Diving saved my wife's life

[RIHappyDiver]

Not that we’ve interacted that much, but I’ve been wondering where you’ve been. I’m sorry to hear that it was such a traumatic event that has had you missing, but I’m tremendously relieved to hear that it ended in a positive result. I’m also glad to hear that your training kicked in and you were able to use that training to achieve that positive result.
Enjoy the new hobby that you will share with her, and the time you’ll spend together doing it!

Erik

 

[Anbaric Cog]

Wow. Very glad she’s okay. Very scary how quickly your life can change completely

Sorry you can’t dive anymore, but saving her seems worth the price

Even when I can’t get in the water, lurking here makes me feel good. We’ve all shared the wonder beneath the waves

Both of you take care

 

[Pressurehead]

It wouldn’t feel right to go on exotic dive trips without her, so we’re both stepping away from diving.

Sorry to hear your wife had to give up diving , and well done on the CPR.
I now have an AED in the house
My wife also had to give up diving due to a debilitating illness, with no cure.
Only my situation is different, my wife insisted I continue diving, as an example, I am on my way to Bali and while I am away I have a carer [ a close friend to my wife and I] stay with her for the 10 days while I am away.
It is hard I know, but my fantastic wife found a way.

Edit: I have done CPR for real twice in my life , first time we brought a young guy back [2 of us, and we were young and fit], 2nd time, worked on my next door neighbour [52 years old] for 25 min until the ambos arrived, this was few years ago, he did not make it.

I digress.
I hope it all works out.

 

[Bingo13]

Thank you for sharing and Godspeed to you and yours!

 

[Sascha314]

I am on the one hand sorry for this to hsppen to you. But on the other hand I am really glad, that you could save her life.

Despite I take a cpr course, last one about a month ago, I have luckily never been in this situation. I am really afraid, if I would be able to recognize and react like you did. Great job!

My neighbour did the same for his wife during the night, but she had an aneurysm in her head which bursted (is that the right terminology?), and he saved her life.

So I think besides taking a regular cpr course, one should frequently remind and visualize important steps.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'm glad that everything worked out the way it has. Yes it's sad that you two will be missing diving.

There are so many things to still enjoy and places to go! Have you been to Machu Picchu? Have you seen the Iguazu Falls? Angkor Wat?

Or more simply, bird watching?

 

[34109411]

I've finally worked up the courage to share an incident that led Jennifer and I to stop diving. While I mentioned it to Pete some time ago, posting about it publicly has been unexpectedly hard.

Last February, right after Jennifer and I went to bed, her heart stopped. Thankfully, she made a strange sound when it happened, which prompted me to check on her. She wasn’t breathing, and I couldn’t feel a pulse. Fortunately, I’d taken DAN first aid, CPR, and other courses. I called 911, moved her to the floor, and performed CPR for a few minutes until the paramedics arrived. They used an AED to get her heart beating again, though her pulse was very irregular and low, and her heart stopped six more times on the way to the ER.

After a week in the ICU, Jennifer was moved to a regular room. They implanted an automatic internal defibrillator and sent her home a day later. Despite every test imaginable—heart, blood, urine—the doctors couldn’t find a cause.

When she was discharged, the surgeon said she could return to normal activities, with one exception: diving. Since they don’t know what caused her heart to stop, it could happen again, and the defibrillator might not be able to save her underwater.

It wouldn’t feel right to go on exotic dive trips without her, so we’re both stepping away from diving.

I’ve made a lot of friends on Scubaboard and through group dive trips. I’ll miss you all. In fact, I already do—I’ve been avoiding the site for months, knowing I needed to post this message.

Were it not for diving, I wouldn’t have taken the CPR course, and my wife might not be here today. While I’ve heard CPR isn’t always successful, in this case, it saved her life. If you’re reading this and haven’t taken a CPR class, please consider it. You never know when you might need that skill.

With all my respect i salute you for what you have done.

I dont won't tu push you and understand the situation. If you still enjoy diving and you could you should continue to do so (if you wife agree).

Diving is a wonderful sport and maybe it stop for you wife but not for you so why not ?

Be happy with you family.

 

[kinoons]

Thank you for sharing. I am glad that you and your wife are OK, in the grand scheme of things.

When she was discharged, the surgeon said she could return to normal activities, with one exception: diving. Since they don’t know what caused her heart to stop, it could happen again, and the defibrillator might not be able to save her underwater.

I’m not sure I 100% agree with this. While it is fair to say that an unknown cause for sudden cardiac arrest is absolutely concerning, no one has a crystal ball and no one can say with any degree of certainty if or when another arrest will take place.

If you and your wife truly love diving together, the joy and exercise you get from diving may offer more health benefits than the avoidance of this perceived possible danger. This is especially true if diving isn’t replaced with another activity that offers equal enjoyment and exercise. Even more so if depression or other more destructive coping mechanisms replace diving.

In my opinion if your wife can return to a healthy active lifestyle to include athletic/physical activity without any symptoms; after some time it would be reasonable to consider diving again if you and her are willing to accept the uncertainty and accompanying risk.