Help finding a diving knowledgeable doctor if DAN couldnt.

[jf3193]

Good afternoon,
Long time diver, but had to slow down due to a form of kidney disease i had. Long story short, i have a new transplant, and have been approved to move about the country and beyond to dive from my post transplant team.
I recently moved to the Tucson area, and was wanting to set up with a family doctor that is knowledgeable about diving. I know whenever you try to take a new course (or some dive resorts prior to you diving with them) ask for a medical form. My fear is that a non diving doctor will see diving as an 'extreme' sport, and not sign off on the paperwork out of a lack of knowledge. (happened before years ago).
I checked with DAN, and they did not show any in their list of doctors close to me. I was wondering if anyone else had any avenues they took to find a diving knowledgeable doctor.

 

[tridacna]

I would find a nephrologist and get a signoff from him/her. Your average GP is unlikely to assume the risk.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Good afternoon,
Long time diver, but had to slow down due to a form of kidney disease i had. Long story short, i have a new transplant, and have been approved to move about the country and beyond to dive from my post transplant team.
I recently moved to the Tucson area, and was wanting to set up with a family doctor that is knowledgeable about diving. I know whenever you try to take a new course (or some dive resorts prior to you diving with them) ask for a medical form. My fear is that a non diving doctor will see diving as an 'extreme' sport, and not sign off on the paperwork out of a lack of knowledge. (happened before years ago).
I checked with DAN, and they did not show any in their list of doctors close to me. I was wondering if anyone else had any avenues they took to find a diving knowledgeable doctor.

First, congratulations on the transplant. That's a tough road to navigate. Did I understand you correctly in that your transplant team cleared you to dive? Do you have that in writing anywhere? If so, that should suffice for a PCP to sign a form for you. If not, your transplant team should have someone like a post-operative transplant coordinator who can assist with that.

From a medical perspective, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about diving with a transplanted organ is the fact that you're on lifetime immunosuppressant medications. You probably got plenty of education about infection prevention; in a diving environment, you'll need to exercise additional caution as some bodies of water have high pathogen concentrations due to things like runoff and poor sanitation. There are also ubiquitous pathogens like vibrio vulnificus in the water that could be harmful to you. I'd recommend that you work with your post-op transplant coordinator to determine whether you need additional vaccines if you travel overseas.

The closest diving physician to you that I know of is in Chandler. Let me know if you'd like their contact info.

Best regards,
DDM