Wow. As a newish diver, it's really nice to see other diabetics out there.
I am Type I (IDDM), and I have been for 24 years. As a child I was quite active. I've gone through some natural ups and downs - sometimes I've been in really tight control, and I've had a few periods, like in college, of not-so-tight control.
Fortunately, though, I have never had a majorly bad episode, and I've never been what people would call a "brittle" diabetic - prone to really wild ups and downs in blood sugars. I.e., if I eat a bunch of cheesecake, it will go up. If I don't eat, it will drop.
I recently took up diving because it is something I've -always- wanted to do, and from the moment I put the reg in my mouth and went under, I knew I was an addict. It's about the closest to "zen" I can get.
However, this is probably the first time I've been really scared about my diabetes. For example, during my OW certification, which was in a lake, my sugar dropped from 180 before going in ... to 54 when I came out!
I had a GREAT OW instructor, and I am lucky to have my husband as a dive buddy, but it has been a real reality check. In the true OW of the open seas, for example, going low isn't the same as playing tennis on the courts or being out for a run.
I was fortunate to have a doctor who cleared me easily to dive, and I found the DAN guidelines helpful, but surprising at how high they did suggest having one's blood sugar.
Reading through this thread...
The poster who originally posted this topic may not still be here, but his original complaints of the live aboard's response... are misplaced. As a lawyer, in addition to a diabetic, anyone who did allow him to dive on their ship... after that episode would be CRAZY.
The instructor's refusal to certify him was a little sketchy, but... the point about instructors not being doctors and able to make a call about having someone in a class was valid.
IMHO, diabetes isn't a deal-breaker to diving, but it does require some added caution.
I am curious of the few posters to mentioned a pump... does it get dirty in the open water of the ocean? do you dive with it? i've long resisted switching to one, but am slowly considering it.