Denisegg's incident and near miss at Jackson Blue

[bowlofpetunias]

Wishing you a speedy recovery and some reassuring answers :consolation:

Thanks for turning your event into a positive learning experience for so many!

 

[pamawi]

Denise, I'm so glad you are okay and thank you for sharing your experience with us. Rest up and feel better soon!

 

[santafejoe]

Glad your ok Denise.

 

[Saltwater Junky]

Wow close call. Thanks for sharing and am glad you're okay.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Thanks for the report Denise - I am so very thankful that *you* are the one writing up your adventure! Must have been some more naturally scary.
Please keep us posted on any information that surfaces that may shed some light on what may have initiated it.
As DAN's write-up on IPE leaves the door wide open to "anyone can have it any time for no apparent reason" it's a scary condition indeed. Thinking back on the event, what do you think was the earliest indication that things weren't exactly right? Is there anything we should be particularly sensitive to, to help recognize IPE early should one of us be so unfortunate sometime in the future?
Any lessons from your first aid & subsequent treatment?
--
Prayer lamp remains lit for your complete, rapid recovery & return to diving.
Rick

 

[TSandM]

We had a local lady, who I believe is in her 50's and an avid and very active cold water diver, who had an episode of IPE. I don't know how many lifetime dives she has, but it's a lot. She, if I remember correctly, is hypertensive, and had missed a couple of doses of her meds.

IPE is not a volume overload condition, as congestive heart failure in some patients can be. It's a volume redistribution problem, where some phenomenon centralizes intravascular volume to the point where the heart can't cope with it. There may also be a membrane leak component to the problem, causing fluid to exude into the airspaces where they normally would not. I have been very interested in this problem since I first read of it, because I wonder how many "unexplained" diving deaths might well have been IPE cases. What I can say is that it's poorly understood, not predictable, and you can't even say very much of use to someone who has suffered an episode, as to whether they should or should not do any further diving.

The only thing I can say is that, if you are diving and have chest pressure or unusual shortness of breath, get out of there, and do it as expeditiously as is safe.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Wow...so sorry you went through this and relieved that you're on the mend.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Glad you are on the mend. Thanks for the report.

 

[denisegg]

To answer some of the questions posed, I did have some swelling in my abdominal region and the thyroid medicine as well as large doses of vitamin D3 was administered by the doctor I have been seeing for this condition to relieve this but had not really helped. The first initial onset was coughing, but it did not occur until I reached a depth of around 90ft. I have never coughed under water. It was a continuous, violent cough that continued after surfacing and for several hours. I had no chest pain. It did not feel like anything was wrong with my heart. My lungs hurt and I kept saying it is not my heart, it is something to do with my lungs. They are still sore from the exertion to try to breathe. I had no chest cold or congestion prior to the dive and after my lungs were finally cleared of the excess fluid there was no signs of any embolism or any other problem. My blood pressure rose to around 148/98. The cardiologist was as perplexed as I was. He didn't seem to believe that the blood pressure or elevation in heart enzymes was anything but a response to what I was experiencing. Before leaving the hospital, he looked me straight in the eyes and said "There is nothing wrong with your heart or lungs. I am not familiar with dive related incidences and you need to follow up with someone who is."
The initial reaction by onlookers and the first response team was that I had had a heart attack. I had just had a routine screening less than a year ago and actually scored very high that I would not likely die of a heart attack within at least the next 10 years. At the beginning when I was told I had had a heart attack I thought, I am going back to that doctor and tell him how useless the screening was. I lay there with tears in my eyes determined to do whatever it took to recover, just as I was determined to get out of that cave on Sunday. I did evaluate my situation the whole way out of the cave as my ability to breathe was slipping away. My life did not flash before my eyes, I did not panic and I did not stop. I focused on the one thing that would save me, getting out of the cave and back to land. I was pained to see the labor to breathe continued on surface and for quite some time.
The only thing that the doctors could find wrong with me was the elevation in my thyroid level. I had no idea I had this, but I will get it under control through the help of the doctors involved.
So many people lended their encouragement and support.
I especially want to thank my dive buddy David who helped me to get my sidemount rig and dry suit off and gave orders to the onlookers to help in achieving this and to the group of cave divers on site who came and visited me at the hospital. I know of at least 10 who did so.
I also want to thank Edd at Cave Adventurers for closing his shop early on July 4th for him and Jimmy to drive to Dothan to check on me.
I also want to thank Rob Neto who works at the hospital in Dothan who came by everyday and discussed the tests that were done that day and explained in detail what everything meant and has offered to work with me upon my recovery to slowly get back into the water and be there for me should another problem arise.
And I want to thank everyone here who have offered support, concern and prayers. All of you truly are an awesome group of people.
Diving has to be in my future as it is such a passion in my life. I will take some time off to recover, to follow up with my current doctors and to visit the specialists I was referred to and I will definitely take up the kind offer of Rob as well as others like Kevin who have said they would dive with me in the future in a controlled environment so that we can evaluate the situation and try to determine if it will come back again as soon as I return to the water.

 

[joystershell]

Wow Denise, what a scare! So glad to hear that you made it out okay. And hope that the doctors figure this out. I know that you must be anxious to put this behind you and continue diving. But please, not until you are completely ready, I don't want to read about a sequel.