My wife has had breast cancer and is, gratefully, a survivor of five years. Her treatments back then included a radical mastectomy and breast reconstruction ("trans-flap"). She's ready to get back underwater. Her docs say OK, but acknowledge they don't know much about diving. Anyone on this board have thoughts about impacts, complications, considerations, risks, etc. from a medical perspective that ought to be considered?
diving after breast cancer
- Thread starter PeteJ
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good news!! Basically the major concerns with diving have to do with loosing conciousness underwater and trapping air in various spaces in the body like the ears, sinuses and the lungs. Of course anyone wanting to dive should be reasonably fit.
I'm not any good at creating links but I'm sure somone can help you get to scubadocs website. You may find some info there.
Welcome to scubaboard.
I'm not any good at creating links but I'm sure somone can help you get to scubadocs website. You may find some info there.
Welcome to scubaboard.
Zept
Contributor
http://scuba-doc.com/
Has some info on breast implants, but nothing specific about breast cancer, as far as I can see. I think your best bet is to find a diving doc who can consider your wife's specific case, possibly in consultation with her oncologist.
Zept
Divers Alert Network ...
You can send them an email or you can call them on their non-emergency line...Non-Emergency Medical Questions
1-800-446-2671 or 1-919-684-2948, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm (EST)
They will certainly be able to help you and/or put you in contact with a Dr. who can answer your questions.
You can send them an email or you can call them on their non-emergency line...Non-Emergency Medical Questions
1-800-446-2671 or 1-919-684-2948, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm (EST)
They will certainly be able to help you and/or put you in contact with a Dr. who can answer your questions.
John Reinertson
Guest
In most cases, the surgery itself produces no longterm sequelae that would be expected to cause risk when diving.
A couple questions need to be answered regarding additional therapy.. Some forms of chemotherapy and most chest radiation therapy affects lung compliance and subsequent risk of pneumothorax. Your Doc and oncologist need to understand ( as I'm sure the diving doc would advise) that pneumothorax at depth or when diving is a real killer, so if your previous therapies increased the risk of pneumothorax, that would be a something to consider.
Any history of recurrences and/or pulmonary surgery would also be risk factors to discuss.
This isn't a complete answer, but it does bring up some things to discuss and relevant questions to ask.
Good luck. hope to see you underwater.
John
A couple questions need to be answered regarding additional therapy.. Some forms of chemotherapy and most chest radiation therapy affects lung compliance and subsequent risk of pneumothorax. Your Doc and oncologist need to understand ( as I'm sure the diving doc would advise) that pneumothorax at depth or when diving is a real killer, so if your previous therapies increased the risk of pneumothorax, that would be a something to consider.
Any history of recurrences and/or pulmonary surgery would also be risk factors to discuss.
This isn't a complete answer, but it does bring up some things to discuss and relevant questions to ask.
Good luck. hope to see you underwater.
John
Of note is the drug tamoxifen, a chemotherapeutic agent used in estrogen receptor positive breast cancers. This drug has a plethora of side effects of varying degrees of severity, including hepatic dysfunction. Also, radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis seems to be aggrivated by tamoxifen. Modern radiotherapy protocols for breast cancer use methods to decrease the radiation that hits the lung as much as possible, but nothing's perfect.
reefsong
Guest
Sunfish,
Did your wife ever get back into diving? Your thread caught my interest as I was scanning this site for information possibly pertinent to my own circumstances. I was interested in anyone's possible experience with diving while taking tamoxifen. You can read my recent thread post "DCIS and tamoxifen" if you like, and if you have any further insight, I would be grateful if you would share your thoughts and your wife's experience. I have not yet started the tamoxifen, but it may be in the cards. I haven't yet decided and still need to think through possible options.
Thank you,
reefsong
Did your wife ever get back into diving? Your thread caught my interest as I was scanning this site for information possibly pertinent to my own circumstances. I was interested in anyone's possible experience with diving while taking tamoxifen. You can read my recent thread post "DCIS and tamoxifen" if you like, and if you have any further insight, I would be grateful if you would share your thoughts and your wife's experience. I have not yet started the tamoxifen, but it may be in the cards. I haven't yet decided and still need to think through possible options.
Thank you,
reefsong
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