OP
Doc Wong's Tech One Reports
- Thread starter DocWong
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rainman_02
Contributor
Doc, does this mean Beto will soon be signed off to teach T1 without a supervising instructor? If so, will you recheck with him, or if not, have to fly a T1 instructor out?
OP
DocWong
Contributor
Almost, Beto just needs to teach another Tech 1 class and get signed off by another instructor to get certified as a Tech 1 instructor! JJ was quite happy with how he conducted the class. JJ set up the 2 signatures requirement to make sure there was no favoritism when certifying instructors.
This means that after he gets that last signature, he'll be a full Tech 1 instructor!!! And he'll be able to give us our final checkout and hopefully a pass on Tech 1.
limeyx
Guest
I had the TCD done on Seattle. Total cost was $300.
It was very non-invasive (about 15 mins total.)
Supposed to be 95% as accurate as a TEE (the expensive one) and apparently most of the inaccuracies are down to improper test execution rather than the test itself being inherently inaccurate.
They do a "calibration" run to see how fast it takes bubbles to get to your heart, then make you do valsava's, breathe in/out under a bit of stress etc. and monitor the bubbles.
They do inject you, but that's the only "icky" part.
For me, they said no bubbles passed, but then I forgot to ask them if the darned thing was actually on
globaldiver
Contributor
Nice work Doc,
I also had the fortune to have JJ (including the other great instructors; Rhea, Marshall, and Lorenzo) in my Tech I class a couple of years ago. It was a real pleasure and eye opener to discover how phenomenally good some divers are, but also how intelligent this system really is. I never before fully understood how high of a standard GUE demands, and what a vast amount of time and effort these instructors must have spent to get where they are.
After an initial provisional pass, a few more months of continued hard training, we went back to finish the class, and it was first then that I felt that the pieces were in place.
Anders
I also had the fortune to have JJ (including the other great instructors; Rhea, Marshall, and Lorenzo) in my Tech I class a couple of years ago. It was a real pleasure and eye opener to discover how phenomenally good some divers are, but also how intelligent this system really is. I never before fully understood how high of a standard GUE demands, and what a vast amount of time and effort these instructors must have spent to get where they are.
After an initial provisional pass, a few more months of continued hard training, we went back to finish the class, and it was first then that I felt that the pieces were in place.
Anders
OP
DocWong
Contributor
I had the TCD done on Seattle. Total cost was $300.
It was very non-invasive (about 15 mins total.)
Supposed to be 95% as accurate as a TEE (the expensive one) and apparently most of the inaccuracies are down to improper test execution rather than the test itself being inherently inaccurate.
They do a "calibration" run to see how fast it takes bubbles to get to your heart, then make you do valsava's, breathe in/out under a bit of stress etc. and monitor the bubbles.
They do inject you, but that's the only "icky" part.
For me, they said no bubbles passed, but then I forgot to ask them if the darned thing was actually on
The TCD (Trans Cranial Doppler) will show if there is any shunt which can be PFO or pulmonary shunt which I believe is an advantage. It being non-invasive and cheap makes it my choice. If I can find a place to do it in the SF Bay Area for $300, I'll get it done next week just for good measure!
Where did you go to get it done? What specialty did it?
OP
DocWong
Contributor
Nice work Doc,
I also had the fortune to have JJ (including the other great instructors; Rhea, Marshall, and Lorenzo) in my Tech I class a couple of years ago. It was a real pleasure and eye opener to discover how phenomenally good some divers are, but also how intelligent this system really is. I never before fully understood how high of a standard GUE demands, and what a vast amount of time and effort these instructors must have spent to get where they are.
After an initial provisional pass, a few more months of continued hard training, we went back to finish the class, and it was first then that I felt that the pieces were in place.
Anders
I agree, that is what impressed me too, how well thought out this system is! I hope to follow in your footsteps and get that final pass too!
It sucks but is probably worth it in the long run. The cardio doc was a bit paranoid when I had mine done years ago because he knew why I was doing it since the hyparbaric doc came down to watch. So, he mumbled about how it was fully closed and never opened but it was possible that a bubble or two may have gotten through out of the several 100k they pump in you. So I did the TEE as well. It took my throat few weeks to fully heal but not that big a deal in the scheme of things. Also keep in mind that that PFOs put you at risk for the Type II nasty stuff and getting hit with a Type I doesn't really have anything to do with whether or not you have PFO.
jjones9527
Contributor
Congrats on the provisional for T1, its definatley a ton of dedication and hard work that goes into it. As for the PFO testing, I went through the whole ordeal of researching it and trying to get answers on which test was the best, which to get, etc. After consulting with my Doc, who turned out to also be a diving Doc for the military, he sent me for the Echo Cardiogram. Basically they probed around the chest with an ultrasound probe, and could see pressure differences on the monitor to see if anything was passing through. Its supposedly the least reliable test, but since I've had no hits or other symptoms, and a diving Doc sent me for it, I'm pretty content.
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