At last... then asthma!

[love2godeep]

Five years ago my hubby and I both did a discover dive. I loved it, and got my certification. But he had trouble with equalization, and never tried diving again. Ever since, I have hoped he would give it a second try.

He finally did, had a great time, and now is talking about getting his certification when we go to Akumal next month. I am so happy!

But . . . he has had asthma in the past, although it is not a problem now. I am quite certain he will not agree to pay the big bucks to go to a doctor just for medical clearance. Of course, if his life is in danger, I don't want him to risk it diving, but I'd like to know just What are the dangers for a diver who has a past history of asthma.

 

[Nova SS]

I have active asthma and dive. Yes there are added risk but that is something he has to decide if its worth it.

My asthma is allergy induced. I can tell hrs in advace if Im going to have problems and I chose not to dive on the those days. Matter of fact during the height of allergy season I keep my gear packed up and dont even think about it.

Asthma is not the same thing to all people. Only a doctor who understands the risk of diving with asthma can answer your friends questions. Most regular family doctors do not have a clue ( that is were you waste time and money) Contact DAN and get a referance to a local dive doc. I drove 3 hrs each way to see one but it was worth it. I have been told I would exploded by one family doctor!

How much it cost depends on your insurance. I ened up paying less then a cheap regulator.

Even if he gets the "all go" remember your new dive partner will have restrictions and may have to "call" the perfect dive. Just make sure YOU are ready for this.

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

This is a very controversial subject. I looked into it when my daughter, who has exertional asthma, wanted to dive --- she was 15 at the time and her pediatrician said OK but her pulmonologist said no, at least not until she was old enough to make an informed legal decision on her own regarding the risks.

As noted above, asthma is different things to different people --- there is the person who wheezes during fall hayfever season and the person who lives on inhalers and steroids daily. I know people with both who still dive, but whether they should is still unresolved.

The standard reg outs out very dry air, which can be irritating for asthmatics. The big concern, however, is for bronchospasm and mucous plugging at depth that would trap pressurized air and lead to barotrauma on ascent. That said, there apparently is little hard data to suggest that asthma is ever been a major contributing factor in dive accidents.

The take-home message is that asthmatics dive, but in any individual case, evaluation and clearance by a qualified pulmonolgist with some familiarity with dive medicine should take place. DAN is the best resource for information regarding this topic.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi love2godeep,

This subject could benefit from some further study, but based on the findings to date it would be not be considered very controversial. Published research has not revealed anything particularly alarming and there are several protocols by professional organizations for medically clearing a diver with asthma.

You may find the following article informative:

Can I dive with asthma?

http://www.awoosh.com/Doc Vikingo's Resource Page/Asthma_Updated.htm

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Ber Rabbit]

But . . . he has had asthma in the past, although it is not a problem now. I am quite certain he will not agree to pay the big bucks to go to a doctor just for medical clearance. Of course, if his life is in danger, I don't want him to risk it diving, but I'd like to know just What are the dangers for a diver who has a past history of asthma.

When I have students who indicate they had asthma I always have them tell me when. I get a quite a few students who had childhood asthma and then grew out of it and the medical clearance from their doctor confirms that. It's not "big bucks" for a docs clearance when your life is on the line.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

Hi love2godeep,

This subject could benefit from some further study, but based on the findings to date it would be not be considered very controversial. Published research has not revealed anything particularly alarming and there are several protocols by professional organizations for medically clearing a diver with asthma.

You may find the following article informative:

Can I dive with asthma?

http://www.awoosh.com/Doc%20Vikingo%27s%20Resource%20Page/Asthma_Updated.htm

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Regards,

DocVikingo

Nice article. I guess what makes it controversial for us locally is that most pulmonary doctors we run into in a landlocked place like Pennsylvania aren't up on the dive literature; they subscribe to the old notion that asthma = no diving, and generally don't want the liability of clearing asthmatics to dive. It's just easier to say no. As this article notes, the theoretical risk of asthma hasn't translated into a practical risk.
Seek a doctor who has current thinking on asthma and diving.

 

[Dive-aholic]

First, an office visit shouldn't cost much more than about $80 without having met your deductible yet. If your husband already has a doctor who is familiar with him, he may just be able to drop the form off at the office and have the doctor check the appropriate box and sign it.

As for the asthma issue, my wife has asthma. Her episodes are rare and usually allergy induced. She is an instructor and a cave diver.

 

[TSandM]

I have reactive airways disease (note that I carefully do NOT call it asthma), which means I get wheezy sometimes after an upper respiratory infection. It's treatable, and I know when I have symptoms, and if they are not controlled, I do not dive.

Someone whose symptoms are well controlled over a period of time appears to be safe to dive.

If your husband admits to asthma, he will have to get a physician's clearance, but if he hasn't been to the doctor in a long time, his asthma is unlikely to be very significant and it should be easy to get signed off.

Happy to hear that he is diving, but does that mean it's even more unlikely you are ever going to come over to our side of the mountains to visit?

 

[love2godeep]

Hi, nice to see your post. He hasn't used an inhaler for a long time, so I think he should do fine.

As for diving on your side of the mountains, I think there is now a better chance it can actually happen! I just want to get him certified and happy with diving; then we can talk about the wonderful diving that is within range!

Regards,

 

[spectrum]

Hi, nice to see your post. He hasn't used an inhaler for a long time, so I think he should do fine.

My wife has asthma and after deciding that were were going to get certified I began reading. The first articles I came across listed asthma as a total contraindicator to diving. I was heartbroken. Further reading here and elsewhere narrowed the major risk to cold and exertion induced attacks. Hers are allergy triggered. After consulting her doctor all was good. She was advised to use her inhaler as desired pre-dive to make sure she goes in clear but once breathing tank air it's a wondedrful respite from the alergens.

I have some summertime allergies that irritate me and I'm at my clearest post dive.

The risk in diving is two fold. If a stessful situation comes up the diver must be able to work hard and this requires good respiration. The other and perhaps bigger risk is that if astma sets in while at depth with multiple atomospheres of air in the lungs the inflamation can trap the pressure forcing ruptures on ascent.

My advice is that there is certainly hope, you are probably correct and for him to run it past his doctor for evryones peace of mind.

Pete