Diving with asthma...

[Tiggs]

Hi,

New diver here about to do my OW in the UK then go to the Maldives in Oct to finish off. I am trying to get a better idea of what asthma does to the body that is a problem with diving......to expalin:

I have asthma that is exercise induced but 100% controlled. In otherwords, if i ran for 2 miles with no puffer i would get a tight chest, no worse. If i ran 3 miles i would get weezy....by 4 miles i would need to stop and be in need of a puffer! I assume if i didnt have a puffer i would have a full on attack (havent had an attack in years as i have never worked out without a puffer) HOWEVER.....if i take a puff i can run a marathon (and have done).....i do 45mins of cardio 4 times a week and 2 sessions of high intensity cardio........no problems.

So i had a dive medical and the doc said i was recording almost normal readings (i had to run to the doctors office 1 mile as i was late!).........he has signed me off to dive in the pool and i need to go back before the maldives to do another test (without the 1 mile run! should be no problem)

Reading on the net my concern was that i may (as an asthmatic) suffer a medical problem even though i feel fine - or nearly fine. I had a mental image of ascending and feeling a lttle puffed out from a hard dive and suddenly finding my lungs blow up!

Talking to the doc it seemed more the case that to be an increased risk of problem i would need to be really struggling for breath - as in having an actual attack. If thats the case i am fine as i have total confidence in not suffering an attack while medicated (in fact i would suggest i am fitter than most doing at least 1hr a day in the gym + 3hrs a week on the mountain bike)

So does anyone here dive on their meds that (without them) would be in trouble? The term "controlled" asthma is used a lot.......is that me? with meds i am fitter than 99% of people...without them i would struggle.

Tiggs

oh...and sorry if this is in the wrong forum - i was hoping to reach divers that have asthma but regard it a big deal and so dont frequent the "medical" forums

 

[ScubaSixString]

Hi,

New diver here about to do my OW in the UK then go to the Maldives in Oct to finish off. I am trying to get a better idea of what asthma does to the body that is a problem with diving......to expalin:

I have asthma that is exercise induced but 100% controlled. In otherwords, if i ran for 2 miles with no puffer i would get a tight chest, no worse. If i ran 3 miles i would get weezy....by 4 miles i would need to stop and be in need of a puffer! I assume if i didnt have a puffer i would have a full on attack (havent had an attack in years as i have never worked out without a puffer) HOWEVER.....if i take a puff i can run a marathon (and have done).....i do 45mins of cardio 4 times a week and 2 sessions of high intensity cardio........no problems.

So i had a dive medical and the doc said i was recording almost normal readings (i had to run to the doctors office 1 mile as i was late!).........he has signed me off to dive in the pool and i need to go back before the maldives to do another test (without the 1 mile run! should be no problem)

Reading on the net my concern was that i may (as an asthmatic) suffer a medical problem even though i feel fine - or nearly fine. I had a mental image of ascending and feeling a lttle puffed out from a hard dive and suddenly finding my lungs blow up!

Talking to the doc it seemed more the case that to be an increased risk of problem i would need to be really struggling for breath - as in having an actual attack. If thats the case i am fine as i have total confidence in not suffering an attack while medicated (in fact i would suggest i am fitter than most doing at least 1hr a day in the gym + 3hrs a week on the mountain bike)

So does anyone here dive on their meds that (without them) would be in trouble? The term "controlled" asthma is used a lot.......is that me? with meds i am fitter than 99% of people...without them i would struggle.

Tiggs

oh...and sorry if this is in the wrong forum - i was hoping to reach divers that have asthma but regard it a big deal and so dont frequent the "medical" forums

I'd check with a Dive doc, but i have an associate that got hit with adult onset asthma (he'd get winded putting his gear on) and a doc told him he wasn't diving until they got it all worked out. He's been cleared to dive now (after 2 or 3 months of being grounded). He uses his "puffer" 2 or 3 times a month (i think).

 

[Wayward Son]

The danger asthma poses to a diver is that you could have tubes close up while diving & leave gas trapped under pressure inside alvioli (sp? the little individual sacks in the lungs where O2 xfer takes place). If that gas does not freely flow out on ascent, it will rupture at that location.

Used to be that any history of asthma was an automatic disqualifier. Now, it depends. So long as a dr that undertsnads diving clears you, dive. Just be prepared that if you have an incident on or just before a dive day, you may want to stay out of the water until you're sure it's entirely cleared up.

 

[toodive4]

Certain types of asthma are no longer considered a contraindication for diving. I have been diving with mild alergy related asthma for 9 years with no effects. Excercise induced asthma is a contraindication for diving, however if it can be controlled, even it isn't an absolute dive career ender. Contact DAN for a referral to Diving Doctor in your area.

The danger asthma poses to a diver is that you could have tubes close up while diving & leave gas trapped under pressure inside alvioli (sp? the little individual sacks in the lungs where O2 xfer takes place). If that gas does not freely flow out on ascent, it will rupture at that location.

Used to be that any history of asthma was an automatic disqualifier. Now, it depends. So long as a dr that undertsnads diving clears you, dive. Just be prepared that if you have an incident on or just before a dive day, you may want to stay out of the water until you're sure it's entirely cleared up.

 

[dive_lover88]

i used to have asthma...but have since stopped having any effects for like 4yrs + now,i do not seem to have any trouble diving with a history of asthma.Will a history of asthma stop me from going pro?

 

[CIBDiving]

I have asthma that is exercise induced but 100% controlled.

I too have EIA, it hasn't stopped me from diving and it shouldn't stop you.
Diving is not a sport where you exert yourself - just the opposite, you want to be as relaxed and unhurried as possible. See a doctor familiar with both diving and asthma and get a proffesional opinion - then go dive!

 

[spectrum]

Your doctor, preferably one who is scuba savy should pass judgement. My wife has some dust/allergy induced asthma and the doctor considers diving to be good therapy with the clean air and all.

Cold/Exercise induced may warrant a closer look. Cold and exertion can easilly become part of a bad dive and you don't want to get into trouble.

I'm not a doctor or even close but some sort of stress test may be in order for your own piece of mind. Let me ask this..... Have you done much running in the cold? If so and you remained controlled I'm guessing that's a very good sign.

As mentioned being able to breathe is one thing but failure to vent lung gasses on ascent seems to be the overriding concern with asthma.

Pete

 

[Marek K]

Our experience only:

Our 12-year-old daughter wanted to learn to dive, but had a history of mild cold (as in upper respiratory infection)-induced asthma. She's been skin-tested several times, and to every doc's surprise, is negative for allergies.

Her asthma had apparently been almost gone for three years now (since we moved here from Germany), but a (non-diving) pediatric pulmonologist did some spirography tests on her and summarily said "no way" to diving.... she was still showing some signs of airway obstruction. He put her on one of the new long-lasting powder steroid-based medications, and the spirography was back to normal within a couple months... She also now stays in the "green" on her peak flow meter, even when sick with a cold. No puffer any more. But that pulmonologist still was not willing to let her dive.

I didn't want to sound like "going to daddy when mommie says no," but it was pretty evident that he was of the "asthma is an absolute contraindication" school of thought... while not having any experience with diving. And I really did want an expert opinion.

So we took her to one of the top diving physicians/pulmonologists in the country. (Actually, he made a house call -- with scuba tank!!) He interviewed her; checked her history and her spirography results; and also tested her by having her breathe scuba air for 15 minutes (to see whether dry/cold air would induce anything). Then he certified her completely fit for diving... as long as she didn't have a cold.

She's now finished her JOWD, and has about 12 dives to date without any problems.

My conclusions: 1) Medicine keeps making amazing strides; and what was absolutely unthinkable a decade ago, may not be now. 2) Medicine is an amazingly complex field... find a true expert in the field, and trust him/her.

--Marek

 

[Tiggs]

Some very positive stuff.

I have had a dive medical with one of the top dive docs in the UK and he is very positive (my own doc refused to even see me about it satying "no way"!)

I have altered mt aerobic sessions to include some ultra high intensity bursts (to simulate getting stuck in a current/panic situation......no ill effects at all but good to get my body used to it.

The cold i am fine with - i have competed in the Tuff Guy race here in the UK which is a 15 mile cross country through fileds, up and down hills and includes 4 or 5 stream crossing where the water was chest deep with 3 inches of ice (it was also snowing!)...............i got a little chilly but asthma was cool (i am hoping theres no ice in the Maldives

 

[Zeeman]

I think the main people who have Asthma and can't dive are the ones using pulmicort or a similar preventative.

My wife has Asthma and we have asked several dive doctors, all of whom initially said "yeah sure, let do the medical and that will help us make an informed decision" - that is until she mentioned that she is ont he pevantative, at which time the message is "I suggest you take up snorkelling instead"
If anyone knows different about those people with asthma that needs a preventative, le tme know, I'd love to find a safe way to get my wife diving with me.


Z...