Resuming diving after pneumonia

[bluebanded goby]

In late January I came down with a nasty throat virus which ended up with me running a significant fever (~103 F +), I was bombarded with a couple of antibiotics, etc. Toward the end it went down into my chest with a fair amount of congestion, for which I was given prednisone, albuterol and QVAR. Altogether the doctor called it a case of strep throat that turned into early pneumonia. I was out from work for a couple of weeks and still fairly weak for a week or two after I returned.

I've now been back at work for several weeks and have built back up to my normal exercise regimen (5-mile bike ride in morning plus light weight workout). I was making plans to do my first diving since the holidays (actually freediving in this case) this weekend. This morning I got up, though, and found that I had a slight wheeze. Normally I have no wheeze whatsoever and haven't experienced any lung problems in many years. (47-y.o. male in case it makes a difference.)

Two questions for you all: (1) Should I be concerned about a slight wheeze before diving? In freediving one makes a number of rapid descents and ascents, and I've heard that theoretically (though very rarely) ascending from a breath-hold dive with congested lungs could lead to an embolism. (2) Is this wheeze probably related to the early pneumonia I had several weeks ago? As noted I normally don't have lung problems. Does this take quite a while to recover from? Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[BillP]

Howdy blue:

A wheeze is a whistling sound caused by turbulent airflow through a narrowed (partially obstructed) airway. Obstructed airways in divers can trap air and lead to barotrauma or embolism on ascent. Divers should indeed be concerned about wheezing and diving.

Unfortuanately, it's impossible to tell on a scuba message board what the cause of a particular noise that someone heard is. How long it takes to recover from pneumonia depends on the pneumonia and the patient. Some severe pneumonias can cause permanent damage. I couldn't find any specific recommendations on a time frame for returning to diving after pneumonia so I would hazard the guess that one should wait until their lung function is completely back to normal. That determination is best made by the diver's physician.

HTH,

Bill

The above information is intended for discussion purposes only and is not meant as specific medical advice for any individual.

 

[bluebanded goby]

Thanks, Bill. In this case the wheeze was extremely slight and subsequently went away. But I will go have my doctor see me before I hit the water.