PFO repair

[Jilly]

Hi there, its been quite some time since I was last on DB. I came on tonight hoping to find some information on freediving and PFO (Patent Foraman Ovale). I was diagnosed with a PFO 4 years ago after suffering DCS scuba diving. I was told then that I should never scuba again. That is when i took an interest in freediving and the docs gave me the go ahead. Soon after that i was competing on Team Canada and freediving has become a passion of mine. Recently i have talked to some doctors who are studying the correlation between freediving, PFOs and strokes. My cardiologist has strongly recommended I get my PFO closed or give up my freediving....the competitve depth side anyways. I am booked for surgery next tuesday. Does anyone have any experience with this or have gone through the surgery themselves? Any information would be great!
J

 

[samdive]

Good luck Jill! I got tested for PFO when I had DCS a few years ago and was actually really disappointed that they didn't find one (as it would have explained a few things). A friend of mine had one and got it fixed. They went in through a vein in his thigh and did it all by keyhole surgery. He recovered really quickly and is now working full time in scuba with no further problems - so from his experience, I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Hope it all goes well for you.

Sam

 

[felipe felop]

hi jilly you could try www.patient.co.uk. It seems to be a good site,maybe you might find something on there,good luck

 

[Jilly]

Thank you so much for the information! I've had a heard time finding anyone who has had this done for freediving. If all goes well i will no longer have a leaky heart on tuesday!
Jill

 

[rnsaicic]

Good luck Jill,

I am sure that everything is going to be all right, as this is supposed to be a routine intervention. Let us know when you reenter into the water, with this problem fixed.

Best wishes,

Radomir

 

[rnsaicic]

Hi Jill,
It's Wednessday and we are waiting for your news - hope everything is OK. Let us know as soon as you log in to DB next time!
Radomir

 

[Jilly]

hi everyone! Thank you so much for your support! The surgery went very well and was not nearly as bad as I had worked it up to be. The procedure itself was very painless. The doctors ended up making 2 incisions, one in the femoral artery and one in the femoral vein, so on each side of my groin. The whole thing took about an hour and i was in the hospital for a total of 10 hours before being released to go home. The only complication I had was the following morning when one incision began to bleed and didn't stop....luckily my mom was with me so she was able to get it under control. As of right now, i'm still on bed rest only allowed to stand or sit an hour at a time. I have alot of bruising in my groin area but other than that no pain whatsoever!!! I will fill you in as the days go bye! Again, thank you for your support!
Jill

 

[rnsaicic]

Thanks for the good news Jill.
I hope that the recovery will be fast and that before long you will be in water again.
Best wishes,
Radomir