We're trying to figure out how to approach diving after an 'undeserved' DCS hit in Cozumel a few months ago. My husband spent 9 hours in the chamber (one 5hr ride + two 2-hr rides) after experiencing severe vertigo several hours after diving. Much of the vertigo was gone after oxygen. He was 95% recovered after the hyperbaric treatments. He was 100% within a couple weeks of returning home.
Both the hyperbaric doc in Coz and the one he saw when we got home said he could continue diving but should be more conservative. We now think he had one or two episodes of skin bends on previous dive trips. He also has a lifelong history of migraines, with occasional aura, which is often associated with PFOs. So I'm pretty convinced he has a small PFO. But the simple test for a PFO didn't show a problem. He did not get the definitive PFO test as that is more invasive. He's 73 YO, so even if he had a PFO, he wouldn't have it repaired as the surgery has some risk. My question to others who have been down this path at this age-- what are your limits? Do you still dive in remote locations like Raja Ampat? Do you still go do dive boat trips? Or should we avoid going too far afield?
We were already conservative divers and have always followed all the rules to a T. Based on the doctor's recommendations, we are now doing longer safety stops (5+ minutes), shorter dives (50 minutes), shallower dives (max 60'), super slow ascents, diving Nitrox (but setting our computers to O2), only doing 2 dives per day, taking a day off every few days, being extra careful about hydration, not doing any exercise post-dive (not even climbing the ladder with gear on), & no warm showers, etc. We will hire private guides to make sure we can dive the profile we need. My husband is in good physical shape, is normal weight, swims or exercises 5-7x per week and doesn't drink. He has logged 300 dives, with most of those in the past 5 years. We'd like to continue diving a few more years but want to figure out the safest way to do it.
We just got back from a dive trip in Loreto/ Baja. They didn't have Nitrox so we just did super shallow dives-- 30-50'. We did 2 dives per day/ 4 days in a row. No problems. We have an upcoming trip to the Maldives. We are hiring private guides to insure that we can tailor the dives to our needs.
I would love to hear others' experiences after DCS and how they choose where they dive and what boundaries they have adopted. We would love to go back to Fiji, Raja Ampat, French Polynesia, western Australia, but don't want to be too far from a chamber. Any advice would be appreciated.
Both the hyperbaric doc in Coz and the one he saw when we got home said he could continue diving but should be more conservative. We now think he had one or two episodes of skin bends on previous dive trips. He also has a lifelong history of migraines, with occasional aura, which is often associated with PFOs. So I'm pretty convinced he has a small PFO. But the simple test for a PFO didn't show a problem. He did not get the definitive PFO test as that is more invasive. He's 73 YO, so even if he had a PFO, he wouldn't have it repaired as the surgery has some risk. My question to others who have been down this path at this age-- what are your limits? Do you still dive in remote locations like Raja Ampat? Do you still go do dive boat trips? Or should we avoid going too far afield?
We were already conservative divers and have always followed all the rules to a T. Based on the doctor's recommendations, we are now doing longer safety stops (5+ minutes), shorter dives (50 minutes), shallower dives (max 60'), super slow ascents, diving Nitrox (but setting our computers to O2), only doing 2 dives per day, taking a day off every few days, being extra careful about hydration, not doing any exercise post-dive (not even climbing the ladder with gear on), & no warm showers, etc. We will hire private guides to make sure we can dive the profile we need. My husband is in good physical shape, is normal weight, swims or exercises 5-7x per week and doesn't drink. He has logged 300 dives, with most of those in the past 5 years. We'd like to continue diving a few more years but want to figure out the safest way to do it.
We just got back from a dive trip in Loreto/ Baja. They didn't have Nitrox so we just did super shallow dives-- 30-50'. We did 2 dives per day/ 4 days in a row. No problems. We have an upcoming trip to the Maldives. We are hiring private guides to insure that we can tailor the dives to our needs.
I would love to hear others' experiences after DCS and how they choose where they dive and what boundaries they have adopted. We would love to go back to Fiji, Raja Ampat, French Polynesia, western Australia, but don't want to be too far from a chamber. Any advice would be appreciated.
