Childhood Asthma-Commercial Diving Restrictions?

[Shane Murphy]

Hi guys! I’m new to this forum and site so bare with me, I’m currently 20 living in Ontario, Canada. Im considering becoming a commercial diver (specifically welding). Growing up I had asthma due to allergies, from about age 5 to 10. Never had any issues with excercise, played competitively in sports up until 18. I haven’t been on medication for it in over 10 years. Even as a child when I had ‘flare up’ it was a coughing fit. Never a tight chest, or inhability to breath. To this day in the past 10 years I’ve had inhalers 2 times, and both were due to a chest cold to clear it up. I guess my question would be am I I wasting my time trying to pursue this career? Even though it was allergy induced and I’m currently showing zero signs of asthma and i have been for years and years, considering it is in my past medical history will this hold me back? Im just a little concerned as schooling isn’t cheap and it would be a real bummer to go to school to find out I couldn’t have a career in it due to medical history and be in debt up to the ying yang. I’m aware that I need to have a diving medical filled out and have contacted a Hyperbaric Doctor in my area to discuss the similar things I’m asking in this thread!

Thank you for your time!!

Cheers

 

[Akimbo]

Nobody can evaluate you over the Internet, not that I would be qualified in person. However there is hope. I have a good friend who was diagnosed with childhood asthma and spend 16 years as a US Navy SEAL.

 

[rsingler]

Two aspects to this question:
FIrst, there is the question of what your potential employer will say about your history. Then there is the question of your willingness to assume slightly increased risk.
As a diving physician with hyperbaric training, I would say that if you are currently completely asymptomatic you have a small, but not zero risk of barotrauma to your lungs. With no current history of wheezing, and a willingness to not go to work if you were ever symptomatic, you should be able to dive safely. Having said that, bronchospasm can be almost subclinical. What I mean by that is that you could have an area with impaired air exchange without overt wheezing. That would put you at increased risk for alveolar rupture on ascent.
This can be fleshed out more fully by having pulmonary function studies, with and without bronchodilator . You can add that to your costs as you prepare for this career field. But I think if you are serious about commercial diving, this is the route you might take.

Then we return to the original question. What will your potential employer think about this history? Will they have a tighter restriction on certain medical histories than recreational diving physicians? I'd hate to suggest you ask an employer that question in advance, because they may just take the safe route and say, don't bother to apply. On the other hand, as you have pointed out, it would be a shame to spend all that money getting trained and then not get hired. Somehow there needs to be a way for you to ask that question of a potential employer.

Diving Doc

 

[Akimbo]

FIrst, there is the question of what your potential employer will say about your history.

In my sphere of visibility, commercial diving companies only care if a doc signs you off or not. Attempting to make medical judgements shifts liability to them, which they aren't qualified to make in the first place.

 

[rsingler]

It's a relatively small world, diving medicine. I suspect that if you get signed off by a diving medicine doc, you can then go to your prospective employer, and if they are skittish (because it's always easier from a liability standpoint for HR to just say no) offer to go see THEIR preferred diving medicine specialist. Getting confirmation from someone THEY trust will probably break any roadblock.

 

[Akimbo]

Getting confirmation from someone THEY trust will probably break any roadblock.

There is also a lot to be said for first choosing a hyperbaric medical doc that @Shane Murphy trusts, an important point you alluded to in your first post in this thread.

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SAFETY WARNING

I encourage all divers with possible health concerns to consult a qualified hyperbaric medical professional.

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I have had to educate several non-diving physicians about medical conditions that are contraindications for diving. No matter how smart or how many credentials someone has, nobody can know everything and we all bear considerable responsibility for our safety.

Can someone help me down from my soapbox now?

 

[fmerkel]

Both rsingler and Akimbo have valid points. FWIW I'm a Respiratory Therapist with 20 years of diving experience, lousy sinuses, and what I call viral cough variant asthma. Just about anyone can have an asthma-like attack given the appropriate stimulus. Allergies and viruses are the common ones. Viruses are worse in kids because they have very small airways so when they get constricted from the asthma their ability to breathe goes to hell fast. (This is seriously oversimplified). One of the reasons kids can 'out grow' asthma is their airways get bigger as they grow so they tolerate some narrowing better. They also get a MESS of colds along the way and get some increased immunity.
BUT, as you age you also can pick up problems as your immune system starts reacting to allergies.
In a nutshell....it's complicated.

I don't use any asthma medications, except when I have....some (not all).... colds. For those I get a nasty cough. I've tested myself with pulmonary function tests, with and without bronchodilator during these times and have no airflow restrictions. But, I don't dive during these periods. The risk:reward equation is too out of balance. I would guess you might have a similar problem, but maybe with bronchoconstriction. If you get improvement with Albuterol inhalers during your problem times, you have this issue. You may be able to dive safely during symptom free times, but you may have more issue than you know if you haven't been fully tested.

Suggest you follow the advice in post #3. See a pulmonary specialist and get a full spirometry workup. With information you can make better decision. Without it you are guessing, as we would be.

 

[Akimbo]

... FWIW I'm a Respiratory Therapist with 20 years of diving experience...

Expertise like yours and @rsingler's is an amazing resource for the Scubaboard community. Thanks to both of you for your generosity.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Shane,

Childhood asthma that has resolved is unlikely to be a barrier to commercial diving. I'd echo what other posters have said; I recommend you go see a diving medical physician for a fitness-to-dive examination, which should include provocative (i.e. dry air exercising) pulmonary function testing given your history.

Best regards,
DDM