Heartbroken and need some advice...

[Sidemount Serge]

Hey guys,

I got into diving two years ago, it stemmed from an obsession because a doctor in a resort in Maldives said I couldn't dive because I had Diabetes type II.

When I got back home I went to an endocrinologist to ask if he could sign my medical form, he said yes because I am young, in relatively good shape and have my Diabetes under control, only thing is that he recommended that I have a snack before I dive, which I have been doing as part of my pre dive rituals.

Skip a few years forward and I am now a Rescue Diver with over 60 dives under my belt, various specialties and I have dived in various locations around the world, I love diving it is my main hobby and when I am out of the water I am always thinking about how to tinker with my kit and how to improve my trim, etc.

I thought I was ready for my next step, Tec Diving. I have been planning this since the start of the pandemic, which set me back a few months but since things are starting to go back to normal I thought it would be time to take the plunge - excuse the pun -. So I got various pieces of kit that I needed, read through most of the PADI Tec Diver course (40-45-50) and even set up a meeting with dive doctor to get a check up to get started.

Today I received a call from the Doctor and I was told that everything was fine except that my A1C was a little elevated, which could be attributed to lack of exercise during the lockdown. In this regard, I was told that I was fit to dive, however I could not do decompression dives or go below 30 meters.

Right now I feel exactly the same as I did when the doctor in the resort told me I couldn't dive, all my life I have been told the things I couldn't do and I did them anyway - I am a right leg congenital amputee and I use a Dive Leg because I got tired of getting help when I was crawling to get my gear ready - but this time I am at a loss, if i take the form to the dive center it is likely that they will reject me.

Please give me some advice, I am considering going and having a chat with my endocrinologist to ask him what I should do next and if he could sign the doctors note. I hate that I have conditions that are underlined in some manual and that is enough to stop me from perusing what I want to archive.

Sorry for the long post, but I really need you guys.

All the best,

Serge

 

[drk5036]

I’m sure you can go back and discuss more with your doctor about your goals and what specific requirements he has to approve you for clearance.

But you also need to consider, what are your goals for tec diving? What do you specifically want to see or do that requires decompression diving? There’s a lot you can do within NDL limits. And if you are a rescue diver with a lot of other certs and 60 dives, that means you haven’t actually done a lot of diving, just for fun.

Consider other options as well. Find a dive site you like, and dive it a lot. Learn all the nooks and crannies. Consider going pro; I’m sure you would be an inspiration to many!

I feel like, based on what you wrote, a lot of your journey has just been to prove others wrong. Try to look at scuba diving and find what you enjoy from it, and spend some more time focusing on that.

Just my two cents.

 

[tursiops]

Today I received a call from the Doctor and I was told that everything was fine except that my A1C was a little elevated, which could be attributed to lack of exercise during the lockdown. In this regard, I was told that I was fit to dive, however I could not do decompression dives or go below 30 meters.

That is not a valid RSTC medical form. You either pass or fall, there can be no caveats on it from your doctor. Find a new doctor who will follow the directions.

 

[Sidemount Serge]

Hey drk5036,

The journey did start that way, I was just proving to myself that I could do it, but ever since my first real open water dive, which funnily enough was for my deep diver cert, I fell in love with diving.

There are a few places of interest were I live, however once you have been to them a few times you know the ins and outs of them, so while I am enjoying a dive I also sometimes do a cert to better my skills.

The whole idea of starting the tec diving was because I was talking to a friend who was telling me he would go on expeditions to look for new dive sites and I really wanted to be a part of that.

You are completely right though, there are many things to do within NDL and it is a lot of fun, specially when wrecks are involved.

I will continue diving as much as I can, I just wish this door hadn't closed before I could could even step through and take a peek.

All the best,

Serge

 

[Sidemount Serge]

Dear Tursiops,

Thank you for the info I will have a look for it.

The form the box fit to dive was ticked, however in notes they put No deco dives and maximum of 30m.

All the best,

Serge

 

[ofg-1]

Find a doctor that is actually a diver, preferably a tech diver.

 

[tursiops]

Dear Tursiops,

Thank you for the info I will have a look for it.

The form the box fit to dive was ticked, however in notes they put No deco dives and maximum of 30m.

All the best,

Serge

The latest version of the form does not even have a place for notes.

 

[ginti]

Hi Serge,

I can understand you, since the same happened to me, even for a different problem (cardiac). In my case, I know that at a certain point I will have to undergo cardiac surgery. Ok, not sure 100% maybe, but it is very likely from what I understood. The thing is that (1) I do not know when it will happen and (2) I do not know how my lifestyle will change... can I continue to climb, ski, run, swim, dive, travel, etc.? I have no idea.

I felt how you are feeling now several times already, because doctors told me everything and the opposite of everything***, exactly as in your case: once it is "yes you can do everything you want", then another doctor says "no you can't dive, climb, etc.", somebody else is like "you can do something but not something else". Doctors are amazing, but their job is not to advise divers, their job is to advise people about average problems. For specific problems, you need the advice of a specialist. So, first of all, try to contact DAN and ask them if they know a doctor specialized in diving and diabetes, he will be able to help you.

Also, they said that your A1C was a little elevated because of lack of exercises, right? Start exercising, and check again later on, maybe you'll solve all your problems just with a bit of exercise

I can tell you that, with time, I learned to manage this situation and now I can even think about a life without diving and sport (at the beginning I couldn't), but this required a bit of time and imagination. I guess you can learn to manage it as well, even better than me

Good luck!

***Just to let you know, three weeks ago a doctor told me that I cannot dive deeper than 60m/200ft... and that sounded like horrible for a person who dreams about wreck hunting. I still believe that I can dive deeper than 60m, but this is not the point here... this is just to let you know that I really understand you, and at the beginning, it was a horrible feeling for me as well.

 

[VsubT]

Another aspect to consider is how your condition impacts others. Here are a couple of scenarios:

• start tech training, resulting in an incident during a decompression stop

• tech training completes with no issues, but you have a medical incident during an ascent with your tech buddies

Not saying either of these will actually happen, but it's worth considering how things play out if they do. A lot depends on how you approach the whole adventure. If you're up-front and work through the issues with your doctor, instructors, boat crew, and teammates, everyone understands the potentially elevated risk and has the opportunity to help mitigate/eliminate it. At some point, it's important to respect a "no" unless you're all willing to take the risk. Where this crosses a line is when we as individual divers accept this risk without including all of the other folks involved in our dives in the decision. Don't be surprised if your medical exception is too much risk for some operators or instructors - they have to look at the entire picture, including their own liability.

Best of luck with your training!

Lance

 

[Zef]

When diving within no-deco limits the safety stop, while recommended, is optional.

With tec diving, you either have a physical overhead (cave ceiling, wreck hull) or a virtual overhead (decompression obligation) that prevents you from ascending to the surface directly.

What is your expectation of your dive partner(s), shoulf you suffer a diabetic episode underwater? If they have a deco obligation, rescuing you because of complications with your condition puts them at risk. Not rescuing you puts them at risk of psycological trauma....it is a no win situation for anyone diving with you.

Stick with no-deco diving....your doc is apparently ok with it and it is safer for you and anyone who enters the water with you...relativley speaking.

-Z