Diving and Atenolol

[OnceLoyal]

Spelling?? Anyway, I did do a search on this and am not clear. I need a dive buddy, and would love for my best friend to start diving with me. About 18 years ago he suffered from a collapsed lung. He's had no previous issues since regarding that. The other thing is the doc prescribed him atenolol 12.5 mg per day. He has no heart issue that they know of he just gets a quick heart rate from time to time. I am not talking insane but it gets up too around mid high 90s resting. I know he did a stress test and everything went good. He is 34 in good health does smoke though (I do too so I can't beat him too bad)....Anyway I just want to make sure h is ok to dive.. I don't want to get him psyched up and he not be able to.

FOr me... what the hell should I do about my chronic sinusitus. Please help!!! I am addicted to nasal spray. I don't get a lot of mucus build up, it's just my passages swell without the spray. Nassonex doesn't work. I have a steroid that I just started using, but I still have to take my nasal spray. How can one get off this addicting liquid crack!!!!?????? I am planning on surgery eventually, but many people are freeking me out about that saying it could get worse. Any ideas??

 

[doctormike]

Spelling?? Anyway, I did do a search on this and am not clear. I need a dive buddy, and would love for my best friend to start diving with me. About 18 years ago he suffered from a collapsed lung. He's had no previous issues since regarding that. The other thing is the doc prescribed him atenolol 12.5 mg per day. He has no heart issue that they know of he just gets a quick heart rate from time to time. I am not talking insane but it gets up too around mid high 90s resting. I know he did a stress test and everything went good. He is 34 in good health does smoke though (I do too so I can't beat him too bad)....Anyway I just want to make sure h is ok to dive.. I don't want to get him psyched up and he not be able to.

FOr me... what the hell should I do about my chronic sinusitus. Please help!!! I am addicted to nasal spray. I don't get a lot of mucus build up, it's just my passages swell without the spray. Nassonex doesn't work. I have a steroid that I just started using, but I still have to take my nasal spray. How can one get off this addicting liquid crack!!!!?????? I am planning on surgery eventually, but many people are freeking me out about that saying it could get worse. Any ideas??

Well, as a snot doctor, I won't pretend to be able to answer your first question... but as far as rhinitis medicamentosa (which is what the addiction to nasal spray is called), you are right - kicking the habit is not easy.

First of all, you should see an ENT doc, to see if there is any sort of anatomical problem that could be fixed (sinus problems, deviated septum, etc..). The best way to get off the nasal decongestant sprays usually involves getting on a good steady dose of the nasal steroids, using nasal irrigation, maybe an oral medication of some type (depending on the findings on your evaluation), and going through the hard detox...

If you PM me with your location, I may know someone in your area...

Good luck, hang in there! You can do it!...

Mike

 

[RJP]

NOT A DOCTOR, BUT HERE'S MY UNDERSTANDING OF COLLAPSED LUNG (PNEUMOTHORAX) AND DIVING:

What was his collapsed lung due to? Having a history of spontaneous pneumothorax is a strict contraindication to diving. If that's the case, your buddy is gonna have to be a bubble watcher.

Traumatic or post-surgical pneumothorax MIGHT be a slightly different story. Typically any collapsed lung would disqualify a person from diving, although some injuries (clean knife wound, ice-pick type puncture, surgical procedure, etc) where there is little scarring/air trapping your buddy MIGHT be cleared but would need to have some x-rays/tests done to rule out air trapping.

 

[OnceLoyal]

Doc I will send you a PM shaortly thanks sooo much. LOL, this will be a detox like the poor people getting off crack I am afraid.

RJP, I am not sure. I know it happened when he was around 16-18 years old he is 34 right now.... He never had a problem since. I hope he doesn't have to be a spectator. I've been through a lot with him in life and hope to share a lot more. i will try to find out.

 

[Damselfish]

I was doing a little research on Afrin once for someone, and saw recommendations to kick the addiction by diluting the spray with saline. Like each time the bottle is half empty, top it off with saline. No idea if it works but it sounded good, anyway.

 

[TSandM]

It's important to know why it happened. If it was due to trauma, he's probably fine to dive. If it was spontaneous, it implies an abnormality of the underlying lung that can definitely predispose to recurrence, especially with the pressure changes involved in diving. Spontaneous pneumothorax is generally held to be a contraindication to diving.

The story of being prescribed atenolol for a normal heart rhythm with a slightly high rate doesn't make a great deal of sense to me, and this is definitely something he needs to discuss with his doctor. We don't treat normal heart rhythms with medication this way, as a rule, so something is missing from the picture.

 

[CheddarChick]

Cheddarguy has a beat that will skip and then beat fast occasionally, had it for 30 + years been on atenolol since. Never had an issue with it......

 

[OnceLoyal]

I can't really ask him yet because he will get pretty upset about it probably and/or blow me off. From what I can gather he was very thin and it had something to do with not enough fatty tissue around his lung in order to support it?? Does that sound like it could be an issue or a probable cause? Also if 15-18ish years have passed if I could talk him into getting an xray or something do you think he would be ok? His height to weight is ok, he is bigger than me now and in good shape. Maybe this is a "young" issue???
As for his heart I all I know is it seems he is having the sterotypical panic attack from time to time. His doc prescribed him Atenolol and Lorazapam (spelling).. which I know is some sort of ant anxiety drug. He would be sitting there and just like get a rush so to speak heart rate elevates and then will calm back down. Sound like panic attack to me. Anyway, Cheddar you say people do dive with Atenolol and have no problems?? Either way if we end up in a fight I will still try my best to make sure he is fit to dive. I just want to have a little bit of ammo to go into battle with.

Truely I am more woried about his lung. I hate to keep hammering this thread, just that I want to make sure everything will be ok with my hope to be dive buddy!!

 

[laughingman]

I can only comment on atenolol. I've been taking 50mg a day for over 20 years. (Diagnosed with hypertension at 17, been on meds since I was 23, atenolol since about 25.) No problems with diving on atenolol. My doctor and I talked about it when I first started diving, and I've been told I don't have any increased risks.