Cervical Herniated Disc

[KC_Scubabunny]

On Nov 16th, I was rear-ended by another driver at high speed (65mph). My car was stopped because I had braked to avoid the car infront of me. I thought I just had a bad case of whiplash but after seeing a physician on Nov 23rd and having an MRI, I have been diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc. He didn't mention which vertebrate exactly when I went for my follow up appointment yesterday. I am currently undergoing treatment that involves cervical epidural injections of steroid and the meds zanaflex and vioxx. I am still extremely sore and cannot sit without my head supported for more than a few hours. I am currently working half days because of this. My physican has advised that most of my current discomfort is the result of the soft tissue injuries and not the herniated disc.

I am scheduled to go to Roatan for a week the middle of January. I need to pay for the rest of the trip by December 20th. Do you think there is any way that I will feel like going by then? If I do go are there risks of worsening my condition by diving? My doctor said no but acknowledged that although he is a diver, he doesn't have any first hand experience treating a diver with a similar condition. He indicated that most herniated discs are low back and not cervical so the stresses would be different from diving.

Also because I am looking a sizable medical bills against the other drivers auto insurance, I don't want to do anything to give the appearance that I have been reckless with my recovery or health.

I would hate to cancel a trip that my husband and I and our friends have looked forward to for months but also don't want to be the only one left on shore while they are diving.

Anyone medical or not with experience with this kind of injury opinions are appreciated.

Thanks,
KC_Scubabunny

 

[Bob3]

Sorry to hear about your injury.
I'm sure you'll be getting some helpful suggestions from the regular MDs on the board. At your request, I'm commenting because I have a slightly similar injury.
Along with a couple of other problems, I have a couple of discs in my neck that are "thinning and bulging". The biggest thing I notice is that I quite often have a few of the same symptoms as a DCS hit, with tingling, numbness, weakness, etc of the arm & legs.
Avoid pushing the NDLs like the plague.
Your mileage will no doubt vary, but I strongly suggest you heed your MDs advice, no matter what the inconvienience with your trip. Tweaking your neck out of shape can last the rest of your life.
That being said, I've always noticed that relaxing in warm water (hydrotherapy) is not only good for the body, but the spirit as well.
So far my neurosurgeon has been resisting my suggestions that he write a prescription for me to spend a couple of months diving in Bonaire, or someplace where nice warm water can be found. (I even offered to take him along).
:mean:

 

[scubabunny]

Oh bunny,

I am sorry to hear about your accident. I have never had an injury like that (sounds NASTY!), but I do think to cover your butt, you may have to see a diving doctor. Could DAN recommend one in your area?

Above all, don't push anything! The ocean isn't going to go away, and there is really no reason to put yourself at risk.

Take care of yourself!

 

[TexasMike]

KC_sb...

I too want to send my "get well soon"'s to ya. I had been wondering where you had dropped off to since I hadn't seen you around much.

I too encourage you to not push it and get well. We want you around here for a long time!

--TM

 

[Ontario Diver]

First - I'm really sorry to hear about your accident. I hope that you get well real soon.

I'm not a doctor/therapist etc etc. Only a fair bit of first aid and sports med stuff - but I seem to remember that it is 6-8 weeks before any herniated disk patient is expected to return to full activity. You might find that amount of head movement while diving may be too much. Things like back roll entries and holding your head up during the dive might be too much.

Don't rush into it - I think that you are better off losing a week of diving to keep diving for the rest of your life. - But get a real Dr.s opinion.

You might want to consider seeing a Spine Dr. or a Sports Med Dr. Physical therapy is a good idea. Although I expect that the excellent docs on the board will provide there usual top-notch advice, and straighten me out.


Good luck with your recovery.

Matt

 

[rebelrph]

As a pharmacist and a diver I would also suggest a DAN recommended doctor. Has your doctor suggested that you wear a cervical collar (soft or rigid)?
If not, ask him. It may give you some relief for longer periods of time.

Hope you get a good report and get to make your trip. However, I also agree with the other's comments that it's better to wait and dive another day than to be impatient and really mess things up.

todd

 

[tracydr]

I am recovering from recent cervical diskectomy surgery and doing very well. I have been swimming with my snorkel in the pool for exercise which is great. I plan to dive around Christmas in Baja. I had surgery Aug 29.
I dove for 2 years with the problem before surgery. I found the only time I had problems is if I kept my head up instead of down for extended periods. Plus, it's hard to follow a 20 pound lifting restriction and go diving. But I gave in and had people carry my gear and had many enjoyable dives until the symptoms got so bad I needed the surgery.
I plan to have someone throw my BC/tank in the water and don it there so I don't have to lift the tank. Plus I dive with a shorty tank which is much lighter and only 8-10 pounds on my weight belt. Good luck!

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

Scubabunny, TexasMike, Ontario Diver, et al.....

Your kind words and encouragement mean very much to me!

I did email DAN to find out about docs in my area. Unfortunately Kansas isn't a diving hotspot so we only have 4 physicians in this area and they are all ER docs. I would have to play my odds and show up in one of those ER's and hope to get to see one of the docs on DAN's list.

I would be willing to ride (Jeff would have to drive any extended period because of my neck) to St Louis, Oklahoma City or some other larger town if I thought there might be a diving neurologist there. Maybe someone on the board knows of one!

I am taking it slow. My birthday is next week and rather than a group of 15 couples having diner at a resturant and then going out we have decided to have a pillow party in our basement. Everyone is suppose to bring a pillow and we are going to move out the furniture and everyone is going to watch classic movies by laying on the floor since that is the most comfortable position for me. We do offer a 53 inch HDTV and surround sound for those who think I am torturing people. I just really still wanted to see everyone and didn't want my stupid accident to make me miss my birthday.

I go back to the Dr on Dec 7th so I am going to defer making a yes or no decision on my trip until then. I talked to him yesterday on the phone because he called to follow up on my last injection and he said that I should start feeling much better by early next week from his past experience. I have my fingers crossed!

I will keep you all posted,
KC_Scubabunny

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by KC_Scubabunny
I did email DAN to find out about docs in my area. Unfortunately Kansas isn't a diving hotspot so we only have 4 physicians in this area and they are all ER docs. I would have to play my odds and show up in one of those ER's and hope to get to see one of the docs on DAN's list.

Perhaps try to reach the ER Docs via "normal" channels (through the switchboard) and see if you can't get some time with them outside of their ER schedule. This way it's an office visit rather than an ER visit (insurance wise)

I am taking it slow. My birthday is next week and rather than a group of 15 couples having diner at a resturant and then going out we have decided to have a pillow party in our basement.

What a cool idea! I gotta remember that one.

 

[artsprite]

If you think there is any way at all that you will be forced to file a lawsuit against the other driver in this accident, then I suggest you re-think going on the trip. I know from past experience with accident lawsuits, that everything you do that contradicts the seriousness of your injuries WILL come back to haunt you. This might even keep an atty. from wanting to pursue your case, or to settle for less money.

I am not a lawyer and I'm not giving you legal advice, but you should document every medical expense and do everything you can to get the proper treatment for your injury. If you have continued problems with pain and limited function from the injury, the fact that you went scuba diving would not support your claims. I would suggest you talk to an atty. to find out just what it would mean.

I do hope you have a complete recovery, and I'm sorry to hear about your injuries. I wish you well.