"Scuba Diving Killing Older Divers"

[flots am]

FYI:

CDNN :: Scuba Diving Killing Older Divers

So do recliners, comfy beds, the flu, hospitals and car crashes.

 

[AfterDark]

I feel the same Afterdark. I am facing this now. I had a small heart attack in Dec that resulted in having a stent in a blocked artery. Now I have to see what hoops they want me to jump through before clearance to dive again. I want to make a dive trip in April and will get to see what the cardiologist says next week.

I don't want to cause an early death, but I don't want to give up diving either.

Sometimes we can't have it both ways. What's an early death? People of all ages die everyday. I'm 59 years old, though I'd rather die later than sooner I think the time for an early death has past for me. Death or incapacitation is the diving stopper for me. I don't need MD clearance, I shore dive solo most of the time, if I feel good I'll do it.

 

[Jax]

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

Sent from my PC31600 using awfulcorrect.

 

[herbdb]

I feel the same Afterdark. I am facing this now. I had a small heart attack in Dec that resulted in having a stent in a blocked artery. Now I have to see what hoops they want me to jump through before clearance to dive again. I want to make a dive trip in April and will get to see what the cardiologist says next week.

I don't want to cause an early death, but I don't want to give up diving either.

Update

I flunked my first stress test and had another stent placed before I was cleared to resume diving. I was able to make the April trip to Cozumel and have 50+ dives since my heart attack. I am thankful to be back diving.

Getting old sucks and I see my body going down hill at an accelerated rate as I go through my sixties. Diving is still my passion and I hope to continue as long as possible.

 

[Bob DBF]

"Scuba Diving Killing Older Divers"
Well it hasn't got me yet.


I dive year round off the NorCal coast, both tank and free, and I don't see an end to it in the foreseeable future since this is my exercise program. I've been diving over 50 years now and I should be able to tell when I need to quit, but I'm not looking forward to that day.


Watch "Secondhand Lions" if you get a chance.



Bob
------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

"the future is uncertain and the end is always near"
Jim Morrison

 

[tracydr]

What do you mean waiting. I had three bypasses done 11 years ago and I had to hold the doctor back a week to get somethings done before surgery. He would have done it then and there in his office.

He's Canadian.

Two things I'd like to recommend to folks. One is a cardiac CT with calcium score. It can estimate early atherosclerosis long before an EKG or even a stress test so that a cardiologist can get aggressive with the meds. Second is full-scale lipoprotein testing. Cholesterol screening is helpful but doesn't tell the full story. Especially when it's normal. I was seeing a lot of diabetics or even non-diabetics with heart disease in my residency and I couldn't understand why until I learned more about lipoproteins. One of the more common causes of heart disease is an abnormality of lipoprotein (a). Difficult to treat but if you have a family history of early heart disease this could be why. My husband has this disorder and even though his cholesterol screen is dead-on perfect, his cardiac CT was awful. He has lp (a). He's now treated quite aggressively by a cardiologist and internist with Crestor, diabetes medication ( he's not diabetic but blood sugar is a tiny,tiny bit too high), and Niacin. His LDL is kept around 70! He exercises a lot and eats like a nearly perfect diet full of tuna,veggies and fruit.
I first discovered his heart issues with a cardiac CT which the local radiology clinic was marketing. It was a new scan at the time but is now recommended by the Mayo Clinic, here in Phoenix.

 

[MalibuJerry]

I think we should add some statistics here, or at least casual empiricism. Every time I go to the Doctor, Dr. Bill doesn't' count, I see a ton of sick people. Every time I'm on a dive boat the only sick people I see are sea sick and they seem to resolve it by jumping in the water. Therefore, doctors cause sickness, diving causes wellness…I'm going diving.

 

[OkByMe]

There are worse ways to die. I would rather die at -100 diving or + 9000 skiing than being flat on my back with my feet elevated trying to keep blood in my heart and lungs.

 

[divin'dog]

 

[AfterDark]

He's Canadian.

Two things I'd like to recommend to folks. One is a cardiac CT with calcium score. It can estimate early atherosclerosis long before an EKG or even a stress test so that a cardiologist can get aggressive with the meds. Second is full-scale lipoprotein testing. Cholesterol screening is helpful but doesn't tell the full story. Especially when it's normal. I was seeing a lot of diabetics or even non-diabetics with heart disease in my residency and I couldn't understand why until I learned more about lipoproteins. One of the more common causes of heart disease is an abnormality of lipoprotein (a). Difficult to treat but if you have a family history of early heart disease this could be why. My husband has this disorder and even though his cholesterol screen is dead-on perfect, his cardiac CT was awful. He has lp (a). He's now treated quite aggressively by a cardiologist and internist with Crestor, diabetes medication ( he's not diabetic but blood sugar is a tiny,tiny bit too high), and Niacin. His LDL is kept around 70! He exercises a lot and eats like a nearly perfect diet full of tuna,veggies and fruit.
I first discovered his heart issues with a cardiac CT which the local radiology clinic was marketing. It was a new scan at the time but is now recommended by the Mayo Clinic, here in Phoenix.

I tried those meds several gave me severe cramps most others made me sleepy and left me feeling weak. I stopped the meds and stopped going to the doctor. It's all posion, given out by quacks.
I haven't had a colonoscopy, a stress test or any other tests recommend for people my age, and don't intend too either.