My husband and I are on vacation in Hawaii right now. I am a certified diver, and haven't been on a dive since I got Lyme. I do not feel many symptoms from Lyme (been on antibx 8 months), but I still have a low CD57 (42). I am wondering if it is safe to go diving with Lyme. It would only be a shallow dive - 30 feet or so. Dr. B in NY had told me that diving could be good for Lyme, but I have read conflicting opinions.
Does anyone have personal experience with diving with Lyme, or know what happens in the body from it - good and bad?
Thanks!
Posts: 117 | From Chicago, IL | Registered: Jan 2006
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stymielymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10044
posted
increased external pressure is not good for lyme so the deeper you go the worst damage you are doing 20 feet and above should be ok.
next time you dive you should also check your fillings in teeth. a loose filling under pressure will crack and cause severe pain.
all deep water divers,had severa; in my practice would come in every sevral months to make sure their filling were not cracked.
docdave
Posts: 1820 | From Boone and Southport, NC | Registered: Sep 2006
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I am also an extensive tech diver. My LLMD is also a diver. You will need to be very careful diving. If your bug load is high you could have trouble off gassing the nitrogen. I would not go deeper than 26ft and would also hang out at 10 feet for a couple a min before you make your final surface and come up slower than usual.
I also now use a nitorx mix for all my dives 32% to 40% O2. My LLMD suggested that I do not stay under the water for more than 1 hour and to at least get a 2 hour break before doing a 2nd dive. No more than 2 dives a day unless I am only hanging out at about 15 feet.
Actually getting some diving in is like getting a hbot treatment. It does help get O2 into the tissues even at 15ft, especially if you are using nitrox mixes.
I will warn you if your bug load is high you will herx a couple of hours after the dives. And make sure you drink plenty of water before and after the dives. If you are not use to diving while being sick with lyme I would not do more than 1 dive a day unless you only go down to 15 or 18 feet. You don't want to get bent because your system is not off gassing correctly. I love diving so much that I could not just stop because of this darn disease. I have not gone down past 28ft for the last year. But there is still a lot a fun that can be had even at shallow depths. Oh, buy the way, overall, diving really made me feel much better getting all that O2 into the system.
Posts: 582 | From milwaukee wi | Registered: May 2005
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
NO or prepare for a major herx.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Thanks for the replies everyone. Like everything with Lyme, there seems no clearcut answer, and while I will probably be fine, I'm not sure I want to take the risk. It's amazing how this stupid infection can impact everything!
Posts: 117 | From Chicago, IL | Registered: Jan 2006
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