Diver recovers from 10/2004 accident

[Archangel]

Go Girl Go!

Much love and thank you for the inspiration. . . Im gonna go hug my kids,

Tevis

 

[TheHobster]

I had posted on another thread and mentioned about losing my sis to complications from a kidney transplant. Received a note from Kristina asking what happened and she mentioned her accident. All I can say is WOW - amazing toughness, faith, and medical personnel - as a former SoCal diver, I know the left coast can be challenging to dive; and to suffer a head injury and have the water take you out like it appears happened, is shocking

so I asked her if she knew how to find opld postings as I wanted to see what I had said about my sis, which I did - then out of curiosity I looked up her posts to see about her accident - good thing it's Sunday morning as many times as I said Oh My God!

BUT, to recover and then go diving again is incredible; I think for a few days my arthritis won't hurt so much, and I will have to ride my bike, walk the dog etc like I know I should -

Kristina, I hope I meet you in person someday so I can maybe be infused with your toughness and faith - you have restored my faith that there truly are Americans out there looking for more than a handout

 

[pacificgal]

Thanks, Hobster. Not sure whether it's bravado or what, but since I can't remember the accident I have no unusual fear of the water. I do remember the 4 months in the hospital though, and that wasn't anything I would want to experience again.
I did something dumb in the dive pool yesterday and am starting to rethink my readiness to dive. I inflated my BCD and tossed it into the pool. I had my fins on the side of the pool, then I jumped into the pool with my weight belt on, no BCD, no fins. Sunk to the bottom like a stone. Swam up from 10 ft. with 18 pounds around my waist, coughing, sputtering. Makes me worried about my upcoming dive trip off a boat in Monterey Sunday. Maybe I did sustain some brain damage? Dumb, dumb dumb...

 

[alaity47]

Then again, we've all done moronic things at least once... See this thread for some entertaining reading.

Chalk it up as a mistake you won't be making again.

 

[Missdirected]

Thanks, Hobster. Not sure whether it's bravado or what, but since I can't remember the accident I have no unusual fear of the water. I do remember the 4 months in the hospital though, and that wasn't anything I would want to experience again.
I did something dumb in the dive pool yesterday and am starting to rethink my readiness to dive. I inflated my BCD and tossed it into the pool. I had my fins on the side of the pool, then I jumped into the pool with my weight belt on, no BCD, no fins. Sunk to the bottom like a stone. Swam up from 10 ft. with 18 pounds around my waist, coughing, sputtering. Makes me worried about my upcoming dive trip off a boat in Monterey Sunday. Maybe I did sustain some brain damage? Dumb, dumb dumb...

Have you gotten your transplant yet?

 

[ItsBruce]

So you swam up with 18 pounds and no find!? IMHO, you're ready to dive. I doubt I could swim with that much weight without fins. Needless to say, we're all behind you. All the best.

 

[Jcsgt]

I admire your determination and courage! Thanks for posting this, I really needed something to smile about. This is wonderful.

 

[MontereyCADiver]

What an insprational story! You rock!

 

[TheHobster]

Swam up from 10 ft. with 18 pounds around my waist, coughing, sputtering. Makes me worried about my upcoming dive trip off a boat in Monterey Sunday. Maybe I did sustain some brain damage? Dumb, dumb dumb...

Swam w/18 lbs? That takes swim skill. But, as an instructor two comments:

1. What the heck are you doing in a pool w/18 lbs? You did not mentiona a wetsuit. What were you wearing or no wetsuit? That seems way too much for a pool. Also, to try that hard to get to the surface seems like you had too much on;

2. Ask ANY experienced diver the boneheaded things they have done and you will get 2 or 3 things per person; forgetting weight belt, forgetting fins/mask/etc, air not on, leaving important gear at home, and these are just the ones I can remember I did!

Don't sweat it, I have learned to "modularize" and I grab my modules and go. If there is anything still in the box, I forgot something!

 

[pacificgal]

I usually dive with 20 pounds of lead and a 5/7 mm full wetsuit and hooded vest. I wasn't wearing my wetsuit in the pool, and forgot that I would have to take out weight. I was planning on switching the weight from the weight belt to my new BCD, so wasn't planning on wearing it for long. As I was struggling to reach the surface I considered dropping the weight belt, so at least I was still thinking. Yeah, bad move.
I have not gotten a transplant yet, and won't pursue it any further for another 2 years. My husband is in school and we just aren't ready yet financially or emotionally for me to be out of work again for another 3 months. I can wait. I have dialysis twice a week for an hour and a half, and it's not so bad. I am doing pretty well on dialysis.
I read the other things that people have done, and so I don't feel so bad, I guess we all have momentary lapses of good judgement or sense.
It's now 10:35 pm and I am going diving in the morning, I have all my gear packed up in the car (I hope my SPG works). When I used it in the pool on Thursday it wouldn't work at first, registered 0, the LDS owner knocked it once and it started working. I brought it back on Friday to have it checked out again and it was working.
Do those things sometime stick if not used for a few months?
Well, wish me luck!