, do not try this at home." But it's definitely do-able, for $100-ish. That's DIY in a very punk sense. How does it compare to riding a motorcycle daily? Some sports are dangerous. Just don't call it scuba and give scuba a bad name, right?

I still am hoping to do it in the least-worst way, which (since I have ruled out the clinic) normally in the scuba world would mean that I get properly trained and then get outfitted by a responsible scuba shop. Except that almost nobody in the scuba community wants to have "encouraged" me, right? Most would rather leave me to fly completely solo? Like junkies with their dirty needles? Perhaps almost everyone is against needle exchange programs. But only almost.

More things you need not say:

"Even at 1.5 ATA there's some risk of seizure, more than at 1.3 ATA." I don't want to lose my mouthpiece, get water into my caustic oxygen absorber, inhale that, and die with dissolved lungs. Nope. You need not say "take magnesium or other anti-convulsant, and isn't it good that you've never had any seizures before," since I asked for scuba harm-reduction, not medical advice.

Seems like, in the end, doing this with welding oxygen, without the aid of any dive shops, may be the least-worst way for me in the near-term, especially if a major goal is to avoid risking anyone in the scuba community feeling bad about having told me to shoot myself in the -- I dunno, hand? -- instead of the foot.

But really, someone might just tell me to take the rebreather course, right? (Someone could, not just anyone could. The Dalai Lama says that if you must eat meat, at least don't kill it yourself; but others believe the opposite, that if you must eat meat, at least do kill it yourself. And in social justice and war, some are neutral, while Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that neutrality is tantamount to siding with the oppressor.)

Also, what gear might reduce the risk, in case I did have a seizure? A full-face mask? A helmet? You know, so that I keep breathing if I lose consciousness. If nobody recommends an affordable one, I may just improvise something you'd consider totally goofy and unsafe. How about a bucket over my head, as a diving bell? And extra weights on my feet, to keep me vertical? I don't care how goofy I look.

Ultimately there's no complete safety in life, is there? A poor person could die of an antibiotic-resistant infection, or cure it with DIY HBOT, or die trying... the main difference may come down to whether people on the sidelines get to feel good about themselves according to their chosen moral codes. To each his own!

Hope it's okay to discuss this stuff here. To be clear, I'm asking for scuba harm-reduction advice, not medical advice. (I am only an engineer, but I have been reading real peer reviewed medical literature since my doctor challenged me to, in 2002. I will also ask my own doctor, who will say "just give me the money" to her dying breath.)

Here, as an afterthought, are examples of suggestions that might actually save my life while not beating your head against a wall (since I am going to go some kind of DIY route and not pay the $8,000):

Someone might tell me things like:
  • "Find a friend. Have them watch you."
  • "Olympic diving pools are 16 feet deep."
  • "Maybe someone has a hand-dug well on their farm or ranch."
  • "Wear a harness, so that the buddy can pull you up on a rope."
  • "Build your own hyperbaric chamber. I did."
  • "Please use my hyperbaric chamber before you DIY your own; it's tricky."
Anything along the lines of "just pay the $8,000" I will ignore. My net worth is hugely negative, I have no credit, and $8,000 is about all I have. It's DIY or die. Or maybe DIY *and* die, but die trying. I will be darned if I pay all I own to that doctor -- who 100 years ago would have offered a sliding scale, but now thinks she can't -- on the strength of a study that probably hasn't even been replicated adequately. (Heck, my doctor also suggested EDTA chelation for vascular disease, even after the TACT failed to show significant benefit for anyone other than diabetics -- and I'm not diabetic.)
 
I don’t think you’re going to like the answers you’re going to get.

First of all, if you haven’t dived since the mid-90s, a full OW course might be a better idea than a refresher.

And if you only have a basic nitrox cert, you don’t get more than 40%. Dive shops likely aren’t going to care what your reasons for wanting richer Nitrox up to 100%. You’re not are going to get it without being certified for it. And a lot of shops won’t do more than 40%, anyway.

I’m not going to provide any more information to encourage you.
 
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Wow...
Many of your proposals are frankly dangerous.
My suggestion is to pay whatever medical expenses and get your HBO therapy the right way at a medical facility as prescribed by your physician.
 
Wow...
Many of your proposals are frankly dangerous.
My suggestion is to pay whatever medical expenses and get your HBO therapy the right way at a medical facility as prescribed by your physician.

Thanks for sharing. Yes, no matter which DIY route I go, all are dangerous, definitely. So is life. So is (for some of us) paying a doctor nearly every last dollar we have. Modern life is very unsafe for most of us.
 
The chances of finding a location where you can be at the required depth for the time you want is slim. Finding an operator who will provide you the equipment, close to zero. Additionally, the cost is likely to be way more than the 8k you know treatment will cost.

Thanks for replying. I am not sure I understand what you're saying. From your mention of cost, it sounds like you're saying I will not be able to rent an oxygen rebreather and would have to buy one? Or that it would not work at 17 feet?

The required depth, ~17 feet: I figured I could take a float with a flag on it, a dive buoy but with more buoyancy, and hang a rope from it, as a depth guide. I would bob up and down, but over the hour, the average will be 17 feet and that's what matters.

Equipment: I guess, if the rebreather is out, industrial oxygen is everywhere and one vendor charges $30 for 80 cu ft. They fill your tank or provide one. On the beach near Boca Raton I just walked in. I own some of my own gear. The rest, mostly a regulator rated for oxygen, I think I can buy from people who don't know what I want it for. (If I need more than 80 cu ft -- I'm still working on the calculations -- I can use two tanks, as people do.)

I think it's a given that nobody from the scuba community will be willing to provide gear, tank fills, transportation, supervision, for this purpose. Maybe not even a dive buddy will volunteer. But still, someone here (not just anyone here, I get it) might help with information for harm reduction. That's what I'm requesting. Thanks again.
 
Thanks for replying. I am not sure I understand what you're saying. From your mention of cost, it sounds like you're saying I will not be able to rent an oxygen rebreather and would have to buy one? Or that it would not work at 17 feet?

The required depth, ~17 feet: I figured I could take a float with a flag on it, a dive buoy but with more buoyancy, and hang a rope from it, as a depth guide. I would bob up and down, but over the hour, the average will be 17 feet and that's what matters.

Equipment: I guess, if the rebreather is out, industrial oxygen is everywhere and one vendor charges $30 for 80 cu ft. They fill your tank or provide one. On the beach near Boca Raton I just walked in. I own some of my own gear. The rest, mostly a regulator rated for oxygen, I think I can buy from people who don't know what I want it for. (If I need more than 80 cu ft -- I'm still working on the calculations -- I can use two tanks, as people do.)

I think it's a given that nobody from the scuba community will be willing to provide gear, tank fills, transportation, supervision, for this purpose. Maybe not even a dive buddy will volunteer. But still, someone here (not just anyone here, I get it) might help with information for harm reduction. That's what I'm requesting. Thanks again.
You need medical grade O2 not industrial.

Even to buy a 2nd hand rebreather, most sellers require the buyer to provide evidence of training. These mechines will use subtle way to kill you. Rental without qualification is a none starter.

My final advice is take the treatment prescribed. It will be quicker, safer and most likely cheaper.
 
You need medical grade O2 not industrial.

Even to buy a 2nd hand rebreather, most sellers require the buyer to provide evidence of training. These mechines will use subtle way to kill you. Rental without qualification is a none starter.

My final advice is take the treatment prescribed. It will be quicker, safer and most likely cheaper.

I appreciate where you are coming from and don't want to pester you. I've heard you. I get that the scuba community doesn't want to be associated with this type of thing. And yes, I see that on eBay the sellers of rebreathers are asking at least $5K, which is outside my budget. That they want to see proof of training should not be a problem -- or how much does that one course cost? Surely under $1000? That I could afford.)

For anyone else reading, I may have said it above, but at gas suppliers like Praxair, where my friend gets his welding gas, the medical oxygen and the industrial oxygen come from the same container and manifold. Even one of the industrial gas companies has explained why that is the case. The difference is in the chain of custody of the tank. I'd buy my own new tanks and insist on getting them back after each fill. I'm good with it. If I die with $8,000 in the bank, at least my family can afford to bury me. Just think of some extreme sport that has a high likelihood of harming the athlete, and compare this to that -- I'll tank my chances on this. And I don't even snowboard or ski, or commute on a motorcycle.
 
I appreciate where you are coming from and don't want to pester you. I've heard you. I get that the scuba community doesn't want to be associated with this type of thing. And yes, I see that on eBay the sellers of rebreathers are asking at least $5K, which is outside my budget. That they want to see proof of training should not be a problem -- or how much does that one course cost? Surely under $1000? That I could afford.)

For anyone else reading, I may have said it above, but at gas suppliers like Praxair, where my friend gets his welding gas, the medical oxygen and the industrial oxygen come from the same container and manifold. Even one of the industrial gas companies has explained why that is the case. The difference is in the chain of custody of the tank. I'd buy my own new tanks and insist on getting them back after each fill. I'm good with it. If I die with $8,000 in the bank, at least my family can afford to bury me. Just think of some extreme sport that has a high likelihood of harming the athlete, and compare this to that -- I'll tank my chances on this. And I don't even snowboard or ski, or commute on a motorcycle.
There are three things I want to address:
1. Before you can enroll on a rebreather course you’ll need to provide proof of recent diving experience with mandatory deco stops, not just qualifications (PADI OW is unlikely to be enough).

2. The company that supplies you industrial O2 in breathing tanks is opening up their liability. Therefore, are unlikely to do it.

3. There are potential side effects from breathing O2 at high concentrations. The max O2 partial pressure in diving is now considered 1.4 with some manufacturers advising a max of 1.3. The advantage of rebreathers is they supply O2 at a constant 0.3 throughout the depth range, the exception is the first 5m or so.

I’ve attempted to run the dive profiles you posted on some dive planning software. The software will not accept the parameters as its so far outside safe limits. You get an O2 hit whilst underwater, YOU’RE DEAD. I don’t want to read about that.
 
If these concussions you had were so bad that your doctor wants you to have HBOT therapy to recover from them, would you even be a candidate for dive training? The medical form requires a doctor’s signature if you check yes to any of the listed conditions. Head injuries and neurological conditions are listed. Or would just lie and not answer yes to those questions?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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