shortness of breath????

[GoingScuba]

I am not sure if this is the right forum but it seemed teh most appropraite.

I am having trouble coming to grips on something and I a mhoping its not a medical condition I have. I was born with Mitrol Valve prolaspe which is a irregular heart beat. I just got certified last year. After I completed my skills test and dives I had one incident of shortness of breath. I tried to breath but was having difficulty taking a deep breath. This happen ONLY once so I wasnt to conerned than.

Two months ago, I went to panama city and did a weekend(sat. and sun.) of wreck diving. 5 hours later when I got home on Sunday, I had diffculty taking deep breaths several times. This was the only symtom I felt. I called DAN medical assistacne and they said it probably isnt dive related. The next day came and it happened again so I got worried and went ot teh hospital for a full exxamimanations and everythign checked out fine. Lungs, blood tests, heart was OK. Finally, it went away after a few days.

Yesterday, I did two wonderful dives with no problem. Again, 5 hours later on Sunday I felt a shortness of breath and still feel it somtimes today. Its hard to take a deep breath sometimes. My concern is my body may be respnoded this way to the mixed air I breath from diving. Has anyone heard anything of this. I have the S600 scuba pro regulator so its hard to beleive its the regulator and I dont smoke and in good health. I run and workout regularly. I am thinking of going to a pulmonologist to ge tchecked out. I relly love scuba diving and planned on becoming a part time instructor and hate to give it up. Also one symptom of mitrol valve prolaspe is shortness of breath so maybe this could trigger it? Maybe Nitrox would be better for me??? any thoughts?

 

[GoingScuba]

There is one common denominator I forgot to consider and wouldnt think it mattered... After those dives(the second two trips i have taken this. Not my skills test dives.) I started to feel shortness of breath hours later and than some tightness of the chest. I had taken dramamine before those dives and/or the previous day. According to my research, I should take dramamaine b/c of my irregular heart beat. I had spoken to a couple of dive meds. doctrors and one says it could be the chokes but whats the possiblity of me feeling the chokes twice even my ascend rate waws ok. I would think I would maybe feel other symtoms as well or maybe anotehr type of DCS. Some other symptoms that occur several hours later is pain/tightness increases under chest as i inhale or when i hiccup.

 

[TSandM]

This is a hard one, and nobody is going to be able to tell you what is going on from the Internet.

The causes of shortness of breath are many, mostly involving the cardiac and pulmonary systems. Some are life-threatening. If you were still short of breath when you went to the hospital, we can pretty much rule out some of them . . . You weren't in an abnormal heart rhythm, are unlikely to have been having a heart attack, didn't have a collapsed lung, and didn't have the chokes (which would have shown up with low oxygen saturations in the blood). You also almost certainly didn't have immersion pulmonary edema, which is one of the more unusual causes of shortness of breath after diving.

The fact that this comes on several hours after diving, and persists for "several days", is peculiar. If this were a side effect of dramamine, one would not expect symptoms to persist for days.

You did not give your age, or any other medical history, which also makes sorting the possibilities more difficult.

If you were no longer symptomatic when you got to the hospital, then I'd be thinking about putting an ambulatory cardiac monitor on you, to see if you are having periods of abnormal heart rhythm. Otherwise, a visit to a pulmonologist might well be a good next step in workup -- they should be able to consider both pulmonary and cardiac causes of your symptoms.

 

[DevonDiver]

Surely this issue would have raised its head at the time you completed your medical disclaimer prior to your OW course?

....and you went to a Doctor for a consultation on your medical condition and how it applies to scuba diving???

 

[GoingScuba]

I know this is strange. The symptoms (shortness of breath, later Chest tightness) happens on and off for two days later and goes away.

I am a male 33, run and exercise regularly. Only medical condition is Mitrol Valve Prolapse(irregular heart beat). Last time this happened I had tests done throughly two days later after dive and was 100% healthy. (EKG, cat scan of lungs, blood work, x-ray).nothing was found

This is strange after I dive, hors later I get difficulty breathing on and off for two days and it goes away. I havent really gone to a doctor to get a complete eval on MVP. I wasa told as long as it doesnt interefre with physial activity I should be fine. Maybe I will get more testing