Can only dive 50ft, is it worth it?

[Tigerman]

Yes it was trauma. I fell 86feet. Breaking pelvis in 5, 6ribs in 23, losing one, losing 20% of my left lung, tailbone in half and left shoulder in two, bleeding out 100% and flatlining. That was a year ago and i'm all healthy now so i really wanna dive. Straight from school i had to come to work for a seminar and havent been able to contact dan to find a doctor to actually talk to about my situation. Im gonna try to call tomorrow and from what i have been reading theres actually alot I can do at 50feet that I had no idea about. I'm really excited to pursue this now.

"ouch"..

Good job on your recovery.
As many others have said, if a qualified "scuba doc" deems it safe for you to dive, even if only down to 50ft, you really, really should if you want to.
Even on my "deep" dives (for recreational divers >60ft is considered deep), the average depth tend to be <60ft.
Partially because its so much to see <60ft down and partially because theres limits as to how long you can stay deep on a single tank and not incurring decompression obligations (which is something rec divers is not trained for).

 

[freewillie]

My daughter is a Jr. OW diver. She is recommended to stay above 40 feet. There is still plenty to see at those depths. If you ask her, the answer is a resounding "Yes !!!" Right now she is still asking when can we go diving again. She can't wait until our next dive trip.

 

[agilis]

Nick, I really hope things work out for you. It's obvious from this long string that you MUST consult with the kind of medical specialists that DAN can direct you to. There is no sane alternative. If it turns out you can scuba dive, it would be a good thing all round if you joined DAN. Even if you can't do more than snorkel, join DAN. The services they provide and their expert focus deserve our full support.

 

[Splitlip]

But wait. I never feel any pressure on my rib cage. If I did, I would not be able to breath, would I.

 

[freewillie]

Just a few clarifications. Thoracotomy is any surgery on the chest where the surgeon enters the pleural (lung) space. A tracheostomy is a hole made at the base of the neck just above the collar bones that allows doctors to place a breathing tube into the air way.

Lung surgery in general is a relative but not absolute contraindication to diving. However, the more conservative recommendation is that any patient with a thoracotomy is discouraged from diving.

The risk is air trapping in the pleura from the surgery and scar tissue that forms called adhesions. A high resolution with thin cut CT of the chest is recommended prior to diving. Also, since the risk is air expansion a slow ascent is a must and careful attention must be paid to gas management, breathing, and ascent rate.

It is not absolute, and if the diver is willing to accept a higher risk then careful documentation regarding risk the patient may be able to dive.

The 50 ft depth is also a little arbitrary. The recommendation that Jr. divers limit their depth to 40 feet is that DAN does not know exactly how the smaller bodies handle the pressure and the depth. The recommendation is more anectodatal than scientific. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Even if cleared he would have to find an instructor willing to take the risk of training him as well. Personally just from what i have read in this thread so far I would not. Unless a DAN recommended doc could assure me there was no more risk training him than there is with someone who has had no trauma. And who would assume all responsibility of there was a problem.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[rigdiver]

Student of mine many years ago had small round scars front and back of torso. When questioned: "shot in Vietnam." I knew the answer but had him call DAN.
Bottom line was any injury or surgery penetrating the pleura was an absolute contraindication to SCUBA diving. Just not worth the risk.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I didn't read this as the doctor being concerned about the pressure of the gas he's breathing, but of the atmospheric pressure on his damaged rib cage. When you're at 33FSW, your body is under twice the pressure as it is at the surface.

And to answer the original post, yes, definitely! Lots to see and enjoy at 50 feet or less.

Wow that is amazing comment from an instructor....

I agree with some of the more knowledgable divers on here and question that the doctor knows what he is a talking about. The pressure on the chest and ribs will always be equalized by the scuba tank and the compressed air it delivers. ANYONE who is certified will know this. There is no magic about the depth of 50 feet.

However, it sounds like the doctor does not understand the physics involved. As others have mentioned, the real danger is almost certainly the potenial compromise of the integrity of the lung tissue etc, which could make the diver too susceptible to an over pressure injury, barotrama etc.

I would SERIOUSLY want to talk to a diving doctor before even doing pool diving and make sure you are not following the opinion of some dive instructor who thinks he understand physics or medicine.

 

[Bob DBF]

Wow that is amazing comment from an instructor....

I agree with some of the more knowledgable divers on here and question that the doctor knows what he is a talking about. The pressure on the chest and ribs will always be equalized by the scuba tank and the compressed air it delivers. ANYONE who is certified will know this.

The differential pressure on the chest between the outside water and air in your lungs is equalized, but the pressure acting on your body, inside and out, is increased as you go deeper which is why your tissues take on nitrogen. I have no idea what a bone / titanium interface would do, or any of the other injuries for that matter.

I agree with you:

I would SERIOUSLY want to talk to a diving doctor before even doing pool diving and make sure you are not following the opinion of some dive instructor who thinks he understand physics or medicine.

I wish the OP all the luck in his endevor.



Bob
-------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[Nick Briseno]

Wow you guys def gave me something to think about. I have a meeting with my pulmonologist not next week because of Mardi Gras but the following week. I am thinking though instead of going to him I should really talk to a Dr. who knows about diving. The last thing I want to happen is while diving my left lung collapses at that point its game over. I already cheated death, not really trying to do it a second time.