Scuba Diving with PA???????

[Shanlee33]

[kimks mom]

[Shanlee33]

[kimks mom]

[JaneS]

[barb62]

[pvanderaa]

[JudithML]

I was diagnosed in 1995 with PA aged 43. I passed my PADI Open Water qualification in Israel in 1997 and Advanced Open Water in 1998.

I confess that living in Britain, I only dive in warm waters on holiday. I see no reason why an averagely fit PA person who is receiving appropriate treatment should not dive, though I think they should take gentle dives in good conditions initially, accompanied by well-qualified and experienced leaders.

I think my air consumption may be higher than it would otherwise be, but that is the only relevant factor. In a group of divers there are usually others who get to 30 bar before me!

[Shanlee33]

Hi Judith,

Thank you so much for your response! I was wondering if you could answer a couple other questions, I am working with a special trainer trying to overcome the issues I have when diving (rapid onset of the bends - vomiting, passing out, ill for days etc)

1.) Do you dive with a larger tank to compensate for going through more air?
2.) How long can you dive for at a time?
3.) What depths do you stick too
3.) Have you suffered from "early bends"
4.) Your height and weight (if you don't mind)
5.)your blood type

Thank you - I hope this isn't too personal -

Best Wishes!! -Shan

[JudithML]

Hi Shan,

Thanks for your reply. Here are my answers.

My height is 5ft 10 inches, and my weight is 150 pounds. I only use maybe 10% more air than I used to, so haven't used a larger tank. I have worked on my swimming style, relaxation and breathing so I minimise my air consumption. My blood group is O Rh+. My longest dive was 45 minutes, a shallow night dive at about 20 feet depth in the Mediterranean in Greece. I have never suffered from the bends. I always stay well within the PADI guidelines, am careful about my buoyancy so I don't bob up and down, and always stop on the way up for the recommended time.

I think the extra help that you are getting will help you.

Best wishes,
Judith

[lhuggins]

Hi, I am new to this forum. I was diagnosed with PA in August 2011 (58 year old male). I live in the US at an elevation of 4,000 feet above sea level. I tried to find out any information on scuba diving and PA but found out very little so I thought I would share my experience. I have been diving for over 10 years (usually one trip a year to the Caribbean). I had a diving trip to Bonaire planed the end of February 2012 and was concerned about how PA would effect my diving. I am self injecting (IM) about every other week and STARTING to get some of my strength back. I am still quite weak and nowhere near where I was before starting to feel the effects of PA. I contacted DAN (divers alert network) to see if they could provide any information and they told me if my blood work was normal I should not have any problems. I was concerned enough I asked my diving buddies to please keep an eye on me while diving. I dive with nitrox (this trip ean of 32) which is higher concentration of oxygen. I am sure we all understand that my experience could be completely different than others. I did about 12 dives to a max. depth of 90 feet and had no problems at all, my air consumption was about the same as it has been in the past. While in Bonaire I felt better than I have felt in a very long time. I do not know if it was the nitrox, the elevation (sea level) or something else but I was even able to climb the highest peak in Bonaire (almost 800 feet) without any problems. I hope my experience can help someone who is asking the same question about scuba and PA.