Do you think my dad can skydive?

[Ketia0 0]

I am new to this sport so still dont know all the health related things to it. But when i told my dad i went skydiving he told me he had always wanted to do that. before you go off and say " yea he can", i wanna give yall a little background on him..

He is 48.
He recently had a liver transplant.
I *think* he has kidney issues... not sure on taht one though...

but i am pretty sure his heart is in good condition...

Im pretty sure i would have to get it cleared by a doctor, but i wanted to ask people who really know this sport.. what do you think?

"In this game you can't predict the future. You just have to play the odds. "-JohnMitchell

[slj678 0]

I don't know this sport much more than you, but I have read threads on here that have said people with way more severe problems jumped and everything went fine. I'd like to think this would be the case here too?

"I didn't know they gave out rings at the holocaust"

[Andy9o8 0]

The only opinions about this that are of the slightest value to you and your dad are expert opinions.

[DSE 3]

Of course your Dad can skydive. The question is whether he'll come out of the skydive with the same health he had when he first got into the aircraft.
That's how it goes...mitigate risk.
Ask his doctor whether he'll likely be safe or not.

[brettski74 0]

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Ask his doctor whether he'll likely be safe or not.

Ditto that. Even if you find a skydiving doctor on here, he still won't know the medical history of your dad. He wouldn't know, for example, if there are sutures which need time to heal before being subjected to abnormal G forces.

Since your doctor may not be a skydiver, the things you probably need to consider when talking about it to your doctor would be whether he can safely travel in an unpressurized aircraft at altitude (ie. lower atmospheric pressure and hence available oxygen).The other main one is G forces. Based on data from my altimeter, I calculated the opening shock of my sport rig to peak at up to 4 Gs approximately over a period of .25 seconds or less. The sample period of the altimeter is 0.25 seconds, though, so the G number may actually be higher and the time period smaller, but it should be in the ball park. Following the peak shock, there is a longer period of deceleration of about 1.5 to 2G that may last for about 2 or 3 seconds. Note that these number are off the top of my head, as I don't have that data handy right now but should be in the ballpark.

If you had a severe spinning malfunction, you could be subjected to more sustained G forces, but I'm not sure how high that could be as I have no reference data. I'd also note that malfunctions are 1 in 1000 or so chances, whereas opening shock is pretty much guaranteed if you plan to skydiving or breathing.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Im pretty sure i would have to get it cleared by a doctor, but i wanted to ask people who really know this sport.. what do you think?

A doctor specializing in flight medicine be the one to ask. If the liver transplant is healed enough for aerobatic flight openings should be fine since those forces are higher and longer than when skydiving. If oxygen isn't required in unpressurized aircraft below the FAA minimum altitudes he should be fine since we spend less time at altitude.

[Andy9o8 0]

I suppose the liver transplant will make beer consumption out of the question. That could be a deal-breaker.

[brucet7 0]

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Ask his doctor whether he'll likely be safe or not.

This will depend upon the doctor. My doctor hates skydiving and would answer no to the question for anyone and everyone. He is so anti-skydiving that my friend walked out of an appointment and I am looking for a more skydiving friendly doctor.

POPS #10623; SOS #1672

[wayneflorida 0]

Tell your doctor to think of you as job security.

[AndyMan 7]

I don't know what the different dropzones would say, but I can tell you personally that as an Instructor, I would not take your dad in his current state of health, simply because of the recent major surgery.

All of that changes once he's had sufficient time to recover from the surgery. I would either want to hear from his doctor, or I'd consult with one myself - but right now I don't see why a kidney problem alone should stop a skydive as long as he's fit and strong.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[stevebabin 0]

With a new liver, do you think he's ready for the beer that will be involved?

The decision to jump will be his. Unless the Dropzone requires it, he won't have to be "cleared" by his Doctor. (this has been the case with me and my myriad health issues, anyway.)
After educating the Doctor about the physical stresses skydiving presents, it would be wise of your Dad to consider what his doctor says very carefully.

Good Luck with all of it!!

"Science, logic and reason will fly you to the moon. Religion will fly you into buildings."
"Because figuring things out is always better than making shit up."