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Dive life after heart bypass

7K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Woz 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I'm looking for a bit of advice on this from any divers who may have experienced the same type of operation (albeit due to various circumstances) and how it's affected your life of diving. I'll keep this as simple as possible!

So I had a rare virus when I was a child called Kawasaki Syndrome which was pretty unheard of in the 80's, they had no idea what I had and so treatment was quite slow, slow enough to be left with scarred arteries from the swelling. Fast Forward 29 years and the scars are so large that 1 of my arteries has blocked completely while 3 others are about to close within a few years. So I need a quadruple heart bypass at 30 years old - not the greatest news in the world but it could have been far worse.

The Cardiologist who's been doing all the testing is a Rescue Diver so I've had some good conversations with him, but I didn't have time to see him for long during the last visit and his last words on the subject were "don't even think about diving". I was also preparing to be a Special Constable as well which has now been shelved so a load of cr*p news all at once!

The issue at the moment is there's no case for surgery because of this condition, so no one can give me any information on my future prospects including diving. I'm a non smoker, drink very lightly, weight and cholesterol are right in the middle and I exercise 3-5 times a week - so even the information leaflets aren't catered for me (which are aimed at over 60's and/or smokers etc.) So I wanted to ask fellow divers who've had the surgery what life has been like since, including diving and going for medical's etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all,

Martin
 
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#3 ·
I had two heart attacks and a stent fitted. I still get signed off every year and I'm 63. OK I only get a year.

It's got to be worth asking a proper hyperbaric doctor. The 'nice thing' about heart trouble is that it doesn't mess your sinuses or your ears, they are the real problems. If you can carry the kit your at less risk that all the tubbies tucking into their cheesy chips and saying 'dive fit' like it meant something.
 
#8 · (Edited)
And do remember that there are world class dive sites at quite shallow depths and some great dives need not be much deeper than ten feet :) so get the hyperbaric doctors opinion and get your depth and ingassing limits and choose the sites accordingly. You might even do technical diving at shallow depth in case you prefer a ceiling. Consult the doctor. Good luck and - hopefully - safe dives.

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#10 ·
I had a quintuple heart bypass the day before my 51st Birthday (4 years ago), cardiologist said three months before I could get diving again. In the event it was 10 'cos my GP was an arse ( in fact I made an official complaint against him) and wouldn't refer me for the follow up tests I wanted as I had a PFO stitched up at the same time.

Now signed off with no restrictions. Only prob for me was I can't pass an HSE medical, despite being fitter than before the op, which was a bit of a pain as I worked as a diver and instructor. Now just dive for fun :)
 
#11 ·
Thanks everyone for your input - it's helped keep my concerns at bay so I could focus on the surgery. Had the op 4 weeks ago and luckily wasn't as bad as they thought - once inside they spotted blood flow was healthy in all arteries bar the blocked one, so they bypassed the single artery and stitched me back up. Now on the sofa healing (I'm sure tea and mince pies are helping!).

It doesn't help Monty's new show literally started the week I returned home, wanted to dive more than ever! Will be seeing the Cardiologist again in March as the surgeon has criticised his prescription of medication aimed at artery disease (which doesn't relate to my 'condition'). Once I'm off the med's will be visiting Spitfire Surgery in Southampton to see a GP on the UKSDMC list and will hopefully get clearance soon.

Thanks again for your help and Merry Christmas :)

Martin
 
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