A life altering dive

[Octoloco]

Curt so sorry to hear about your experience and so glad that you are still here to be able to share it with us! It really makes a person stop and ponder their priorities in life. Wishing you a speedy recovery and looking forward to the next time we run into you at the dive shop! Larry wanted to know if you got any Manta pics?

[CaptnJack]

Glad you're back with us Curt!

[Graveler]

My dad has lived with this condition for the last 15 years or so, he's currently on medication and has tried all of the medical procedures without any luck, it is still a reoccurring issue when his heart goes out of rhythm that usually requires a trip to the hospital where they use medication or more often than not he is sedated and then they use the paddles on him. he tells me its a great experience if you like being jumped on by a 500 pound gorilla...

[Jeremy]

Glad you are still with us Curt!!

[Rockfish]

Curt,

Barry Hatch says get better soon and someone was looking out for you. You were very lucky to diving with a group of Doctors when this happened.

Barry and I look forward to seeing you at the t-dock or the boat launch.

Mike

[json]

Glade you are OK and wish you a full and speedy recovery.

[blt2go]

Holy C##p!

I have done that dive and it was an easy one, pretty much drop into the water, sit on the bottom and watch the scenery, plus I have spent an evening with someone IN that ER (for a non dive issue), which is tiny, in a tiny hospital. I am glad to hear that things have turned out so well given the circumstances. While diving has been a huge part of my life, it is not the ONLY thing, there is plenty to do and enjoy topside.
Again, I am glad to hear you are doing better(!) and appear to have no lasting problems

[Gdog]

Hey, thank you so much for sharing this with us. It wasnt your time, but sounds like an extremely close call. I too have done that dive, in a surge, and it wasnt too bad. Good to hear you were in tune enough to realize something was amiss. Speedy recovery!

[RoxnDox]

Wow... Scary events, very glad you are OK!

[sitkadiver]

My regards Curt.

I am very thankful that you're making a recovery. You presence on this board is very much appreciated and respected.

We all look forward to hearing more of your diving tales and experiences.

My best wishes to you and your family,

Dave Nelson
Sitka, AK

[ArcticDiver]

Once again you not only beat the odds; you beat them big time. It is hard for me to fully explain how happy that makes me. That you are able to resume a quite remarkable life is truly a gift. Very glad for you and your family.

Bests to you and Sharon.

[LowDrag]

I tried to respond to your thread this morning but found myself at a loss for words (something that doesn't happen very often). Although we do not know each other and have never dove together I was still stunned by what you went through all the same. Your story was a scary one, one that I hope you will recover from in good health. I hope you and your family are doing well. Take care...

[oldsalt]

I am truly grateful for the support I have received from you on the board. My list people to whom I extend my gratitude is growing exponentially. I should take the Grateful Diver handle from Bob, although I may actually be the Grateful Former Diver. We'll see. An update. During my physician's visit yesterday, she expressed amazement that I walked in there a week after a "cardiac event'". She said I was in better shape than any patient she had seen that day. She attributed it to my being a gym rat.
Thankfully, Curt

[Scubie Doo]

I am truly grateful for the support I have received from you on the board. My list people to whom I extend my gratitude is growing exponentially. I should take the Grateful Diver handle from Bob, although I may actually be the Grateful Former Diver. We'll see. An update. During my physician's visit yesterday, she expressed amazement that I walked in there a week after a "cardiac event'". She said I was in better shape than any patient she had seen that day. She attributed it to my being a gym rat.
Thankfully, Curt

Argh... Now I feel guilty for not keeping up my gym regimen Seriously though, I am glad to hear you are doing well, truly an inspiration. Thanks again for sharing this story and please keep us up to date on your progress.

[Zen Diver]

Wow -- that's an amazing story, and you were certainly in the right place at the right time to have a diving-related medical incident.

I wonder if, given the fact that you didn't feel good on the surface, you might have had an instance of immersion pulmonary edema. I realize you were eventually in Afib, but I wonder if it was triggered by hypoxemia and the resuscitative attempts, or whether it was the primary event.

That was my first thought too. Glad you're able to tell your story Curt!

Valerie

[fmerkel]

If you Google [immersion pulmonary edema] and do a bit of picking there is a lot of pretty good info.
Hey Curt, a study is still open , or appears to be at quick glance:
Prevention and Treatment of Immersion Pulmonary Edema
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00815646

Note to self > do not actually dive if you feel not too good.

[oldsalt]

Fritz: Thanks for the link. Several knowledgable professionals have contacted me with their suspicion that I experienced IPE. I don't qualify for the study, I am way outside the age brackett.
-Curt

[fmerkel]

Age discrimination! Ah, the indignity of it.

[Emilyrc]

Glad to hear you are doing so well! Geez man.. don't do that again!

[Alexitt]

Wow Curt.... That is truly an amazing story, and I'm really glad you're still around to tell it... Take care of yourself my Friend

[oldsalt]

Alex: Thanks. I'm glad to postpone being one of your clients. So far I have had many blood tests and ekg's. Four X-rays, 2 echocardiograms, and an angiogram. The good news is that they have found nothing wrong. The bad news is that they have no idea what caused it. I plan to see you around the beach.
-Curt

[Mortuus]

Curt, come to the club dive this weekend! Even if you dont dive, it would be great to see you there

[elmer fudd]

I've suffered bouts of a-fib since age 27. I've even felt a few flutters underwater.

Everyone's different, but as for me, I seem to have a sensitivity to certain drugs. Alcohol will really throw me for a loop. Last time I had a beer, (many years ago), I had to be cardioverted. Caffeine messes me up a little too, but not nearly as much. If I limit my coffee intake to two cups or less a day I'm generally fine. If I have much more than that I'll likely start noticing skipped beats.

Tensing up your chest and abdomen and bearing down like you're having a BM will often cause it to stop.

If you can tell when it is happening then you have a big advantage. Myself, I can tell right away. It feels like I have a bird fluttering away inside my chest.

[LCF]

elmer fudd, have you talked to a cardiologist about having an ablation? If you're that prone to the dysrhythmia, it might be entirely worthwhile.

[elmer fudd]

We've spoken about it and in the future I might get it done. My cardiologist feels that at this time medication is a better option.

Right now Metoprolol seems to keep it pretty well controlled and what I typically experience usually only lasts for a few seconds at a time. Plus, I find it keeps me on the straight and narrow. I used to like alcohol a little too much and having a scary reminder of why I shouldn't drink has probably improved my life.

One thing I definitely do not like though and those are reverse blocks. Because of my history of a-fib I find I associate it with vertigo. So even when I'm a little stopped up, I've just ascended 20' and I know exactly why I'm experiencing vertigo, it still freaks me out.