Question Prior Injuries and Diving (Wounds, Stroke, DCS)

[jadairiii]

I thought diving docs answered questions in the med forum here. The doctors I have, even the hyperbaric ones, never even used a regulator in a pool.

There may be some diving docs here, but not one would or should give you medical advice without looking at your charts.

And as to your doctors, you aint asking them to rebuild your regulators.

 

[scubadada]

I've had to complete a medical form 3 times in the last 5 years in the Great Lakes, different trip organizers, different boats.

Alas people still get bent (sometimes severely) at GF80 or even much less. When you are functionally "whole" deciding to dive is fairly straightforward. When you have residual injuries, weighing the risk is uncharted territory, if you do choose to dive again, then staying far far away from NDLs and having a backup plan if you do start to feel dubious is wise (e.g. bringing an O2 bottle with you on a 60min 40ft dive in 32% is potentially prudent, along with a conservative ascent and a long safety stop)

Hi @rjack321

I have not dived in the Great Lakes. Do you have references for DCS below a surfacing GF of less than 80? I'm not sure how long surfacing GF has been available. Of course GF 99 is surfacing GF once you are on the surface.

 

[boulderjohn]

From what I have read, both here and on FaceBook, I assume the fact that people are telling you to consider not diving again is a reaction to the severity of your injuries. Those are pretty serious injuries. People with serious cases have taken up diving again. I mentioned Richard Pyle--if you have not read his descriptions of his DCS cases, you should. I know someone who was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his DCS. He, too, has resumed diving. In those cases, though, the symptoms were completely resolved before they could dive again.

What do you think? Are your symptoms completely resolved?

 

[Subcooled]

Welcome back Trace!

I have prior injuries (spinal surgery x3), DCS x a couple, and 10+ years ago I would have been told "no diving" per the standard brainless PADI forms at the time. I never asked. I've done 600+ uneventful dives since then and medical clearance is no big deal. Times change, if you want a physician to assume the burden of liability and responsibility for you *now* then you're going to have a tough row. If you want to swim around conservatively in shallow water on EANx and well within NDLs, then return in a year to your PCP, you are more likely to have a persuasive argument that you are fit to dive.

Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the ultimate authority in hyperbaric medicine
Certainly(?) not biased towards income vs cost.

Please remember that it is a commercial organization aimed at maximizing profit while minimizing liabilities. It does not attempt to make everyone dive, it attempts to get (nearly) everyones coin. I would assume SSI, SDI, TDI, NAUI and others to be the same.

CMAS is different. We are a community based organisation that is not focused on profit. We could still be anal. If there is a reason why you cannot dive then we'll bluntly tell it to you.

 

[boulderjohn]

PADI, the ultimate authority in hyperbaric medicine
Please remember that it is a commercial organization aimed at maximizing profit while minimizing liabilities. It does not attempt to make everyone dive, it attempts to get (nearly) everyones coin.

Ah, so we have managed to turn a thread into PADI bashing.

I assume the brainless "PADI forms at the time" being bashed are the old RSTC medical form. As I described earlier, the form asked you if you had history with certain conditions, and if so, to get a doctor to sign off that you are OK to dive.

I was a PADI professional then and now, and I am completely unaware of any form that would have prevented you from diving for any injury if a doctor said it was OK to do so.

Could either of you please be specific about these "brainless forms"?

 

[Trace Malinowski]

From what I have read, both here and on FaceBook, I assume the fact that people are telling you to consider not diving again is a reaction to the severity of your injuries. Those are pretty serious injuries. People with serious cases have taken up diving again. I mentioned Richard Pyle--if you have not read his descriptions of his DCS cases, you should. I know someone who was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his DCS. He, too, has resumed diving. In those cases, though, the symptoms were completely resolved before they could dive again.

What do you think? Are your symptoms completely resolved?

The eye will be lost forever.

 

[boulderjohn]

The eye will be lost forever.

I am not your doctor or anyone's doctor, but I can see why people might feel you could be in danger of losing the other one, and that would suck.

 

[abnfrog]

welcome back trace , i hope you can teach again soon

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I am not your doctor or anyone's doctor, but I can see why people might feel you could be in danger of losing the other one, and that would suck.

Yeah. Exactly. I'm trying to gather as much info from as many sources as possible. I was messaged in FB by a freediver who created a similar set of lasting injuries while spearfishing all day.

 

[Subcooled]

Ah, so we have managed to turn a thread into PADI bashing.

I assume the brainless "PADI forms at the time" being bashed are the old RSTC medical form. As I described earlier, the form asked you if you had history with certain conditions, and if so, to get a doctor to sign off that you are OK to dive.

I was a PADI professional then and now, and I am completely unaware of any form that would have prevented you from diving for any injury if a doctor said it was OK to do so.

Could either of you please be specific about these "brainless forms"?

No. It is not PADI bashing. Please note that I do mention SSI, SDI, TDI and NAUI also! Calling this PADI bashing would be unfair. If you call this anticommercial then I will agree. CMAS is different of course, because it is a non-commercial organization.