@!#$@!!! Not a good Friday for me.

[emoreira]

It's really a pity what your doctor told you, however (I'm not a doctor, but I do have 3 brothers with Asthma) you should try how your body reacts to diving, first in the pool, and second doing snorkel.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I guess one could depending on the agency. Ours does not offer on line and at the first academic session I would have them fill out the medical. If they say yes to something then we will go no further until they get clearance. I would not go thru all the classroom only to have the doc say no. That would be a waste of the students time and mine. And under our standards they would have to get clearance before continuing because the next session is in the pool for the swim tests and skin diving/snorkeling and with out a doc's clearance that could be a disaster. If the asthma is exercise induced that could be all it takes to trigger an attack.

 

[TSandM]

I believe it's not just normal PFTs, but normal PFTs OFF MEDS that you need to have. A patient requiring daily medication is judged to have asthma too severe to be safe to dive. Patients with occasional symptomatic periods, so long as they are not precipitated by exercise, may be able to dive.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I believe it's not just normal PFTs, but normal PFTs OFF MEDS that you need to have. A patient requiring daily medication is judged to have asthma too severe to be safe to dive. Patients with occasional symptomatic periods, so long as they are not precipitated by exercise, may be able to dive.

AFAIK, there are no agreed upon universal guidelines for the dive clearance of asthmatics. According to DAN, the most liberal set of guidelines are applied in the UK:

Well-controlled asthmatics may dive — within two guidelines:
* provided they have not needed a bronchodilator within 48 hours; and
* if they do not have cold-, exercise- or emotion-induced asthma.

According to these guidelines, it appears that corticosteroids (inhaled/oral), cromolyn or nedocromil, leukotriene modifiers, and possibly long-acting bronchodilators would not preclude dive clearance. There's no mention of normal PFTs...but it would be prudent to add that to the list of requirements.

 

[Aigtbootbp]

Funny thing, some of the worlds top athletes have asthma (Jackie Joyner Kersee for example) and along with it some of the best lungs/breathing attributes found anywhere yet diving can be considered too strenous. Heart problems? OK, asthma, no way..


Sometimes I wish we would just let people make their own choices and let it go at that.

Just my opinion.

 

[spectrum]

It's not the exertion but the entrapment of pressure that is the concern. If the air sacs retain pressure on ascent you embolize. It's like an involuntary breath hold on ascent.

If you have an attack and can't breathe that's ugly too.

Pete

 

[RJP]

I'd like to know how you were even able to start training. If you indicated on the medical form that you had asthma you should not have even been able to start training without clearance from your doctor. The instructor who allowed you to do this took a big risk. And possibly violated standards. Not a smart thing to do.

What he said..

 

[annieols]

"Sometimes I wish we would just let people make their own choices and let it go at that.

Just my opinion."

Yeah its too bad that there are courts in this world and an instructor must take on the liabilty of taking people diving! I would not even allow a student with asthma to get in the pool without dr clearance

 

[RJP]

Sometimes I wish we would just let people make their own choices and let it go at that.

That's a wonderfully naive - and at the same time - selfish notion unless you plan to not only dive solo exclusively, but actually do your training solo too.

Otherwise "your own" decision, is not really just "your own."

 

[Aigtbootbp]

"Sometimes I wish we would just let people make their own choices and let it go at that.

Just my opinion."

Yeah its too bad that there are courts in this world and an instructor must take on the liabilty of taking people diving! I would not even allow a student with asthma to get in the pool without dr clearance

Didn't say a thing about being able to hold an instructor/doctor/guide/DM legally liable but hey, like I said, just my opinion.
I did my time in the Army to protect your right to have your opinion as well as my right to have mine.