My Dry Dives and Other Adventures with DCS, PFO and Migraine with Aura

[debersole]

Glad you're feeling well and back to working out. See you in Jupiter next Saturday (though you'll be a bubble watcher)!

Doug

[BubbleBlocker]

Glad you're feeling well and back to working out. See you in Jupiter next Saturday (though you'll be a bubble watcher)!

Doug

Definitely will see you next Saturday! (And yes, I'll be watching bubbles and cheering from the sidelines.)

I'm just really thrilled to know that I should be able to dive again in a few short months. All's good and I feel terrific - and extremely fortunate.

Ellen

[BubbleBlocker]

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback on the report. It's my hope that some of the information I've shared will help at least one person avoid learning some of the lessons I have the hard way.

[Dr Deco]

Hello BubbleBlocker :

I wish to add my thanks for the really informative posting. Thank you for the time it required to write this piece.


Dr Deco

[ligersandtions]

Wow, thank you for sharing this. It was very informative....definitely gives you something to thinkn about. Glad you were able to get it worked out, and I hope the diving is as successful once you get to get back in!

[D_B]

Thank you for this report, I hope more divers see it and learn from you about sometimes inexplicable DCS and PFO's and the possible connection

Glad to hear that your doing well

[Lopaka]

Thank you for this report, I hope more divers see it and learn from you about sometimes inexplicable DCS and PFO's and the possible connection

Could not agree more.

And the denial part: I had multiple bouts of vertigo, faint to severe after dives over the years, and put it down to ear barotrauma as I often have equalizing issues. No other DCS symptoms so this made sense to me and one of the ENT's I saw.

Started suspecting a PFO as I periodically got the "aura" thing going, but without migraines. Read a lot on it, and looked like just diving conservatively might be good enough, though I had had the transient vertigo after "within NDL" dives before.

Finally the sudden hearing loss and vertigo got me into a serious series of exams, resulting in getting my PFO closed. So much makes sense now looking back. I think there is a lot of denial of how much risk is increased with a PFO. All PFO's are not equal as BubbleBlocker has described. Mine was a hole that was pretty much open all the time, not just under exertion.

I still think anyone that has had anything suspected to be an undeserved bout of DCS, particularly vertigo, get checked out for a PFO, even though it sounds like some doctors do not want to test for it. Could end up like me, deaf in one ear, with a small stroke from an air embolism probably the cause of it.

[BubbleBlocker]

It's two weeks today since the procedure, which means I'm two weeks closer to getting back in the water!

I'm glad to see so many finding the report interesting and useful.

[D_B]

Very
I know someone that had a PFO that was a cause of severe DCS after a dive ... bubbling in both sides of the brain and in the spinal column
... If I remember correctly, they used to get some pretty severe headaches before this, not associated with diving

I'm not sure what critera to use, but if anythings fishy, maybe getting tested for one is a smart move

[miked]

Thanks for the clear and in depth posting of your experience. (Parts of it were all too familiar.)
I'm glad that you are recovering and will be returning to diving.

take care,
Mike