Hi guys,

I know there's a lot of "medical expertise " amongst you so here's a question I forgot to ask my doctor:
I'm recovering from Pneumonia, still coughing for a fact.
In my upcoming holiday I've planned some dives.Is this a absolute No NO or could I if carefully do my dives???

Sjoss

Oops , forgot to say the magic words:

Jake
Cynde
Martin
Seb
Babs
Tom

must sound like hocus pocus , well, after all it is a charm. LOL

sjosss

Hi all, I'll probably read your replies tommorrow morning at work , goodnight for now.

Sjosss

Call DAN (www.dan.org) and ask them. You should be a member :-)

Jake

Sjoske, as a favour of a DAN member the european DAN URL (www.daneurope.org) and the Dutch phone number (free of charge for members): 0223-658220. But like Jake told you, you should be a member... ;)

(Message edited by martin_w on June 15, 2005)

Jos, definitely get clearance before diving.

Jos

I agree check with the pros at DAN. I can't advise medically but we take Zinc, Echinacea and multi vitamins as a preventative and get well course before all dive trips.

Jos,

Check with DAN on the diving thing but I can tell you that you should have only light workouts at a trot. No galopping until you are no longer coughing. And a wet mash with less dry hay may help reduce that cough.

Dr. Doo

Jos, are you getting a chest x-ray before you leave? If your x-ray is back to normal and your cough is not productive you may be in in the clear but I think you might want your doctor to listen to your lungs and give you a final okay! ditto on the DAN info too! I hope you are well quickly!

Jos, I concur; you should be a member of DAN. Whether you are a member or not, they will answer your questions.

Pffffeeeewwww, glad I asked,

I must admit I had heard of DAN before, but I think I was never "strongly urged" to become a member, or informed that you "ought to be" a member.

When we decided to take a PADI OW course as a bonus to our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic 5 years ago , we did raise our insurance up to the level of "dangerous sports and activities".

After that due to circumstances we only got to dive maybe once a year , so it didn't occur to be an "issue".

Thank you all for your advices , especially Dr.Doo, although I would have expected an Feline approach considering my "coughing up furballs" messages . LOL

Seriously, Babs, as a matter of fact all of what you asked or suggested happened last tuesday.
The doctor did listen , still heard something, provided me with a prescription for : new antibiotics,an chest X-ray session at the hospital and a nice little sample jar for my coughingproduction to have it examened.
Lab results will not be known till next monday afternoon, hence the new antibiotics.

Ofcours I did check the Link , thanks Martin. I'll be sure to get enlisted ( and so will Nicole for that matter). And I'll give them a call later today.

Like they say , you're never to old to learn.

Sjossss

And now back to work .

martin , you've got mail.

sjosss

Hmm, cannot wait to get home to read it...

Martin ,
Het telefoonummer wat je me gegeven hebt klopt niet.
Kan ook nergens dat nummer terugvinden in KPN site.

Sjosss

Sjoske, probeer "het duikmedisch centrum" van de marine, dat is het steunpunt. Anders mail ik je vanavond nog wel even.

Martin -- have you given Sjoske the right phone number yet? He doesn't want to join the Navy, he just wants the DAN number. (Tell Angela that I kinda figured that one out and checked it on a web translator.)

And Sjosss, it does take time for your body to recover from pneumonia. Please take it easy!

Did Dr. Doo give you a jar for a hairball sample?

(Just curious....)

Mare

Seven Mare, I did give him the correct contact info. And why do you understand Dutch???

Hi Martin,

Angela is determined that I learn. And I like languages.

tee hee

7mare

Jos, as a PADI instructor, and an American... the best advice is what everyone else has already stated.. get professional advice :D The reason I say that is because if someone on here tells you know problem, go diving, and they are in the dive industry (instructor/dive master), you can come back and sue their butts. At least here in America. Hence, you'll not find many people in the profession that will offer definitive advice on what you should or should not do while in the water (it falls into that category of student/teacher relationship the minute they answer a question).

okay, if anyone else is as confused as I am by a few of those sentences, say "oy."

OY...

There was some conversation in Dutch, sorry about that...

7Mare, Keep up the good work. Are people still staring at Sebbo because of him spitting while walking on the street, trying to speak some Dutch???

Martin, not spitting per se, coughing up phlegm more like it.

tee hee!

7mare

Speaking Dutch is not a contact sport.

Jos,

I am new to this site, but not to Bonaire. I am a trained diving doctor and active diver. If you are still coughing up phlegm then I would strongly suggest you do not dive, even carefully. Remember that the greatest changes in pressure are at the shallow depths. A mucous plug could lead to a blown lung. While there is an excellent chamber on Bonaire, I doubt that is where you want to spend your holiday. I lost an entire week of diving in Bonaire once with a similiar illness but you are better safe. Snorkling is great in Bonaire and much safer for you if you are coughing.

Also, Join DAN!

Linda

WOW LINDA! A trained diving doctor, a Buckeye, and a woman! You're the new poster I've been dreaming about. A great big Welcome to the board.

Seb,

Thanks for the welcome. I read the posts a lot but have never "jumped in." I figured it was time. I usually make it to Bonaire once a year at least. I am hoping to be able to retire there someday.

I was impressed by the caution shown by the other posters on this. It's good to know that people are diving safely

Wow....a Real Doctor Diver. Here's a real stumper for the dive pros out there.

On my last trip to BON I was waiting at 95ft. for everybody to catch up and absent-mindedly cracked my knuckles.

My right pointer finger base knuckle started hurting and had some swelling after the dive and is just now back to normal (after 4 months).

I figure the knuckle popping, which I understand to be air bubbles popping out of the joint, was replaced with nitrogen bubbles ie I bent my knuckle.

Sound plausible or was it because spirit (a bird) bit me on the same knuckle before flossing.

Wally

Wally,
quick answer:

Don't do that again.
And tell Spirit Shoo Shoo to behave herself.

7mare

It was probably bird spit but I like to think my finger got the bends

But no more knuckle cracking below 30 ft. just in case. A rather minor bother for a bit...particularly when opening twist off beer caps

Well well well.... Linda White!! Small world... I'm Kelly from the TA Dive Club ! (was Kelly Lott until marriage in Oct.) Haven't seen you at the dive club meetings lately...

Great to see you here though! Bonaire Talk is a great resource and you'll learn lots of good stuff here... welcome!!!

Oh... Linda... I forgot to ask you, when was your last Bonaire trip? I thought you hadn't been able to go the last several years with Sub-A? I don't go with that group anymore, I go by myself and love it! (this year I'm taking the husband though)

Feel free to shoot me off a private email if you want, kbaum@newarkohio.net.

Incidentally, anyone who wants TA Dive Club t-shirts, I can get them.

First in line: Seb. Second, probably Wally? lol

Okey dokey, this short girl looks and some more info is over my head.

Kelly, what the heck is TA Dive Club?

?

7mare

orchestra and balcony

Mare,

I know what T&A means... if that is what they call their dive club, hey I want to be a member! (one can only imagine what is on the Tee Shirt... )

Hi Kelly,

I have been in and out of town. My schedule is so crazy that I rarely make it to club meetings. I will be helping out with the DAN BBQ as usual though.

To the rest of you, it is TA Dive Club. The club is quite old and when it started they did not have formal divemasters to help with training. So they called them Teaching Assistants. When the club was formed by the group they took that name and 30 years later it's still that.

I go to a diving medicine meeting in Bonaire every February, so I was there this year.

If you ever "plan" to get bent in Bonaire, do it the first full week in February. You'll have some of the top diving medicine experts in the world there. I'm not one of them though, I have a lot more to learn.

I'll drop you a line Kelly.

Now Now people.... as it was told to me, it originally meant "Teachers and Assistants". Seriously, that's what they said it means. How funny is that.

They're close. I think it depends on who you get the story from. Sounds like we were composing our answers at the same time.

Dang, I like the other name better.

From hacking to DAN and long lost friends,
bent knuckles, bird spit and T & A,
shouldn't we just call these threads Spaghetties

Spaghetties Wally ???
Would that make me the meatball?

Thanks all for your good/strong/alert/kind responses and warnings.

As it all turned out I sure as h... had no way in the world to consider going diving when we were there .
Took my antibiotics till thursday , started coughing on the next monday , had a (bad) nosecold from wednesday on .I tried to do a little snorkeling but the coughing sound scared the fish away , LOL.
Now it is monday ( back at work) , fever is back and the coughing too , so tomorrow I have another doctors appointment.

Linda , welcome to the nuthouse , lol.

Josh, I try to maintain a non american normal attitude towards this "sueing" idiotery. I mean it nicer than it will probably read.
Since our company is owned by heinz it is ( in my perspective) hilarious how much "digging in , covering own but" measures and memo's are being send around.
"told you so , not my mistake, work at your own risk"

sjossss

( nicole got to dive anyway, so she surely told me what I missed)

Jos, I am so sorry you did not get to dive ...your situation sounds very worrisome! YIKES, I hope your doctor figures it out soon!

Babs,
don't worry to much, LOL.
I got to get building sandcastles on the shore line with Amber and Alexander. So I'm not complaining

Dr Doo: Can you get me some other cure ??/ Now I'm barking like a dog when I cough?
I'm still hoping for a cough like a Lion's Seal , heard that once and was in total awe !!!

Sjossss