Now what do I do?

[carldarl]

Just got told by my doctor today I have to have shoulder surgery the first week of May. No diving for 3 months. May, June and July are now gone. Kapoot... I've been trying physical therapy but to no avail. I have a torn ligamant that attaches the bicept muscle to my shoulder. It isn't safe to dive with it as it is very painfull and limits my movement. If I got into trouble I'd be screwed and unable to help myself or a buddy in case of an emergency.

So... here i sit.

New Transpac II (Never wet)
New DUI weight system (Never wet)
New HP120's (Never wet)
New Spring straps (Never wet)
New season (Never wet)

Oh well... I guess I'll have to live vicariously (sp?) through all of you here on SB.

 

[TSandM]

Sorry to hear this . . . but get the surgery done ASAP, so your return to the water is as early as possible.

I didn't tear my biceps tendon, but I had horrible biceps tendonitis. I'm sure you will feel much better after the repair.

 

[PerroneFord]

Snorkel.

 

[IwakuniDiver]

That truly sucks.

when I had my wisdom teeth taken out and I was told I couldn't dive for a week I was distraught. If I was told I couldn't splash for 3 months, I'd probably just put myself in an alcohol-induced coma.

Good luck with the physical therapy. Take it slow so you can get back in the water ASAP!

 

[Rick Inman]

Just got told by my doctor today I have to have shoulder surgery the first week of May. No diving for 3 months. May, June and July are now gone. Kapoot... I've been trying physical therapy but to no avail. I have a torn ligamant that attaches the bicept muscle to my shoulder. It isn't safe to dive with it as it is very painfull and limits my movement. If I got into trouble I'd be screwed and unable to help myself or a buddy in case of an emergency.

So... here i sit.

New Transpac II (Never wet)
New DUI weight system (Never wet)
New HP120's (Never wet)
New Spring straps (Never wet)
New season (Never wet)

Oh well... I guess I'll have to live vicariously (sp?) through all of you here on SB.

Well... seeing as you are my next door neighbor in Idaho, and because everyone knows that if the gear stays dry it goes bad, you can go ahead and send it over to me and I'll take care of it for you.

No problem, friend, I got your back on this!

 

[neonstingray]

Rick I could swear this isn't the first post where I've seen you try to convince someone to send you their gear so you could test it or take care of it. I think the last thing I saw you trying to land was that new oxychew wing. Has any helpless diver yet fallen prey to your dubious efforts?

Austin

 

[El Orans]

How about a cyber dive :cyborg: this afternoon?

 

[Rick Inman]

Rick I could swear this isn't the first post where I've seen you try to convince someone to send you their gear so you could test it or take care of it. I think the last thing I saw you trying to land was that new oxychew wing. Has any helpless diver yet fallen prey to your dubious efforts?

Austin

:54:

 

[alpaj]

I'm not a doctor but I would imagine the problem lies not with the diving itself but with the lugging of equipement at the surface. I would give it a month of tender love and care and then find a slave to get your stuff together at the surface. NOTE: this is what I would do. Having experience in climbing tendon issues, I have to say that if you screw it up while it is healing it will be three times as difficult to heal subsequently. The Diving part itself isn't really all that hard on you biceps muscle. Depending on which head it is you might have difficulty with shoulder straps putting pressure on it. Is it completly torn off??? Because then you should be having surgery right away. This leads me to believe that it isn't detatched from your bone. Torn ligaments hurt like HELL. So I would take the 3 month time period with a grain of salt. Doctors often give time frames for general physical activity because they obviously can't memorize the stress factors for each different activity.

 

[carldarl]

Thanks everyone.

It is indeed the weight of the tanks the surgeon is worried about. The treatment plan is approximately as follows:

Surgery
Off work for a week (Maybe less)
3-weeks in a sling (Maybe less)
Range of motion exercises for 'X' amount of time (Maybe less)
Strengthening exercises for 'X' amount of time (Maybe less)
Return to the water after 90 days +/- (Maybe less)

All the (Maybe less) are my input into the treatment plan. I agree with getting in sooner with some help hauling the rig to the water. Having had 6 back surgeries my pain threashold is quite a bit higher than most.

Rick, after much consideration "I AGREE" with your concern regarding the extended "dry" time on my new gear. I will therefore pull out the garden hose and squirt the h+!! out of ir every other day. (Smiling while thinking of your suggestion)

TS&M... The surgeon described two "corkscrew-like anchors she would be inserting to anchor to. Having had six lumbar surgeries and being fused from L3-S1 I'm thinking the hardware may help with trim. Sound possible?

Seriously, does the recovery time sound right? My first back fusion didn't take much longer than this. I'm thinking after a month to six weeks maybe if someone actually gets my rig into the water I can don it pretty easily. Especially if I can work out all the weight and trim issues in the pool before the surgery. Or... am I all wet and going to prolong the recovery by messing around? I'm not worried about pain, just prolonging or destroying the long-term recovery. I took up scuba "because of my back" and don't want to mess up about the only thing I have left I enjoy.

I'll survive but I won't like it. Good thing I didn't have any big trips planned this summer huh!