Diving with Fibromyalgia

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks, I'd like to try your method, but the boat crews usually just say sit on the end and we'll bring the BC/Tank to you. I'm a good swimmer and I'm quite comfortable in the water. I think I'm going to ask that they hand me the BC next trip, I'll let you know how it works out! Again, thanks for the response.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Hi JoyfulNoise, Have you tried drinking the new fruit drink blend Mona Vie? Loaded with Anti-oxidants and liquid glucosamine. It's supposed to work wonders for folks with your condition. PM me if you'd like to know more. I have a bad back, pinched nerves, sciatica and this stuff keeps me diving, from shore, almost every single day. I make an average of 305 dives a year (for the past 11 years straight!) and I now know I could never keep at it at this pace without good excercise and diet. I love Mona Vie so much...I even drink it underwater sometimes!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Hi JoyfulNoise, Have you tried drinking the new fruit drink blend Mona Vie? Loaded with Anti-oxidants and liquid glucosamine. It's supposed to work wonders for folks with your condition. PM me if you'd like to know more. I have a bad back, pinched nerves, sciatica and this stuff keeps me diving, from shore, almost every single day. I make an average of 305 dives a year (for the past 11 years straight!) and I now know I could never keep at it at this pace without good excercise and diet. I love Mona Vie so much...I even drink it underwater sometimes!

I can't seem to figure out how to PM, so please send me the information, I'd like to know more about Mona Vie. Many thanks!

 

[Shaka Doug]

Aloha JoyfulNoise,

If you'd like to send me a PM it's pretty easy. Click on my user name, a drop down menu will appear, look for the send a private message link and click it. Then type in your message and send.

There's lot's of info available about Mona Vie. There's an easy place to start that I set up for people to look at. I have info in the form of two 9 minute videos on my helloworld website. The address is: www.helloworld.com/scubabus

Go to that site, click on the video link near the top (it looks like a film strip) and look for the two videos entitled Discovering Mona Vie part I and part II. Each is under ten minutes. Great info about the product and the business opportunity too.

I'm 45 years old and I dive all the time from shore. I don't care how many times you do it, it doesn't seem to get any easier. I have to walk up and down hills, cross loose sandy beaches, climb rocks with my gear on. My sciatica was so bad I couldn't sleep at night for many months without taking pain pills. Now it's gone, all I'm doing different is drinking Mona Vie 'Active" twice a day. It's the green label bottle, the one with liquid (plant-derived) glucosamine in it . It works great, is extremely healthy for your body and doesn't destroy your liver like pain meds can. (I had been taking up to 10 to 12 advils a day for the pain. That's really bad for your body.) I love my Mona Vie and would highly recommend you at least try it for a few weeks to see if it makes you feel any better. My guess is that it will.

I'm helping people learn more about Mona Vie and would be happy to talk with you about it.

You can email me at shakadoug@helloworld.com and I'll get right back to you probably quicker than using the scubabaord PM system.

Thank you and here's to your good health!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

A big part of this is pride for me. I do let the boat and staff know I need a little extra help, but there are times when I do too much. Once I thought someone behind me was in trouble and didn't bother to hand my BC up, stupid me just climbed up and paid for it afterwards. The diver was just one of those types that things he or she should have full rights to get on and off the boat at his or her pace. (Space hog too, but I won't go into that, smiling).

I appreciate the responses. I think most people just think I have a bad back and that's cool. I just want to dive as often and as long as I'm able.

 

[Sunset_Diver]

Hello everyone (on this thread),

I'm back, sorry I had forgotten all about Scubaboard when I'm usually focus on my Ontario Diving forums.

Well, I haven't done any diving this summer but once in June as I got plantar fasciitis (heel inflammation) about two months ago so that was very disappointing. It was the roller blading that injured my heel. Ugh, I must be over the hill now that I'm 50... still I think I'm way too young to have all kinds of ailments so early on. Dang!!!

Now I'm wearing proper heeled shoes as prescribed by my doctor. Wow, that helps a lot but I can't go for a long walk, that I enjoy very much, strolling along the shoreline of Lake Simcoe at sundown. I've always worn flat, comfy shoes/sandles, never fond of heeled shoes.

So, my finace and I have cancelled quite few of the dive trips with our club for this summer and just recently our boat engine blew up and is now at the shop. Hopefully we will get another rebuilt engine put in but that will take a few weeks as the shop is very busy. Hope it's sooner than we think... before the summer is over.

We had planned on diving in our lake with our boat as I like wearing my 3mm wetsuit as opposed to bulky drysuit I have. I'm sure we will eventually dive soon on the other side of the lake which is much deeper than on our side. Yes, with my fibro it's really nice to be in the waters. And I hope we plan to go back to the south for the wonderful tropical waters this winter.

Hope you all enjoy your dives wherever you are.

Happy, safe diving!

Kimberley

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Sorry to hear about the pain! It's something most of us with fibromyalia deal with on a daily basis, but add plantar fasciitis and all I can say is, "Ouch!" I fractured some of the bones in my right foot last year and had to wear a boot for 6 months, it was awful, but I was very lucky, I could still dive!! My foot doctor just said make sure my booties and fins fit properly and aren't tight or pinching.

Someone mentioned that it's important to let the boat know ahead of time that you need extra help and I agree with this completely. Because my BC is given to me on the dive platform (as I am sitting) I need to make sure the boat has such a feature (area where I can sit and roll into the water, while other do the big step!).

I've might be lucky, but every boat I go on is very helpful and doesn't make a big deal out of me not walking to the dive platform. Only once did a boat say they would help, but failed to help me when I needed it. And even then, I was ok with it, just suffered some intense pain for several days afterward. I'm not supposed to pick up anything heavier than 10 pounds and I know that sounds like scuba diving should be impossible for me to do, but with the great people involved with diving, I've been able to make a lifelong dream come true, I'm a scuba diver!

I even got a chance to dive with Howard's delight wife once down in Key Largo! She was a blast, great diver! And one of the ScubaBoard stickers she gave me is now on a wall in a lovely open bar in Chuuk!

 

[drbill]

I've dated two women that had/have fibromyalgia (one is deceased). They were twins (but I dated them 25 years apart). Since they were twins, I was surprised at the differences in their responses to the disease. Although neither of them are/were divers, one has been very active her whole life. The other suffered substantial pain and had mostly bad days of inactivity and bed rest. This truly is a potentially debilitating disease, and although I have no insights for diving with it, I hope you find you can have a very rewarding time underwater.

 

[Sunset_Diver]

Thanks, JoyfulNoise! I'll see my doctor for a referral for a foot specialist. Hope there's some help for my foot as I've read online that there are treatments, surgery too. Cross my fingers!!!

Thanks, drbill! I'm trying all of my best! :d

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I've dated two women that had/have fibromyalgia (one is deceased). They were twins (but I dated them 25 years apart). Since they were twins, I was surprised at the differences in their responses to the disease. Although neither of them are/were divers, one has been very active her whole life. The other suffered substantial pain and had mostly bad days of inactivity and bed rest. This truly is a potentially debilitating disease, and although I have no insights for diving with it, I hope you find you can have a very rewarding time underwater.

Dr. Bill...
It is amazing at the differences in which fibromyalgia has in individuals. I spent more than 5 months basically in bed last year, it was horrible! My family doctor of 17 years left private practice and I had to find a new doctor... well it took 9 months to find a doctor who didn't think fibromyalgia was a "mental" disorder. By the time I found my new doctor, I was in so much pain I was really to just give up and retire to bed for the rest of my life!!! A fairly new drug, Lyrica has given us some hope and I know that as time goes by we will figure out better ways to cope with this syndrome. More than anything I just wanted to be active again. It's so frustrating to have to sit on the sidelines and watch other people having fun.

Diving changed all of that for me!!! Underwater I am 100% painfree! And best of all, I don't go into flairs (extreme pain in muscle groups or fibro fog, you can't seem to concentrate or focus with a fog) in the days after diving! I can swim and snorkel too. It's just a real blessing. Finding a passion like diving also motivates me to stay active in all parts of my life. I think people with chronic pain need that, need inspiration and activities that help take the focus off our pain. All of us have challenges in our lives and there is such a rush when you find something that helps you feel "normal" again. Diving helps me feel normal! I've said it a few times on this board, but I'm going to repeat it... It is thanks to understanding instructors, helpful boat crews, and gracious fellow divers that I can dive and I'm thankful for all of them everyday!