How to get cert on 50-100% without doing deco/deep dive??

[ianr33]

If I recall, TDI has an online advance nitrox course.

I believe you recall incorrectly.

 

[FoxHound]

I believe you recall incorrectly.

half and half actually, just looked it up, you can do the classroom portion online:

https://www.tdisdi.com/userportal/online_training/index.php?course=TDI&courseID=15

 

[GrimSleeper]

After a hit of SkinDCS, our local hyperbaric doc told med that a connection has been seen between PFO and Skinbends with rash and bluespots on thorax. I Have been cleared to dive, and because of other potentially contributing factors (I stopped a course of antibiotics the day before the dive) we agreed to not test for PFO unless it happens again. (Or I change my mind..) However, I was told there is a very real risk that I might have it, and hence I really want to limit bubbles as much as possible

Without wanting to sound harsh, WHY ON EARTH, HAVING BEEN TOLD YOU MIGHT WELL HAVE A PFO THAT MIGHT WELL HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO YOU GETTING BENT, WOULD YOU NOT HAVE A TEST FOR IT?

A Trans-Thoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) is not hugely uncomfortable and is a fairly quick procedure - I speak from experience. I'm told that a Trans-Esophageal Echo (TEE) is a little more invasive, since they have to stick the sensor down your throat, but it gives a more definite answer if a TTE suggests there might be a PFO but isn't definitive.

If you do have a PFO, you are not just risking a skin bend. I know of two people who have ended up with neurological bends as a consequence of a PFO opening up at the wrong moment, both of them actually on fairly shallow dives. Yes, breathing higher fO2 gasses will lessen your N2 loading, but unless you dive on 100% oxygen there is always the risk of inert gas bubbles. I was actually quite disappointed when a TTE showed absolutely no sign of a PFO, as it meant there was no easy explanation for my bend when I got hit. A hole can be fixed. A wheelchair, which is where a neuro or spinal hit can leave you, is for life.

 

[tursiops]

TDI Adv Nitrox requires four dives with a minimum total bottom time of 100 minutes. No depth requirements.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[wedivebc]

I think there are lots of ways to dive conservitively without carrying around a tank of oxygen.
I also believe about 1/3 of all divers have a PFO and most don't experience any DCS symptoms.

 

[Bombay High]

Without wanting to sound harsh, WHY ON EARTH, HAVING BEEN TOLD YOU MIGHT WELL HAVE A PFO THAT MIGHT WELL HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO YOU GETTING BENT, WOULD YOU NOT HAVE A TEST FOR IT?

.

I have to agree with Grim here. Do the test, get it clear and then put it out of your mind.

I was a Diver in Norway for a few years, based in Stavanger. I would not classify it as the easiest place in the world to dive. The cold, the currents, the crazy North Sea ... I would want to rule a PFO out - one less thing to think about.

 

[vladimir]

After a hit of SkinDCS, our local hyperbaric doc told med that a connection has been seen between PFO and Skinbends with rash and bluespots on thorax. I Have been cleared to dive, and because of other potentially contributing factors (I stopped a course of antibiotics the day before the dive) we agreed to not test for PFO unless it happens again. (Or I change my mind..) However, I was told there is a very real risk that I might have it, and hence I really want to limit bubbles as much as possible

Every diver has "a very real risk" that he has a PFO, and about 25% of divers actually do have one. Most dive without ever developing DCS symptoms. But limiting bubbles is always a good idea. Here is a good discussion among some knowledgeable experts:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ask-dr-decompression/375167-cost-pfo-testing.html

On the subjects of PFOs and PFO testing, searching the posts of those thread participants (debersole, Duke Dive Medicine, DocVikingo, and Dr. Deco) will be far more useful than the input you're likely to get here. (Not to disparage any of the posts thus far.)

 

[GrimSleeper]

The difference between the OP and the discussion you reference, Vladimir, is that the OP has actually taken a DCS hit for which presumably - or this discussion wouldn't be happening - there is no obvious explanation in terms of dive profile. That's hardly the same as someone asking about being tested for a PFO before taking tech classes when they have never had any reason to suspect a problem. My response to the latter question would be much the same as the responses in that discussion.

Yes, approximately 25-30% of people have a PFO and it is very rarely a problem. But wouldn't you want to eliminate one (however remote) possible cause of an otherwise unexplained hit? I know I did. So did the doctors who did my TTE. And since the OP lives in Norway, I suspect that cost of testing would not be the issue it is under a health system such as the US's.

 

[vladimir]

The difference between the OP and the discussion you reference, Vladimir, is that the OP has actually taken a DCS hit for which presumably

Yes, I realize that, though I think your presumptions might be, uh, presumptuous. But yes, it is an important distinction, one I consciously chose not to belabor because it seemed obvious, and because the point of my post was to direct the OP to more expert opinions. I did take the trouble to put that little disclaimer in, to try to make clear that I wasn't taking issue with any of the posts in this thread.

 

[GrimSleeper]

Didn't feel taken issue with, Vladimir, just felt it important to point out that the opinions were being offered in a different context, as you also say. And, yes, I may well be presumpting regarding cause, he said, inventing a really ugly word.