Diver accident in Michigan

[nauidiver2004]

SUPER!!! Glad to hear the good news.

Ken

 

[Vtdiver2]

Maggi was released from the hospital on Sunday and is home again. She is still very weak but is able to get up and around by herself. Her memory is good, she just doesn't remember anything for the 3 days preceeding the accident. The doctors say that based on the rapid recovery they believe that her blood oxygen level never dropped to critical levels, her brain cells were O2 starved but didn't get to the point where they started dying off wholesale. So the overall effect now is the same as a severe concussion without the headache. We are going to look into some physical therapy to help her regain her wind and strength next.

Now we venture into the next chapter of this saga, paying for the accident. Luckily I have pretty good health insurance and also we both have DAN preferred insurance. It will be interesting to see how much this ordeal ends up costing and how much comes out-of-pocket. Either way it doesn't matter, I've got her back!

Thanks to everyone for their comments, prayers and wishes. She has enjoyed reading this thread and hearing from so many people. She has decided that she is not going to return to cold water diving and will stick strictly to the warm waters from now on for diving. I whole-heartedly agreed with her on this decision!

Bob

Thanks for the update Bob, best wishes to you and Maggi
Chris

 

[Snowbear]

The rocket ascent hijack has been split from this thread. It can be found by clicking here.

 

[DandyDon]

The rocket ascent hijack has been split from this thread. It can be found by clicking here.

Thank you!!!

 

[Wreck]

Since you also use your lips to hold the regulator and with cold water the lips numb up pretty quick. So if you aren't also biting down on the bite tabs it is fairly easy to have the reg pop out when you turn your head. I've almost had it happen to me a few times when we are diving in <40 degree water (regular temperature occurrance around here) and have to mentally remind myself to bite down harder.

Apeks regs have an extra piece the fits up behind the teeth. I've had my lips completely loose feeling but never felt like I was going to loose my reg. I've tried a few other regs where I think it would be much easier to drop it though. I have a little TMJ so biting down in cold water can cause me a bit of pain in the joints.

I dive with a long hose on my primary, but always twist my head to the extreme left with it i place before jumping in to make sure it doesn't want to tug out. I've had the hose grip on other stuff and nearly pull the reg out of my mouth.

I've had to puke through my reg a few times before at depth. The first thought in my mind was not letting the reg fall out of my mouth in the process, aside from making sure I didn't inhale any back in. I've had to swallow some sea water down my throat before but I'm sure inhaling some icey-cold water would feel very different.

Glad your wife is doing better all the time, and hope you can both share the magic of exploring underwater again at some point in the future. Thanks for posting your experience!

 

[HMaren]

Since you also use your lips to hold the regulator and with cold water the lips numb up pretty quick. So if you aren't also biting down on the bite tabs it is fairly easy to have the reg pop out when you turn your head. I've almost had it happen to me a few times when we are diving in <40 degree water (regular temperature occurrance around here) and have to mentally remind myself to bite down harder. I didn't see her regulator fall out, I just saw her grabbing it and replacing the reg. This has happened before and she has told me afterwards that her lips were numb enough that she couldn't really 'feel' the regulator and didn't realize that she wasn't clamping down hard enough.
Bob

I'm new to this, but I've experienced a few different mouthpieces that really secure it in your mouth, and some that don't by being too flimsy or leading to jaw fatigue. My teacher has extra-wide wings on his reg. It's not easy to get into your mouth, so it's not easy to have it fall out or get knocked out. Aqua-Lung has several mouthpieces that work, I think. The Comfobite is quite ergonomic. They also make several mouthpieces with lip shields specifically designed to keep the lips warm, thereby reducing numbness.

There are a lot of "bells and whistles" in the world of dive gear. Some of it holds no function other than to appeal to divers as Gearheads. Sometimes it looks neat AND really works. The more you tailor your gear to the type of diving you do, the more prepared you can be for environment-specific situations.

I wish Maggi a full and speedy recovery. Bob did an amazing job, and should be commended, not only for his in-water actions, but for coming out and sharing his and Maggi's story with us. If anything good can come out of such a terrifying incident, it's that it will encourage all of us to be more aware of what can go wrong on a dive, and to think about what we can do if it does.

 

[Butch103]

Glad to hear of Maggi's recovery. Bless the both of you.

 

[Wbsmiles]

So glad to hear of Maggie's recovery. Slow and easy Maggie, and think of the warm waters of the Caribbean waiting for you...

 

[DandyDon]

So glad to hear of Maggie's recovery. Slow and easy Maggie, and think of the warm waters of the Caribbean waiting for you...

That's a very nice first post for a kinda' new member. You are welcome to drop in on Introductions so we can welcome you appropriately...

 

[bobmaggi]

HI there. . . this is Maggi here. I would like to thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts this last month. I am overwhelmed by the number of people who really care. I don't think that will ever sink in. I still don't remember anything about the accident or the day before, and that is a good thing! I am so proud of my husband. . . he is the hero here! I am so happy he is current on his CPR skills!

I am getting stronger every day. My latest chest xray shows I am improving. I am going to physical therapy 3 times a week and that is helping a lot to get my strength and stamina back. I am driving short distances with my husband's automatic car (mine is a manual and we don't think I'm ready for that, yet). Most places I need to go are within 5 miles from our home anyway.

Please remember that life is so precious. . . please live your life to the fullest!

Take care and thanks so much again. God bless. Maggi