Asthma and UK dive physicians

[Jess' Diving Adventures]

HI!

I have been suffering from coughing and severe chest infections around 5 times a year for the last 3 years. These 'attacks' always come after i get common cold (runny nose feel rubbish etc) I have never had any trouble breathing between episodes but when they happen they are so bad i cough all night, cough up phlegm and feel dreadful for sometime three weeks on end. My doctor who i saw today is convinced this is asthma. To give you some more info, i run 5-10km 3/4times a week and never fell any exercise related tightening int eh chest and perform well on the puff test (sorry dont know what its called).

The doc thinks i have 'mild' asthma and I have just been given

1)Fluticasone Propionate Dry powder breath-sctuated inhaler to take 2 puffs morning and night as a preventative

2)Salbutamol Inhaler-in case i get any attacks (which i dont if im not sick with a cold)

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO the problem is diving. I have read many things about asthma and diving both good and bad. Will i with these symptoms and on this medication be able to pass a diving medical. I am currently planning a year long trip to Oz with the intention to work Divemastering/Istructing for at least 6 months so you can see why im a bit worried about the outcome of this question.

Also, does anyone know of any good dive physicians in the N London area where i could get properly checked out?

Many thanks guys

 

[gert7to3]

This link is to Divers Alert Network Europe:

https://www.daneurope.org/hmain.htm

They may be able to refer you to a specialist in your vicinity.

From what (little) I know about asthma your condition doesn't sound like it. Did they rule out bronchitis?

Have your prescribed meds had a positive effect?

How have you reacted to diving? Asthmatics will frequently react poorly to sharp, quick exposure to cold, as I imagine your local diving conditions are. This would probably be the case even if you weren't sufferring from one of your extended colds.

You are quite correct about having to pass a medical exam if you intend to perform diving related work in Australia.

 

[String]

You may want to try here:

http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm

A list of all the officially recognised diving medical referees/doctors in the UK. One of those is far more likely to be able to understand the condition and medication and its effect on diving than a normal GP.

 

[Jess' Diving Adventures]

Thanks for the response, I am a fair weather diver so have no experience of real cold except from being patetic in tropical water!! Or in fact diving at all since this diagnosis (two days ago, my last dive a couple of months ago). I have never however had any problems in the past with shortness of breath underwater etc

As for the meds, I dont know yet as i only got them yesterday! I guess time will tell, im willing to give abything a try as I have been quite sick over the last year with this.

I just hope it doesnt stop me diving

 

[Marek K]

For what it's worth, our daughter has mild asthma... not allergic to anything (been tested three times), and not temperature (cold) induced; only has problems toward the end of having a cold (upper respiratory infection).

She's been recently put on Flixotide (fluticasone propionate), along with formoterol to first make sure her breathing passages are open. As I understand it, eventually she won't need the formoterol; just the Flixotide as a long-acting maintenance medication.

Her pulmonologist doesn't want her using an albuterol-type inhaler, even as a "rescue" treatment; he's afraid of side effects. And says with the Flixotide, there should be no reason for rescue treatment.

She's been on this for about three months now, and it's made a tremendous difference for the better. She's had a couple of colds in the meantime, and her peak flows have stayed in the green. And her spirography has shown great improvement too.

In light of all this, she's recently been cleared for starting an OW course by a good dive physician (specialist in internal medicine, pulmonology, and dive medicine); as long as she doesn't dive, as a precaution, when she has a cold... but no-one should be diving with a cold anyway.

From what I hear, the UK is one of the more liberal countries, as far as allowing certain asthmatics to dive. And Australia is one of the most conservative in that regard...

--Marek

 

[DrSteve]

Jess - when I first had my BSAC medical I told my doc I had mild asthma and he said "Take this a week before you go diving to prevent an asthmatic episode underwater." Now the preventative inhalers are incredible. I've not had an attack in a year, although on occasion I have felt short of breath, but there wasn't the asthmatic wheeze I associate with an attack.

I've been diving now for 5 years using asthma meds and hay fever meds with no issues. Given that my problems (like most others like this) are classed as chronic I think that I have a good feeling for how things are with me. I know if a problem is bad or not. I also know to treat any colds that cause nasal congestion hard and fast. I've told my GP "treat it correctly now and I won't be back, go wimpy on it and I'll be back for the next 3 months."