Cardiologist said no

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Jamesaaa

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Location
Spring Texas 77388
# of dives
0 - 24
I appreciate any response good or not in my favor.
I am 66 years old. I had 2 stints put in my heart in 1995. I had quite smoking 3 years before that and had started going to the gym.
I walk miles at work every day. I go to the gym 3 times a week. I can swim freestyle in my pool 100 yards with no problem. I am 5’ 8” tall and weigh 174 lbs.
And hate to be told no, and be told I can not do something.
I went to the Bahamas snorkeling. The only thing that went thru my mind was I wanted to be down there. The water was so clear and so much more was just 20’ farther down.
That is who I am
I went to my cardiologist to get an Ok to learn to scuba dive. I took the nuclear, MRI, ultrasound, blood tests and treadmill exam. MRI was good, ultrasound was good, blood test were good. I lasted 13 minutes on the treadmill which he said was great.The only thing he saw was in that 13 minutes my heart missed 2 beats. He told me no that I should not do this. For as much as I do not want question his knowledge. I DO.
I am where I am today because I stay active.
I am looking for opinions from the knowledge with in this forum good or bad. Many of you are professionals in this field and I would appreciate your response good or bad.
Thank You for taking the time to read this.
 
That's a pretty serious workup, if it was all related to your inquiry. Im not sure whether I'd be appreciative of, or annoyed by the thoroughness, lol.
If he's saying you should not do it, it's a pretty good bet that he won't sign off on the medical form. (You can always bring the forms to your GP)
 
It’s not just a matter of following advice, you will need MD clearance for instruction.
So go to DAN for a phone conversation and a referral to a local MD with experience in dive physiology for a second opinion.
Divers Alert Network
 
I'd be surprised if he said no just because you "missed two beats". I wonder if there's more to it. A couple of benign PVCs don't in themselves sound like a big deal. My cardiologist certainly doesn't care about them, and that's why I met him in the first place, years ago. What was the MRI for?
 
This probably belongs in the diving medicine forum, not Diveheart, as the OP doesn’t appear to be a disabled diver.
 
Did your cardiologist say why he would not sign off for diving?

What meds are you taking?

Those are really old stents. They tend to re-occlude sometimes and require immediate heart catheterization and more stents or heart surgery. If that happens underwater, the risk of death is way higher than on dry land.

Do you have loved ones? Consider the impact on them if you don't survive a scuba dive.
 
My opinion is that when you check a box, any box on the medical form when beginning scuba diving instruction you are unnecessarily placing yourself and the fate of your diving at the mercy of some doctor somewhere who may or may not be worth the diploma on his or her wall.

If you don't check any boxes you can still consult with any number of doctors, get opinions, recommendations, advice and make your own decision regarding your health and safety and not leave it up to someone else.

At this point it's probably after the fact unless you can somehow get a new name and identity or something.
 
I take anti-anxiety medication and sleep medication. I went to my prescribing doctor to get a medical waiver for diving. Long story short she wanted me to basically go in a hyperbaric chamber and be monitored over night while on the medications before she would sign off. I understand she didn't want to sign anything in the "CYA" culture we live in now a days. I searched the internet and found some DAN articles about medications and diving. I made a personal decision to omit checking off boxes on my medical diving form. I took scuba lessons and monitored myself. It's also important to mention that I'm not married and have no children or dependents.
 
If I were in your position, I'd ask Dr. Doug Ebersole for his opinion. And I'd follow it. He's in Florida, a very skilled cardiologist and knows diving medicine backwards and forwards. He's also a skilled tech diver and instructor.
 
I'd be surprised if he said no just because you "missed two beats". I wonder if there's more to it. A couple of benign PVCs don't in themselves sound like a big deal. My cardiologist certainly doesn't care about them, and that's why I met him in the first place, years ago. What was the MRI for?
They give you a radioactive substance called Cardiolite. I call it an MRI,you lie down and it moves you into this area that has 3 flat panels and it moves around your chest creating images using the Cardiolite to show your blood flow. This takes 20 minutes. I used MRI for the lack of a better description or name.
 

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