i have an explanation for the bend...

[Helen (AKA Hellvet)]

For those of you that have been involved along the way there's too many of you to PM...sorry! so here's a mass update...

Saw the main man Dr pete yesterday - 13h round trip and was really tired when i got back so this is the first chance i've had to post this...
Basically the recent bend has an explanation, which is good cos it means that diving's not completely off the menu :D , though equally i'm not going to be given the all clear to go in anytime soon... :(

My PFO is apparently not fixed tho PW gave me the all clear (in november) he says that i now have a significant shunt which IS likely to bend me. The test is open to a fair amount of interpretation and i didn't manage to produce many bubbles last november, but loads this time, so apparently the hole has been there all along and though smaller than it was initially is still happily bubbling away big style! At this point they'd normally suggest that I had another device fitted but due to all the problems i'm having with the first one it might not be the best option!

PW is working on finding out why i'm so tired, bruising, and still having palpitations, so watch this space...its possible i may be allergic to the device but i would be the first reported case of this i think...and i'm not sure where that gets us...

[Mark]

Helen,

Best wishes for you and to a solution to your problem

[IainC]

Hope you find a solution that works!
I was quite seddened when I saw your earlier post about not diving again.

Out of interest, was the (admittedly incomplete) repair done on the NHS?

I have an (ex) club member (he hasn't renewed as he can't dive at the mo) who has been trying to get a PFO fixed since it was diagnosed after a bend nearly two years ago. When I most recently spoke to him his NHS trust wouldn't pay for the Op, claiming it was non-essential (we suspect it has more to do with their overdraft though).

Iain C.

[Helen (AKA Hellvet)]

Out of interest, was the (admittedly incomplete) repair done on the NHS?.
It was done with my BUPA cover which i took out after i got bent;) (but before diagnosis) - they OFFERED to cover me for a PFO as i hadn't had a diagnosis and was just statistically more likely to have one:eek: . Definitely speeded up the time to op, and meant i got to see Wilmshurst.:cool:

I have an (ex) club member (he hasn't renewed as he can't dive at the mo) who has been trying to get a PFO fixed since it was diagnosed after a bend nearly two years ago. When I most recently spoke to him his NHS trust wouldn't pay for the Op, claiming it was non-essential (we suspect it has more to do with their overdraft though).

I have a great letter (backed up by several relevant research papers) aimed at PCT's who won't pay for PFO referral/surgery which i sent to my PCT who refused to refer me to Wilmshurst as he couldn't "offer me any more than my local hospital" which i disputed :rolleyes: (while getting referred on BUPA as i refused to wait for them to make the right decision!). My PCT then decided that they should have referred me and this letter has helped a couple of other divers too :cool: - PM your email address if you would like a copy.;)
In my original club we have had 3 PFO's in a year - i went private, but the other 2 managed to get referred on the NHS for Surgery, one managed to get back in the water 14months post bend, the other is still waiting for an op date nearly a year down the line...

[Wills]

i went private, but the other 2 managed to get referred on the NHS for Surgery, one managed to get back in the water 14months post bend, the other is still waiting for an op date nearly a year down the line...

Had mine done on the NHS, PW diagnosis to op was 2 months, however bend to PW was over 12 months as they refererred and chased the wrong patient who finally told them he wasn't a diver and had never been recompressed.

I told PW I was continuing to dive as I'm an instructor.

Worked for me :)

[Helen (AKA Hellvet)]

sounds familiar - i was ringing PW for a few months before the PCT decided to tell me that not only had they not referred me to PW but they hadn't referred me at all! Aaargh!

Helen

[Helen (AKA Hellvet)]

sooo, after pw went to a conference in Washington (or someplace like that) he tells me that some people have had problems similar to mine but not lasting as long...so i'm off to see an allergist at the Royal Brompton now...:confused:

and i just want to go diving... but that really does need to wait till i feel better!:rolleyes: