Hey y’all. Recently I have been wanting to learn how to scuba dive. My dad does it and it looks like so much fun! But I was wondering if any of y’all know if my head would be able to handle the pressure after having a chiari decomp surgery? Re there any drivers in this group that could answer this question? I really want to do it, but I don’t want to risk having a huge pressure headache, or even tearing my patch.
Im not really sure about scuba diving but I was informed by my neurosurgeon that I need not to fly anymore in open cock pit planes at high altitudes because it can change the pressure in my head and cause some unwanted side effects such as severe headaches dizziness and blood pressure changes. In an open cock pit theres no way to control pressure changes and also have to be careful about traveling to areas that are at higher altitudes. Found that one out the hard way! So any changes in pressure sounds like it could surely mess with us! I have never been told that it could cause irreversible physical effects.
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Hi Lauren5- this past summer my 15 year old daughter ( decompression surgery 4 years ago) went snorkling and she had a difficult time with the pressure. She couldn’t dive down too far and had to stay close to the surface. Although she spent a week at a volleyball camp two years ago in Colorado and the higher altitude didn’t bother her at all. Like everything else with Chiari, it’s different for everyone. Maybe you start out slow and just go snorkling first to see how you feel. Good luck!!!
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I had issues with SCUBA prior to my surgery. I couldn’t clear my ears to adjust to the pressure without a lot of trouble. I have much better luck snorkeling because it’s way less intense. I’m okay with snorkeling as a safer alternative.
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