surprise physical

[tomboyy]

Doctors sometimes practice scared medicine, next time check no on everything.
but since it's done , atleast you have peace of mind good luck.

 

[RJP]

Not necessarily the scuba industry getting the money but it felt to me like because of the scuba industry me or the insurance was going to pay an extra $1000 plus for me to be able to participate, and this is exactly what did happen.

Hope you didn't get into diving to SAVE money!

 

[lulubelle]

ah...I didn't look at the Guidelines for Physical Exam, but here is the whole paragraph that actually recommends stress testing for divers over 40.

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS
Relative Risk Conditions: The diagnoses listed below potentially render the diver unable to meet the exertional performance requirements likely to
be encountered in recreational diving. These conditions may lead the diver to experience cardiac ischemia and its consequences. Formalized stress testing is
encouraged if there is any doubt regarding physical performance capability. The suggested minimum criteria for stress testing in such cases is 13 METS.*
Failure to meet the exercise criteria would be of significant concern. Conditioning and retesting may make later qualification possible. Immersion in water
causes a redistribution of blood from the periphery into the central compartment, an effect that is greatest in cold water. The marked increase in cardiac
preload during immersion can precipitate pulmonary edema in patients with impaired left ventricular function or significant valvular disease. The effects
of immersion can mostly be gauged by an assessment of the diver’s performance while swimming on the surface. A large proportion of scuba diving deaths
in North America are due to coronary artery disease. Before being approved to scuba dive, individuals older than 40 years are recommended to undergo
risk assessment for coronary artery disease. Formal exercise testing may be needed to assess the risk.

Thank you for this post. It has made me think. All signs are that my heart is in great shape, I exercise a lot, I eat well, my cholesterol is good, etc. My internist has no need to do any further cardiac workup. It is reasonable not to further evaluate someone like me until you add in the diving piece. But this post got me thinking. I AM a diver. I AM over 40. And cardiac disease IS the leading cause of death in the US. NO ONE ever thinks that it will be them until they HAVE their first heart attack. I don't want to find out that my risk profile is incorrect when I am underwater. Having this happen underwater can be deadly. But I have to ask myself the question about whether or not it is reasonable to use health care resources in this way when my cardiac risk profile is good for my age. SO, I called DAN and they sent me to the Duke Hyperbaric Center and I am having a physical and possibly a stress test Monday. There are tons of things that can happen underwater, but undiagnosed heart disease seems to be the likely culprit for many of these deaths. The recent death in Wilmington, of an active woman who was 50, has made me reconsider what I want to do to feel safe down there.

 

[captain]

Thank you for this post. It has made me think. All signs are that my heart is in great shape, I exercise a lot, I eat well, my cholesterol is good, etc. My internist has no need to do any further cardiac workup. It is reasonable not to further evaluate someone like me until you add in the diving piece. But this post got me thinking. I AM a diver. I AM over 40. And cardiac disease IS the leading cause of death in the US. NO ONE ever thinks that it will be them until they HAVE their first heart attack. I don't want to find out that my risk profile is incorrect when I am underwater. Having this happen underwater can be deadly. But I have to ask myself the question about whether or not it is reasonable to use health care resources in this way when my cardiac risk profile is good for my age. SO, I called DAN and they sent me to the Duke Hyperbaric Center and I am having a physical and possibly a stress test Monday. There are tons of things that can happen underwater, but undiagnosed heart disease seems to be the likely culprit for many of these deaths. The recent death in Wilmington, of an active woman who was 50, has made me reconsider what I want to do to feel safe down there.

I found out 11 years ago at age 54 I had CAD. Luckly I found it before I had a heart attach either on the surface or below. Now I do a stress test every year and make sure I can attain the DAN recomendation of 13 METS or better.

 

[lulubelle]

I found out 11 years ago at age 54 I had CAD. Luckly I found it before I had a heart attach either on the surface or below. Now I do a stress test every year and make sure I can attain the DAN recomendation of 13 METS or better.

Glad you are taking care of your health! I would bet the farm that my heart is just fine. I eat a very Mediterranean diet. My internist actually used the words "you are going to live forever" when he got my cholesterol panel. Still, there can always be a point where that changes. And I have had some systemic inflammation due to non cardiac issues which could possibly skew that risk. I'm not sure I understand how the stress tests work, but hopefully they will recommend one for me and I can find out.

Good health to you.

 

[gbray]

Glad you are taking care of your health! I would bet the farm that my heart is just fine. I eat a very Mediterranean diet. My internist actually used the words "you are going to live forever" when he got my cholesterol panel. Still, there can always be a point where that changes. And I have had some systemic inflammation due to non cardiac issues which could possibly skew that risk. I'm not sure I understand how the stress tests work, but hopefully they will recommend one for me and I can find out.

Good health to you.

For my stress test they hooked me up to a machine with about 12 cables. then I layed down on a table, got very still and they took pictures of my heart. Next they put me on a tread mill and tried to get my heart rate up to 164. It goes faster and inclines more untill they achieve their goal. all the while they were monitoring my heart rate and blood pressure. When they got my heart rate up they quickly got me off the table and took more pictures (videos) of my heart and let the doctor examine them. All was so well with me I had a difficult time getting my heart rate up (which they said was a good thing) and I thought my legs would give out before my heart would.

 

[lulubelle]

For my stress test they hooked me up to a machine with about 12 cables. then I layed down on a table, got very still and they took pictures of my heart. Next they put me on a tread mill and tried to get my heart rate up to 164. It goes faster and inclines more untill they achieve their goal. all the while they were monitoring my heart rate and blood pressure. When they got my heart rate up they quickly got me off the table and took more pictures (videos) of my heart and let the doctor examine them. All was so well with me I had a difficult time getting my heart rate up (which they said was a good thing) and I thought my legs would give out before my heart would.

Interesting. What is normal varies so much from individual to individual. I have always run low BPs, and therefore, a higher heart rate. When I was running 20 plus miles a week, my heart rate would easily get to 160, I was comfortable and breathing easily when it did. Well we'll see, thanks.