AN Patient Wants to Scuba Dive

[Monnette]

I've had (retrosigmoid) surgery for my AN in 2009.  I want to scuba dive and asked the diving instructor if I could do so.  He told me to ask my doctor, so I requested for a medical certificate from my neurosurgeon who says it's okay.  Any other opinions?

[MDemisay]

Dear Monette,

This may not apply to you but I was told that because of an AVM condition and the pressure involved with that I was going to have to do without SCUBA diving for what if I had a blood vessel break on me while I was diving. I was told that at 17! Now I had an AN nightmare happen to me while I was 47 and have survived till 55. Without any ill effects a lot of time has gone by.

Like you I wanted to go but since my doctor would not sign off on it, I managed to survive without SCUBA and went Skin Diving instead. You must understand the Diving Instuctor is signing off and while on a dive he or she is responsible for you. I hope that you have better luck than me. I do not know the specifics of your surgery so I am not one to judge.

I was looking forward to have a career choice of Marine SCUBA Diver but my AVM's changed all that.....I, up until that point had been swimming competitively in high school. Looking back, I suppose I could have been something to do with Marine Biology, but sometimes life doesn't give you lucky breaks but instead turns your attention in another direction.

Good luck!

Mike

[PaulW]

If you have an AN or one removed you must get a medical certificate.
When you do your medical declaration you will probably fail on a number of questions which will mean you will need to get clearances from a doctor. Questions like... Do you have a brain tumour? Do you suffer from dizziness or vertigo?

Some doctors are uncomfortable with the large sudden pressure changes involved with diving and skydiving and whether that may cause a CSF leak. So depending on how the surgery was done, when it was done, and complications post surgery that may impact their decision.

Balance problems may also cause disorientation while diving. Not great if you find yourself in a pickle and you start swimming downwards instead of going to the surface.

If you get medical clearance, from your neurosurgeon one would expect that everything would be fine.

[MDemisay]

Dear Monnette,

I concur with Paul. Not good as it may cause #1 a CSF leak or #2 a confusion in directional (caused by vertigo) up or down. Personally, I can't see this as light coming from the surface of the water would orient you better. As you know from other posts this would not help you at night or while cave diving.

As far as I know, you are not as limited when diving without a tank, in so far as, you don't require permission. I had to severely curtail my under water activities and was about to actively train to be certified in SCUBA. It was a passion of mine to follow Jacques Cousteau! Plans scuttled!!

Damn aneurisms and damn acoustic neuromas!

I chose instead a life helping others as a nursing home worker and am happily married for 33 years and have a beautiful 22 year old daughter.

In some things God gives you direction!

Good luck to you!

[mikechinnock]

I do not know about what others have opined, but I was certified in the 1960,s and after AN surgeries I found I did not have the left side strength and my left-right coordination was poor. Add blindness to my left eye and I did not think I could deal well with the ocean along the Pacific Coast of California. I really liked diving and kept my tanks certified and my gear until the 1980's. I sold everything except a mask, snorkle, set of fins and hooded vest. I found light skin diving (30 feet max) was something I still enjoyed occasionally. Not only have the dive equipment, standards and ideas changed in the past 35 years, but so has AN surgery and patient outcomes. I think it all depends upon the patient and the opinion of ones Neurosurgeon.

How bad do you really want to dive ?

[Monnette]

Hi mikechinnock,

I wouldn't say diving is a passion.  It's more of an itch.

So far, my balance is near-normal as I can go places on my own.  Coordination is a very mild problem, I think, since the problem is only manifest if I accidentally touch hot objects and such.  The only remnant of my AN is just my facial palsy.  An EMG-NCV indicates that there is poor response to stimulus on my chin and cheek while there is none on the forehead.  I can close my right eye with very little effort, although it doesn't tear.  I am also deaf on my right ear.

My concern is with the equalizing part and possible disorientation.  I have never been certified but plan on diving for at least 15 meters and maybe until 30 meters.  My neurosurgeon says it's okay and I will know how deep I can go (depending on my level of comfort, I guess).

I would like to dive as a recreation (just for fun  ).

Thanks also to MDemisay and PaulW for your opinions.

[PaulW]

Can I ask you a question?
If you swim to the bottom of a swimming pool like 6ft deep.
Can you feel pressure in your bad ear, and more importantly can you feel it clear?
If you cannot feel your ear clearing it could lead to a burst eardrum.

Just because your good ear clears does not automatically mean your AN ear will clear.

[Monnette]

Hi PaulW,

I haven't swum to the bottom of the pool yet, but I'll keep that in mind.

Thanks for the tip.