Denisegg's incident and near miss at Jackson Blue

[Jax]

I promised to follow up. I spent all last night at a sleep apnea clinic hooked from head to toe with wires to access my brain, heart and lungs while I slept. I spent today at the 2nd Pulmornary's office referred by Dan with lung xrays, breathing in a chamber and walking exercises/tests to only reveal no problems with my heart or lungs and yet another blank stare. The second pulmonary specialist had never heard of IPE. He promised me he would research it and to follow up with him in two weeks.

Referred by DAN but never heard of IPE????

 

[denisegg]

As they say, the "God's honest truth". He had never heard of it. I said what about all the tests you did on me and he said "Your lungs are normal" As I walked into the facility, and saw all the the oxygen bottles and masks, my heart sank. They put me through all kinds of tests. I even believed as I breathed as hard as I could during the breathing tests that something must be wrong...but no, I am blessed. Nothing was wrong with my lungs..

 

[denisegg]

Referred by DAN but never heard of IPE????

It is true. I am not going to point fingers or name names. The doctor was very compassionate and caring, but he admitted he had sat in on chamber sessions, but he had never heard of IPE.

 

[rongoodman]

Some things are just mysterious. I had a climbing partner develop full-on pulmonary edema after only one night at 12,000 feet, followed by a night back at 7200. He ended up getting admitted overnight and then told to go back home to sea level. They never found any reason for it, and he's been climbing for years since then at similar altitudes without problem.

 

[TSandM]

Denise, IPE is rare . . . although I wonder how many undiagnosed cases there are. And I'm not surprised that they are finding nothing wrong with you, because that's the case with the majority of IPE cases that survive.

I find this particular medical entity quite frightening, because it strikes out of nowhere, strikes healthy people, does not require depth to occur, and can be lethal. And it's rare enough that we don't have a lot of information about recurrence. I don't remember having seen a report of someone getting it a second time, but that may well be because people who have had it don't dive any more.

I spent a lot of time reading up on this, when I first heard of it, because I remain convinced it may well explain some of the otherwise inexplicable diving accidents -- the ones where everything seemed to be fine, until it wasn't.

 

[denisegg]

Thank you so much. I can't help but believe the same thing as I read some of the reports of divers who did not survive but were avid divers who knew what they were doing yet for no apparent reason did not make it out. Because they died with their lungs filled with fluid, of course it appears like a panicked, disoriented drowning victim, with gas left in their tanks.
God blessed me by allowing me to live through it. I had plenty of air left in my tanks, but very little left in my lungs.

As you said rongoodman, some things are quite a mystery. Thank you for sharing the experience your friend had and the courage he had to continue doing something he is so passionate about. As my strength returns day by day and the doctors continue to release because they can find no medical reasons for what happened, I too will have to try it again.

 

[denisegg]

There is a similar incident discussed over on Yorkshire Divers today. Lynn, can you think of any mechanism which might cause pulmonary hypertension in a diver? I understand that it plays a role in high altitude pulmonary edema, but the underlying reason for it there is hypoxia.

I have questioned all the doctors I have seen, cardiologists and pulmonary, and they look at me like I am crazy. They say there is no connection, yet the study done by Duke University on this condition administered the drug given to patients who also suffered from IPE the same drug administered to patients with pulmonary hypertension that "this is not the same thing, test shows that is not what is wrong with you" The test conducted by Duke University in conjunction with DAN used the same drug which is used for pulmonary hypertension and they say """oh no, you don't know what you are talking about, it is not the same thing"""

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Denise I am so glad things are improving for you I would like to suggest that your experience and willingness to share it so openly and honestly will at some point mean the difference between life and death for someone who reads this thread! Thank you so much!

 

[denisegg]

Thank you. And thank everyone how has participated in this thread, pm'd me, called or text-ed with their concerns. I won't even try to thank each one individually who has shown compassion and concern but know each one of you how much it means to me. Your comfort, hope and encouragement gives me the strength to carry on and face this situation and once again try to sink beneath the surface and experience the unbelievable awesome experience of diving the depths of the ocean and springs that through research and technology God has opened the door to the fantasy of life to swim beyond the reaches of mankind, the soul of those who experience life beyond the reaches of mankind and for just brief moments experience the awesome reality of the depths of earth that God has made possible to those of us who so passionately reach beyond the surface to explore that which is beyond.

 

[BabyDuck]

that was lovely.

once you get to the point of deciding to continue with your diving or not, remember that 'not' is a legitimate choice, too. i'm not telling you not to dive, but if you look at the water and just can't do it, that's not shameful. dive (or not) for yourself & not because you'll disappoint your buddies.

i just want to be clear that thumbing all the rest of your dives is fine with us. and diving like a happy maniac is fine, too. i'd like to see you serene and at home in a cave, but if you find it's not your happy place for now, wait until it is.