diabetes and scuba?

[padiscubapro]

QUICK UPDATE:
I just finished my open water certification this weekend. Had lots of fun trying to adjust the bg (blood glucose). For me, since I've never had any problems with hypo glycemia causing seizures or any other extreme symptoms that would interfere with me safely getting out of the water, diabetes is simply an inconvience for recreational diving. Aulthough I was usualy droping rapidly when I got out of the water, I was usualy alright, and only went low once on my open water weekend. My sugars were from 210-280 getting in and from 90-110 getting out. The only time I was low, I started having symptoms after I surfaced and was getting my gear out, and was 57 mg/dL. Aulthough that is fairly low for some people, I've been as low as 21 once and was still able to function. That was a rather scary experience a few months after I was diagnosed (which was 6 years ago I might add) and I wouldn't want to repeat it, but I do at least know I can function at very low sugars if it comes to that.
The reason I say it was an inconvinience is that its easy to cary sugar underwater and on normal recreational dives, if I were to get low, all I'd have to do is surface and eat some sugar. Possibly I wouldn't even have to surface If I can find a way to drink juice underwater. The real problem is balancing the sugar: I had to get in with a high enough sugar that I wouldn't go low, but not so high that I'd have to go to the bathroom really bad and get out early. Over all, the biggest problem was that I was so tired from the stress of my first real dives that I wanted to eat continuously and ended up pretty high a few times. However, just by my forth dive that was much less of a problem and I think a lot of that stress on my body will decrease with expreience, and that this will become simpler when I'm more relaxed in the water.

Squeeze tubes are easy to eat underwater.. You can put mashed up fruit and or juice in it.. Its no different drinking underwater as above it.. Just practice it in a pool until you are confortable.. You are a new diver so your confidence and skills have to be practiced..

Babar -
I think you mis-understood me about the glucose solution.. Many of the tech divers I know that are diabetics PLAN to eat what they are carrying sometime within the dive if its a long dive.. This Insures they are getting some sugars into their blood... and they usually eat something high in carbs (right before they jump in) that isn't digested too quickly..

WHen I do technical diving with long run times (my longest is over 7 hours - but normally are in the 3-4 hour run time) I get hungry AND I get thirsty.. I usually have a squeeze bottle with a drink, there is no reason it couldnt be a fruit juice for a diabetic that could be planned to drink during the dive, even a few sips periodically to keep the levels consistent.. For Open circuit divers there is SCUDA which hooks right to the mouthpiece..
http://www.scuda.com/The_SCUDA.htm

I am a RB diver so when I need to drink, out comes the mouthpiece..

I wouldn;t worry about short time High Glucose, I'm more concerened with low glucose..

 

[babar]

Squeeze tubes are easy to eat underwater.. You can put mashed up fruit and or juice in it.. Its no different drinking underwater as above it.. Just practice it in a pool until you are confortable.. You are a new diver so your confidence and skills have to be practiced..

Babar -
I think you mis-understood me about the glucose solution.. Many of the tech divers I know that are diabetics PLAN to eat what they are carrying sometime within the dive if its a long dive.. This Insures they are getting some sugars into their blood... and they usually eat something high in carbs (right before they jump in) that isn't digested too quickly..

As long as we're on the same page. What your talking about sounds a lot more sensible, then what I thought you were talking about.

Peace
Babar

 

[babar]

Also while we're still on topic. At the UHMS national conference, that's the undersea and hyperbaric medical society. There will be a post conference course on diabetes and diving. There apparantly will also be a panel convened to come up with a society recomendation statement on diabetes and a protocol to manage diabetic divers.

babar

 

[davidworkman]

Glad to hear you got through the cert dive. My program is to eat carbs that break down slowly just before the dive. I will Reduce or eliminate the fast acting/peaking insulin dosage before the dive and adjust afterwards if needed. I also will reduce the lantus amount the night before. The type of dive and how long I will be underwater will determine how I adjust the factors above. As you mentioned the range of BG levels are pretty wide. I try to target going in at 200 and coming out at 100.

QUICK UPDATE:
I just finished my open water certification this weekend. Had lots of fun trying to adjust the bg (blood glucose). For me, since I've never had any problems with hypo glycemia causing seizures or any other extreme symptoms that would interfere with me safely getting out of the water, diabetes is simply an inconvience for recreational diving. Aulthough I was usualy droping rapidly when I got out of the water, I was usualy alright, and only went low once on my open water weekend. My sugars were from 210-280 getting in and from 90-110 getting out. The only time I was low, I started having symptoms after I surfaced and was getting my gear out, and was 57 mg/dL. Aulthough that is fairly low for some people, I've been as low as 21 once and was still able to function. That was a rather scary experience a few months after I was diagnosed (which was 6 years ago I might add) and I wouldn't want to repeat it, but I do at least know I can function at very low sugars if it comes to that.
The reason I say it was an inconvinience is that its easy to cary sugar underwater and on normal recreational dives, if I were to get low, all I'd have to do is surface and eat some sugar. Possibly I wouldn't even have to surface If I can find a way to drink juice underwater. The real problem is balancing the sugar: I had to get in with a high enough sugar that I wouldn't go low, but not so high that I'd have to go to the bathroom really bad and get out early. Over all, the biggest problem was that I was so tired from the stress of my first real dives that I wanted to eat continuously and ended up pretty high a few times. However, just by my forth dive that was much less of a problem and I think a lot of that stress on my body will decrease with expreience, and that this will become simpler when I'm more relaxed in the water.

 

[zor]

yeah, I didn't lower my lantus the first day, but the second day, I did about half my normal dosage and it helped a lot.

 

[juggernutt]

Interesting info guys.
I have been diagnosed as a diabetic. It;s still early but i was afraid that diving could be dangerous for me.
Now it's look better to me....I am just a fun diver. And i think the risk looks about OK to me.
hypo seems tobe teh main danger.

 

[616fun]

Interesting info guys.
I have been diagnosed as a diabetic. It;s still early but i was afraid that diving could be dangerous for me.
Now it's look better to me....I am just a fun diver. And i think the risk looks about OK to me.
hypo seems tobe teh main danger.

Definitely have a talk with your doctor about diabetes and diving. Some of us diabetics are diving safely, but also it takes planning and effort (as seen in this thread).

Just be cafeful and take it slow. Be sure you are managing the disease and have a good handle on how it affects you before you get back in the water.

PM me if you have more specific questions about how I handle my diving.

 

[PairofMedics]

I am a paramedic and a type2 diabetic, so here's my advice. Check your sugar when you go to bed the night before a dive. checkit again right after you wake up as well as around breakfast. Check it once more as close to getting wet as is feasible. Yes. ckae frosting is a good emergency intervention, but you're going to need somethig more complex immediately thereafter. Lemme 'splain.(I work in Miami) When I run on diabetic emergencies I will give IV dextrose which will boost the patient up to levels of 300mg/dl or more sometimes. But it's got a very short duration. 20 minutes later they're bottoming out again. So I always have someone make a BP&J sandwich while we're starting the IV so that when they wake up we can get the sandwich onboard and minimize the fuzzy feelings afterward. Obviously the theme here is checking your sugar more oftren around your dives will help you manage it better. Remember that diving is a physical activity and your body's energy needs are increased and you need to ensure those needs. So dive, but dive safely.

 

[naturenan]

THank you Brian, I agree wholeheartedly! Your generalization and asssumptions show you are short sighted and not too swift. Anyone who makes a broad judgement based on one experience (particularly one in which the diabetic had no problem with his diabetes) is a bit of an idiot.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Naturenan,

The last post in the thread to which you have just responded was made nearly a year ago (08-10-05). The original post was made nearly a year and a half ago (04-06-05). As such, you may wish to email or PM the inquirer with your comment.

Regards,

DocVikingo