Diving after minor surgery

[mulla]

Hi All,

I know professional medical advice should be consulted which I do plan to get, but I do want to hear if anyone has similar experiences.

Had an "incision and drain" surgery done last Friday, with the "drain" removed Tuesday this week. I asked the surgeon when I can return to diving and the advice was 1 - 2 weeks for the wound to heal and if I'm feeling up to it (ie no pain etc).

Have a dive trip booked for July which I hope to go without postponing if I can. It would be 1 day short of 4 weeks from the day the drain was removed to the day when diving begins. This should be more than sufficient time for the wound to close up?

I will double clear it with the doctor before I head off, but not all doctors are experts in diving medicine so I thought I'd ask for some opinions here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TSandM]

It's really pretty impossible to answer this on line, because a great deal depends on the size of the original abscess, the location of the lesion, how good the drainage procedure was and how large the incision was, and whether you have any conditions that would affect wound healing.

As a general rule of thumb, I would say that if the wound is still open, I would not dive with it unless you could protect it from the water.

 

[uncfnp]

If your surgeon said one to two weeks then you should be safe with a 4 week window unless there is a recureance of the original problem or complication with the wound. As long as it is closed and not in an area of high stress or tension you should be good to go...with your surgeon's clearance of course.

 

[mulla]

Thank you for everyone's input. Will note and follow up with doctor. Probably make a decision to delay or not after 1.5 weeks.

 

[divemoreworkless]

Hi Mulla.

You've been given sound advice here and it is indeed wise to follow up with your surgeon and obtain medical clearance before you dive next.

Also, keep in mind that it will take your body time to heal fully, even for minimally invasive procedures, even if your wound is closed and seems to be healing. You may tire out easier, still be sore, or not be comfortable gearing up for your dives, managing heavy dive gear, even lifting luggage during travel, etc. You may also not have the stamina or endurance that you may need for the diving you plan to do, especially if you are taking certain medications.

It's totally worth it to postpone your diving activities and allow your body adequate time to heal so you will not risk re-injury, infection, etc. I can tell you this from first-hand experience: it's better to wait until you have fully recovered, have your doctor's clearance and feel your best so you can spend your dive trip DIVING, enjoying yourself, and not risking further complications.

Here's to a speedy recovery!