TSandM: Missing Diver in Clallam County, WA

[Ben_ca]

Well, I seriously doubt any of that. Horses, not Zebras.

I remember Lynne using that line...

 

[nadwidny]

I remember Lynne using that line...

It's taught in med school.

 

[Ben_ca]

It's taught in med school.

I was trying to find the post when she said it while telling a story about her med school experience...

 

[Peter Guy]

Probably need a lot more Scotch to do a proper answer, but:

a. Yes, she got thrown off her horse on the Saturday before the Tuesday. I was there and saw the fall and it was just a fall off a horse. That written, the horse did scramble and hit her helmet which could, COULD, mind you, have resulted in injuries as described by Tracydr. The only thing she complained to me about was that her tailbone hurt.

b. She was a lousy patient and would quite likely have determined for herself "It's no big deal -- I don't need to see any damn doctor and besides my health insurance now is ****ty."

c. I can't come up with any scenario where a catastrophic flood of her suit (Santi, not her Fusion, with Santi undergarment) would have effected her in that short of time period. We have both had catastrophic floods and it takes some time for the flooding to take effect.

d. SPECULATION -- I keep coming back to the only explanation is some type of catastrophic medical event.

I really wish there was some good that could come out of her death but I can't seem to find any semblance of such here. Some times it just sucks.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Diving exposes divers' bodies to various stressors that independently affect cardiovascular function. The major stressors are immersion, exposure to cold, increased partial pressure of oxygen and increased work of breathing. The combined effect of these factors is that the volume of blood in the vessels of the chest and heart increases significantly, stretching the walls of heart and large vessels. Pressure in the right atrium and blood pressure slightly increase — more so in cold water. The heart has to work harder to maintain circulation. These conditions contribute to various arrhythmias, from bradycardia (slow heart rate) caused by cold to tachyarrhythmia (racing heart rate) caused by cardiac and neuroendocrine responses to stress. Older people, especially those with structural cardiovascular changes and weaker function, are at greater risk of adverse reactions to these stresses.

. . ."It is also reasonable to expect diving could provoke an acute arrhythmia, which might result in sudden death. The arrhythmia is a more likely cause of death for older divers. As Carl Edmonds, M.D., describes and DAN® data confirm, "The victim often appeared calm just before his final collapse. Some were unusually tired or resting, having previously exerted themselves, or were being towed at the time — suggesting some degree of exhaustion. Some acted as if they did not feel well before their final collapse. Some complained of difficulty in breathing only a few seconds before the collapse, whereas others underwater signaled that they needed to buddy breathe, but rejected the offered regulator. Explanations for the dyspnea include psychogenic hyperventilation, autonomic-induced ventilatory stimulation and pulmonary edema — the latter being demonstrated at autopsy. In all cases there was an adequate air supply available, suggesting that their dyspnea was not related to equipment problems. Some victims lost consciousness without giving any signal to their buddy, whereas others requested help in a calm manner.". . .

http://www.alertdiver.com/Matters_of_the_Heart

Condolences Peter . . .May this somehow help dispel any doubts, despair and darkness in your grief. We all mourn in the wake of Lynne's loss & passing -but may we all together celebrate, learn and be inspired by her wonderful Life. . .

 

[gypsyjim]

The only "good " that may come from her accident is the realization that we are all mortal, and in our sport there is risk that we can minimize, but never eliminate, AND this has brought about a very visible outpouring of support from the entire dive community, showing how much this woman was loved, respected, and admired.

 

[Diver0001]

Probably need a lot more Scotch to do a proper answer, but:

a. Yes, she got thrown off her horse on the Saturday before the Tuesday. I was there and saw the fall and it was just a fall off a horse. That written, the horse did scramble and hit her helmet which could, COULD, mind you, have resulted in injuries as described by Tracydr. The only thing she complained to me about was that her tailbone hurt.

b. She was a lousy patient and would quite likely have determined for herself "It's no big deal -- I don't need to see any damn doctor and besides my health insurance now is ****ty."

c. I can't come up with any scenario where a catastrophic flood of her suit (Santi, not her Fusion, with Santi undergarment) would have effected her in that short of time period. We have both had catastrophic floods and it takes some time for the flooding to take effect.

d. SPECULATION -- I keep coming back to the only explanation is some type of catastrophic medical event.

I really wish there was some good that could come out of her death but I can't seem to find any semblance of such here. Some times it just sucks.

You know, I think there is another legacy to be had here as well.

There has been some focus on this thread on the fact that if it could happen to Lynne that it could happen to anyone. I have to admit, that's a scary thought. It think her raw skills were at least on par with mine (if not better) and if something diving related went wrong during that dive then I would like to know it, obviously, so I can learn from it and avoid the same trap. I think a lot of people are in this boat.

Personally, having seen Lynne diving and having seen Lynne and Peter diving together, there is absolutely no question in my mind whatsoever, that whatever happened here is something that rendered Lynne unconscious and unable to return to the surface. Her skills were top shelf. Her attitude was top shelf. Her gear was top shelf. Her buddy was top shelf. Her preparation and contingency planning for this dive were top shelf..... In the absence of a merciless and wrathful God (or Murphy, whatever you prefer) I have nothing. No amount of logic I can apply to this leads to a scenario other than a major medical event.

A few days before her death Lynne posted on a thread I was following that a major heart attack can happen to just about anyone without warning. We've all seen (or heard) of young athletes dying on the field from major heart attacks. I think in soccer alone there have been dozens. These were well trained, healthy, young individuals who went from playing sports at the highest echelons to being dead in a couple of minutes.

The alternative legacy I would like to suggest here is not that "if it can happen to Lynne it can happen to anyone" because I firmly believe -- especially now that my thinking is less dazed and confused about it -- that her diving was generally so secure and of such high quality as to be beyond reproach. When we dove together in BC a few years ago a non-diving friend of mine who was along for the boat ride said to me afterwards, "I don't know much about diving but even I can see that Lynne is someone who would strangle Murphy until his eyes popped out if he dared get too close...". (this is a true quote).

And that's the alternative legacy, a positive legacy. We will eventually all die. Some of us will probably die diving but Lynne showed us by example that it IS possible for a highly trained, highly skilled diver to approach every dive without letting your guard down. It IS possible not to become complacent. It IS possible not to become sloppy, it IS possible to continue to see diving through non-jaded eyes. It IS possible to plan every dive and dive every plan. And it's possible to do all that and still be friendly, approachable, lovable and easy to dive with. Both under water, and during the SIT.

If we assume -- as I would like to suggest -- that this was not a diving accident but an accident that happened while diving, then I think we can take a broader picture of Lynne of appreciate what she taught us (or wanted to teach us) all by example.

R..

 

[gypsyjim]

Sometimes $#it Happens.

Admittedly there are some who seem to invite it into their lives a lot more than others, but in the end all we can do is do our very best to be safe, and smart, and not invite it in.

The very fact that those who knew her best all agree that there is nothing short of a traumatic medical emergency that could have led to this incident, is as good a testimony as there is that she never left anything in her diving to chance, and did not, ever, invite Mr Murphy in to dance with her.

 

[Doppler]

If we assume -- as I would like to suggest -- that this was not a diving accident but an accident that happened while diving, then I think we can take a broader picture of Lynne [and] appreciate what she taught us (or wanted to teach us) all by example.

R..

For my money, the most compelling sentence in this thread.

 

[gypsyjim]

For my money, the most compelling sentence in this thread.

I thought so too.