PFO Closure fails to prevent DCI!

[Foggy]

I am very sorry to hear your news. I cannot begin to comprehend the dilemmas you have faced in coming to your conclusions, but thank you for sharing some of that process with us and I wish you all the best for the future - dry or wet.

Regards, Paul

[waterside53]

Originally Posted by Larry Hadley

I was not aware of the neuro symptoms until I was tested at DDRC. They discovered a loss of fine feeling in my right hand. Of course this means I may have been hit on the first or second dive of the day without realising it.
Cheers
Larry

How do they know this is not residual effect of the original hit?

Tony

[endoman]

Originally Posted by Larry Hadley

I was not aware of the neuro symptoms until I was tested at DDRC. They discovered a loss of fine feeling in my right hand. Of course this means I may have been hit on the first or second dive of the day without realising it.
Cheers
Larry

Could it be possible this was the case before the dives? Is it better now?

[Steve S]

Originally Posted by Larry Hadley

I was not aware of the neuro symptoms until I was tested at DDRC. They discovered a loss of fine feeling in my right hand. Of course this means I may have been hit on the first or second dive of the day without realising it.
Cheers
Larry

I'm glad they picked up on it Larry, take care of yourself and good luck for the future.

Kind regards,
Steve

[Hellvet]

Originally Posted by Larry Hadley

If the PFO is sealed, ie no bubbles, then the Docs can give no reasonable cause for the neuro hit after an extremely non-provacative dive. There is obviously something wrong with my body and therefore the best course of action is to quit.

Mine was 10mm shunting at rest and I made the decision not to dive 'til it was plugged.
Cheers
Larry

See i think this is very brave - I'm still struggling to make that decision 11 months after my most recent hit (post PFO fix) as every day i want to be underwater... and it is important to make the point that it does NOT make you unbendable even if you stop shunting! Mind you, 3 people in my cornish dive club have been diagnosed with PFO, all 3 of us have had the op, and all 3 of us are still shunting...

DDRC said never dive again, Dr Wilmshurst said that actually as I was still shunting it might not be completely impossible if we could fix the shunt, Dr Turner said he would also recommend i didn't dive again - to be honest its kinda irrelevant until they fix the hole as much as i want to dive i need my life back first - i would like to try again but they have threatened a spinal wheelchair if i don't walk away from another neuro hit...which will be a major decision if and when i caome to it finally.

As i say brave decision which i have a great deal of respect for - if its right for you then its right, and unless/until anyone else is in that position its hard to know what you would do. I am really sorry to hear your news though as you've been doing so well up till now. Good luck with whatever else you end up doing...

[ChrisP]

Hi Larry

I think you have been unbelievably unlucky. When people get so called "underserved bends" so much seems to point towards PFO's that it is easy to forget that there are other causes some of which we simply do not understand.

I am sure you have made the correct decision and I wish you well in the future. Take care

Chris

[Larry Hadley]

Originally Posted by ChrisP

Hi Larry

I think you have been unbelievably unlucky. When people get so called "underserved bends" so much seems to point towards PFO's that it is easy to forget that there are other causes some of which we simply do not understand.

I am sure you have made the correct decision and I wish you well in the future. Take care

Chris

Sorry Chris, but I really can't agree with you on this.

I think I have been unbelievably lucky. Whatever is going on inside me could well have killed me.

Fortunately I've had the opportunity to stop whilst the going is good. I know I'll be missing out on some cracking dives, but consider myself privileged to have experienced some of the best sites around the world. I'll always have those memories, with less risk now of blowing them.
Cheers
Larry

[Andrea123]

Good point !