Diving after major surgery

[Misplaced Priority]

I'm 44yrs old and have been diving since I was 16. I recently underwent a major abdominal surgery to repair a paraesophageal hernia. My question is, do you think it will be safe for me to dive again after I get all my strength back? I was wondering if breathing compressed air would somehow stress the diaphram repair and cause a recurrent hernia. My instinct says no because compressed air goes into your lungs not your stomach. But I just want to make sure. I NEVER WANT TO REPEAT THIS SURGERY

 

[Dr Deco]

Hi Missplaced:

I agree that the air in your lungs will not affect the hernia.

Let us see what the medical folks have to say about this.

 

[fisherdvm]

I guess I would be more concern of heart burn. The esophageal sphincter might not work well, and you might ingest alot of air while you dive, aggravating the acid reflux.

As far as the strenght of the surgical repair, the concern will be more on the top. The weight of carrying your gear in rough sea could increase abdominal pressure and cause disruption of an early healing repair. Check with your surgeon on his/her limit on your ability to lift.

 

[TSandM]

You need time for everything to heal.

Assuming the operation was the standard, replacement of the stomach in the abdomen and simple repair of the diaphragmatic opening, there is no reason why you should not be able to return to diving.

Even if a fundoplication was done to secure the stomach, as long as you don't develop any complications (gas bloat syndrome) from it, you should be able to return to diving.

The healing period would be a minimum of several months, however, perhaps as much as six.

Please note that this is not a specific individual prescription, but general medical advice on the topic.