Page 15 - AlertDiver_Spring2013
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and salient advice on how to enjoy a
long life of diving.
— Stan Waterman, via email
Rolling with the Punches
My urology surgeon assumed that over
the years she’d heard her bladder-
cancer patients ask every possible
question. But I — an otherwise healthy
71-year-old man —asked a new
one: Could I still dive after a radical
cystectomy with a urostomy (i.e., with
my now-missing bladder replaced by a
hole in my belly so my urine flows into
a taped-on plastic bag)?
Her answer, after consulting many
colleagues, was that the operation
should have no effect. My recent
10-day stay at Pirate’s Point on Little
Cayman — roughly a year after my
surgery — confirmed her prognosis.
The only concession to my use of a
urostomy bag was the need to replace
my usual weight belt, which chafed
against the stoma site, with an integrated
BC; the adjustment worked flawlessly.
On the dive boat I went to the head just
before each dive to empty the bag and to
be sure all the air was expelled.
The urostomy pouches (Hollister
No. 8462) impressively maintained
their adhesion on my skin despite my
unusual exercise and immersion in
salt water at depths up to 100 feet. At
home I usually change each bag after
approximately four days; while diving,
a bag lasted about three. The lesson:
Don’t avoid diving just because you
pee in a bag.
— Jack Marshall, Charlottesville, Va.
For more information on returning to
diving after a cancer diagnosis, check
out this issue’s “Cancer and Scuba
Diving” feature on Page 82.
WRITE US
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writing to us at:
MAIL
Alert Diver
6 West Colony Place
Durham, NC 27705
ONLINE
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All letters included in this column
are subject to editing for length
and content.
Correction
Some readers disagreed with the
instructions provided for the
kettlebell clean and jerk in the
Winter 2013 issue (Dive Fitness,
Page 29). Although techniques vary,
most involve ending the “clean”
phase of the exercise in a tight “rack”
position with the elbow tucked in
close to the body. The importance
of this position wasn’t adequately
conveyed by the text or photos in
the article. It is common for people
new to kettlebell training to perform
the clean and jerk (also known as the
clean and press) improperly, which
can lead to injury of the shoulder
or wrist. Seek the guidance of a
qualified kettlebell instructor before
performing this exercise.
TheMagazineofDivers alerTneTwork
AlertDiver.com / WINTER 2013
amos nachoum:
master of megafauna
antarctica’s ross sea:
a fragile frontier
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1/14/13 4:05PM
Peter A. Hughes,
Founder
LIVE-ABOARDS!
DESTINATIONS!
Utila, Bay Islands
