20 months ago I couldn't spell pneumothorax, now I have had one

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thanks for all the advice blokes but unfortunately I ignored it all.

Today I did 3 dives of 15, 15, and 13 meters out on the reef.

I saw lots of good stuff (turtles, white tip reef sharks lion and a whole heap of clown fish (16 of them all driving the same really tiny car) to name a few), but I have to admit there was a bit of a nervous time when I did my first ascent (which I took VERY slowly).

I took 5 @ 5 meters each time and in every case I was the last person onto the boat because of it. I remembered my BWAF (British Women Are Fun?), my signals and kept a good watch on my air (overly so). My buoyancy was a little off at first but I did a few fin pivots and it was fine, buy the end I was floating upside down with my head about 6" off the bottom (I wanted to see if I could still do that). All up, not bad for not having dived (doved?) for a couple of years.

[serious stuff] Ok, the medical statement I gave at the beginning of the day was a complete work of fiction, but I consider it as protection for the company, I have no illusion about it protecting me from myself and I would not have expected any sympathy from the courts if it all went tits up. I have always been a risk taker and have always engaged in activities that involve risk (diving, skydiving, sidecar racing, motorcycle racing, offshore yacht racing), but I consider myself a CONSIDERED risk taker. I was here in cairns last year too and wanted to dive then, but it was too early, My thought processes were tectonically slow and my body way too frail. This year I felt better, consulted my rehabilitation specialist (a bloke who has years of experience with the rehabilitation of motor vehicle accident victims with both orthopaedic and head trauma and is lead consultant for my case) and he said ok. Me asking the question on here was simply an attempt to gain the most information before I made MY decision. Today was a bit of a learning experience however. Leaving the water after my first dive was ok, the second harder, the third....... harder still. Ok, so moving forward what am I going to do long term? Clearly 3 dives in a day is too much for my body. I had a Minerva brace stabilising fractures to C1-C2, a rod, some plates and screws keeping C7-T1 stabilised, I have also had L3-L4 fused and lastly damage to the processes T5-T7, so I am fairly damaged and I take 16mg Jurnista and 2x panadol osteo 3 times a day along with 400mg of celebrex and gabapentin daily. My rehab specialist is aware of all these medications which are taken in strict adherence to doctors orders.

Given my difficulty getting out of the water and the look of panic in the deckhands eyes when I told him I was having some pain in my back as I was getting out of the water(he immediately went to defcon 1, but I told him its ok, I had a little arthritis), I will seek out a dive doc for another opinion and will go through my list of injuries and medications with them in detail when I get home. If there is one thing I have learnt from all my dealings with doctors, there are no absolute right or wrongs for the individual, there are only advisable and inadvisable actions.

You just gotta be prepared for the consequences of your choice.
[/serious stuff]

CB
 
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I warn you now this is a response written very much in anger to what i just read, having got home from a day working on a dive boat.

[begin rant]
Well thank you so much for being prepared for the consequences of your actions. Of course you mean the specific ones for you.

If your injuries/medication present a serious risk to diving what if something had gone seriously wrong?

Did you think about what would have happened to all the divers that would witness whatever may happen under water, the dive professional having to try and rescue you, the boat crew tying to revive a dead body on the back deck and trauma that all the workers that day would go through? Not to mention the legal arguments that would ensue over who fault it was, the bad publicity the company would get for allowing an unsafe diver to dive, the lost revenue would mean people lose jobs and its hard for young/new dive professionals to get back in the water after dealing with a direct death?

What if you had just a minor injury but were unconsciousness, how would the Drs treat you only to be told of this complicated history after you had been started on medications etc? What if the way of treating you made a previous injury worse? I dread to think what CPR could do to a weakened spine already!!

Working on a dive boat, having dealt with a death on board the vessel and seen what it does to staff, people who come on board a boat and lie about their medical situation are not only putting themselves in danger but also any other divers/dive professionals diving with them as well.

I dont mean to sound very aggressive etc on the internet but TBH what you did its totally irresponsible in my opinion and i hope you understand the other consequences of your actions and immediately seek REAL DIVING medical clearance before venturing into the water again.

[end rant]

Just my few cents
 
I hope you are taking the gabapentin for pain treatment and not for epilepsy and were more honest towards your buddy, who might rely on your help if needed
 
Fair call Zeke, Fair call. It only occurred to me when I saw the look in the decky's eyes when I said I was having some back pain. In isolation all of what I have said is true, but diving is a social past time and involves others, people who try their best for you, people who would be affected by my death.

I wont be going back till I have a medical work up done.

promise

Agility>> Nerve pain bloke, no epilepsy.......
 
on 07.25.12. thanks for all the advice blokes but unfortunately I ignored it all [NOTE: Advice included opinions of three Medical Moderators of this forum]...the medical statement I gave at the beginning of the day was a complete work of fiction, but I consider it as protection for the company [NOTE: No mention of potential adverse implications for family, friends, employer, fellow divers or crew who might have to assist in a rescue and/or have their trip ruined, etc]...I take 16mg Jurnista [NOTE: Jurista is a powerful derivative of morphine]...and gabapentin [NOTE: Common side effects include dizziness & drowsiness]...

on 07.24.12. The diver with a history of severe head trauma will want to insure that...decision-making, judgment...as well as level of behavioral control, are appropriate to the demands of the recreation.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

Regards,

DocVikingo
 
Fair call Zeke, Fair call. It only occurred to me when I saw the look in the decky's eyes when I said I was having some back pain. In isolation all of what I have said is true, but diving is a social past time and involves others, people who try their best for you, people who would be affected by my death.

I wont be going back till I have a medical work up done.

promise

Agility>> Nerve pain bloke, no epilepsy.......

Thank you for taking the comment in the way it was intended, i find it hard to write some things on the internet and be unable to get the tone in which you say things, ie warning and not abusive!

I do hope you are cleared for diving.

Z
 
Glad your dives had a reasonably good outcome, and especially impressed that you're humble and introspective enough to come to the conclusion that you did.
 
dems dar purdy fancy latin werds there doc.

Thanks for the update doc, but as I have already researched the side effects of all of the medications that I'm I am currently on. Unlike a lot of people I don't think the documentation that comes in the pill box is filler and make it my business to both read and understand the meaning of such documentation (the non technical pieces that is). To this end, I have a bro in law who is a pharmacist.

For the last year I have have been adjudged by government accredited specialist driving instructors of motorcars and motorcycles of possessing the motor and decision making skills,as well as reaction times adequate for the safe driving of such vehicles, all while on the medications you are emphasizing.

Do you really think diving requires better decision making skills than driving? Surely if that were the case, there would be a lot fewer divers out there.

Honestly Doc, I find your use of latin in this forum and in this thread in particular, just a little insulting and a little elitist to boot.

The mere suggestion that you think I would dive while stoned (ref to dizziness, opioids etc) is as valid as suggesting to you that your resentment towards your partner following her denial of your request to go away for a 'weekend with the boys' is psychiatric sequale of a sociopathic personality.

*Rude suggestion to DocV involving the publication NeMJ and a certain alimentary orifice deleted*

---------- Post Merged at 11:10 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 11:05 PM ----------

Zeke >> no problem bloke, I hope I am too.
 
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Wow. I will be succinct...

<begin angry rant>

1. Yes, diving requires more (different) skill than operating a motor vehicle:

a. Dive planning
b. Gear setup
c. Gear check (its BWRAF not BWAF. Instead of "British Women Are Fun" think "British Women Are Really Fun" or, even better, "Being Wary Reduces All Failures")
d. Buddy support
e. Contingency planning
f. Ingress
g. Egress
h. Pressure/depth complications

I can produce an infinitely longer list but I tried to highlight some points from a macro level. It is clear that, while you may consider yourself a considerate risk taker, you certainly did not consider the risks on this dive. You need a medical release (from a physician) and should probably enroll in another open water class with an instructor that can help accommodate your unique needs.

2. By not informing the crew of your history, you put many people in danger. Zeke made some excellent points that I certainly hope you consider next time. Did you have a buddy? Did your buddy know about your history? If not (to either or both of those question), you really need to re-evaluate your diving career.

<end angry rant>
 
The big difference between driving and diving is the contribution of nitrogen to decreased processing power. What you can do at sea level is different from what you can do at 90 feet, even if you AREN'T taking medication.

I'm not saying what you are doing is unsafe. I'm just saying that being cleared to drive is not the same as being fully functional at depth.
 

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