Asthma question

[ssra30]

I completely understand the frustration of divers who have been turned down by dive operators when the diver's physician has cleared the diver for diving. This is not a situation that I would like to be in.

However one has to consider that when you go diving, your decision does not neccessarily affect only yourself, especially if something goes wrong. When there is an accident, dive operators do not simply get away with 'opps, we did not know about the health problem of the diver'. They still has to take responsibility. So as much as you are making the decision to take a risk, they should also have the right to determine who they are willing to be responsible for or what risk they are willing to take. How about other divers on the trip? If a problem occurs, their trip could be terminated, they could be placed in a stressful situation when a member of the group is sick. The trip could be terminated prematurely etc etc. I think it is better to be upfront and honest about medical condition as it is always safer to be with dive operators who are comfortable with your condition and willing to take you rather than some operators who are ignorant of your problem and are not equip to handle the situation if anything should go wrong.

Why should there be a difference between training and leisure dive trip? The risk of exacerbation of the medical condition should still be the same when you are underwater. It is not more dangerous when you train then when you go on a dive trip. As much as an instructor is responsible for his or her students, the dive operators also have to be responsible for their clients.

This is just my personal bias and I am not trying to say that if you choose to do thing differently, you are wrong. Just a thought...

 

[diverrick]

I had to laugh at some of the statements I read in the hyperlink about DANS stance. The quote was " some divers with asthma have died" though they did add the caveat that it was unclear if it had anything to do with the deaths.
I wonder if they checked to see if any of those divers who died, might have suffered a broken leg sometime previous to the last dive? Yes, one could assume that a history of a broken leg prior to the diver dieing, MIGHT have been a contributing cause. Sure, anything MIGHT have been a contributing cause. Driving prior to diving, sex before diving, maybe coffee. I know that some divers with past broken legs have died, but there is no indication that it had anything to do with the deaths.
It's statements like that that really frost me. If there is no evidence that asthma was involved, why even mention it? To make the particular point they want to make is why. Facts are a mere sideline in some cases. My wife has asthma, and it is seasonal due to allergies. When we leave here to go to the Caribbean, she usually clears up, if she is having trouble. Usually she isn't. she has also been cleared by the doctors to go diving as long as she is not currently having a problem with it. Plus, she only is affected during the time of the year when the particular allergen is up around here. Go on and dive, don't tell them anything. If you remember, you almost always have to sign a hold harmless disclaimer before diving anyway, so, go have fun, and only you and your Doctor know if your up to diving on any particular day. Or should I say... Go break a leg?

 

[SubMariner]

I've recently been having problems with Asthma....well it's looking amazingly like it anyway, they've put me on Azmacort and albuterol until I can get to the Pulmonoligist on the 15th.

Hey, CM!

Any news on what the visit to the Dr yielded?

 

[CuriousMe]

Hey, CM!

Any news on what the visit to the Dr yielded?

I won't see him till tomorrow. I didn't end up seeing a Doc on Thursday....just had the tests done.

I'll let you know how it all shakes out

Peace,
Cathie

 

[CuriousMe]

I won't see him till tomorrow. I didn't end up seeing a Doc on Thursday....just had the tests done.

I'll let you know how it all shakes out

Peace,
Cathie

I saw the Pulmonologist today. He was really great. He said that it seems I have Mild Asthma, but wrote it down as Reactive Airway since it seems I'm only triggered by one thing and as he put it....there could be a lot of ramifications of being diagnosed with Asthma. He changed my meds some (put me back on the inhaled steroid that my ship Doc had taken me off of, and increased the dosage...he also put me on Singulair)....and told me to come back in a month to see where I am.

I asked him about diving and he stated that there shouldn't be a problem getting this controlled and that diving shouldn't be a problem at all. We're going to talk about it again next time I see him (I want to give my lungs a chance to get over this last episode and give the drugs a shot at working).

Peace,
Cathie

 

[JeffMandell]

Your statement about the liability of the dive op isn't really complete. The diver's medical questionaire is a form of "notice" to the dive op. If the dive op reviews it and agrees to let the diver dive, he/it will not be responsible if it turns out the diver lied by omitting asthma on the questionaire. Negligence only exists when there is a failure to act safely if there are warnings. But if there's no warning, there's no liability. In this case the questionaire is the warning.
Recently, in Cozumel I took my kids parasailing (they begged and I gave in). The boat showed up with a set of total releases of the boat op for any injury that occured while my family was on board (or in the air), even including releases if the boat was handled negligently!
At that moment, I had a decision to make: I could walk off the boat and forget it OR I could decide to sign the releases, knowing that if something went wrong it would be my finanancial problemt to fix - the boat company would be off the hook.
The same general equation applies here: you can disclose the asthma and, in all likelihood have to leave the boat, or you can decide, based on your own physician's advice, to not disclose it, KNOWING that if something goes wrong, it's going to be your financial obligation to fix it - the boat will be off the hook.
Before anyone jumps on my back over this, let me be clear: I am not in favor of concealing medical problems on dive op documentation. I am just talking about the real world and the circumstance where you think know more than the dive op because of your having closely treated your condition with a dive savvy physician. In that case, if you're prepared to deal with the consequences, you might decide to keep your asthma to yourself.


I
However one has to consider that when you go diving, your decision does not neccessarily affect only yourself, especially if something goes wrong. When there is an accident, dive operators do not simply get away with 'opps, we did not know about the health problem of the diver'. They still has to take responsibility. So as much as you are making the decision to take a risk, they should also have the right to determine who they are willing to be responsible for or what risk they are willing to take. How about other divers on the trip? If a problem occurs, their trip could be terminated, they could be placed in a stressful situation when a member of the group is sick. The trip could be terminated prematurely etc etc. I think it is better to be upfront and honest about medical condition as it is always safer to be with dive operators who are comfortable with your condition and willing to take you rather than some operators who are ignorant of your problem and are not equip to handle the situation if anything should go wrong.

Why should there be a difference between training and leisure dive trip? The risk of exacerbation of the medical condition should still be the same when you are underwater. It is not more dangerous when you train then when you go on a dive trip. As much as an instructor is responsible for his or her students, the dive operators also have to be responsible for their clients.

This is just my personal bias and I am not trying to say that if you choose to do thing differently, you are wrong. Just a thought...[/QUOTE]

 

[paolov]

I am an asthmatic. I Dive when i know i am apt to it.

I have found a preventive way of keeping my asthma dormant. And when it acts up, i gauge the gravity of attack and determine if it would pose a problem if i dive. I certainly wouldn't like to be the cause of an aborted dive due to asthma attack, in this scenarios i beg off the dive before the dive group sets out.

over time and experience i now do dives under full consciousness of my limitations.

paolov

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I have mild asthma that is triggered by cold weather. As long as it doesn't get cold, I don't need an inhaler.

Fortunately for me, it has never bothered me even when diving in the cool water. I know my limitations as a diver, and if it were to ever act up or get out of control, then I would have to reconsider my lifestyle. Until that happens...I say Happy Diving!