Past Lung phnemothorax and Potentail lung tear from compression

[David Watson 0u]

Hi there,

I have struck problems in my quest to spear fish and freedive.
My freedive course was progressing to the open water no limits depth challenge, Id achieved 2.35 static apnea, 54m dynamic, I went for a medical certificate and failed because of a past motorbike injury approx. 10 years ago. 2 broken ribs and a collapsed lung with a drain inserted into my lung cavity to remove the air in thelung cavity that had escaped.
My Doc talked talked to Dr Chris Sames of the hyper bardic unit Navy
and he advised not to sanction my activity as the compression on my lung during diving and the amount of tissue movement on the injury area where my lung popped may tear microscopically and result in air embolism or collapsed lung.
This is the reason why i failed a med for scuba earlier but because of the risk of rapid accent with the same affect. I gave up the idea of scuba but have been spear fishing as much as I can as a beginner.
Patrick has said No bubbles cant complete my course.
I rang this doctor Sames trying to get a depth limit or if a CT scan would show the possibility fo this happening. He said there is no way to tell. But said its could be rare and take the risk my self or give the sport away.
Do any of you know any more about my condition and if others have suffered or freedive with no ill affects?
Please help with any advise or leads where i can research this to participate in free diving.

I quite happy to limit myselk to 10m and work on bottom times but dont know if that will be to much of a risk?

Yours truly

David Watson

 

[pyro]

First of am really sorry to hear that, it's such a same when past injuries hunt you, I have a broken set of ears that keep of ****ing me up every now and then!

But to be honest, if I do it too much, the worst case scenario is that I pop my eardrums and if I am lucky enough I make it to the surface. If your lungs give up 20 meters down, what happens? I am not a doctor so I wouldn't know, but why not try going to one of those hyperbaric chambers? Where you can aritificially go down 10 20 30 meters, be there with a doctor and see if your lungs are ok?

Just a speculation, but don't give up hope, I am sure there is something you can do...I would risk it since I am just a 20yr old guy, but I wouldn't really recomend it to anyone.

In any way, good luck buddy.

 

[David Watson 0u]

I just been talking to a professional Freediver and once spear fishing champion
Whom Broke ribs punctured his lung which collapsed But reinflated buy its self
and three years later started free diving, He says he trains harder and says Warm ups are real important and time doing it is the Key. He is more cautious but has not suffered any more than a uninjured person. Really heartening
So im just going to take it easy. no more then 10% advances in progress and do lots of snooping :wave

 

[tom watt]

Hi i would like to say ive never been diving and never will now because ive had a phnemothorax and my lung collapsed, i was told that i would not be able to do any kind of diving at all. i only came onto this site because i saw a story on phnemothorax's so i became a memeber to warn people about what i have been told. i was also told of two opperations i could have one was to have a substance like talcome podwe injected inbetween my lung and chest wall to inflame the walls of each and they would stick that only works if the lung has re-inflated the other is to have the lung and the chest wall stiched together. my lung didnt for a while i had to have TWO chest drains inserted and numorus other things done it evently fixed and i am now waiting to have one of the operations to avoid this happening again.

hope this is of some help to some body!

see ya

Tom Watt.