Such thing as SAFE asthma dives
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DeputyDan
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grazie42:
YOUR TRIGGERS ARE THE KEY!
I have a child that has asmatha and loves to dive. We know her triggers and avoid those situations. Her big one is heavy exercise in cold air/conditions.
She always wears at least a 3mm and hood even in Bonaire - No issues!
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movieflick
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I have an appointment tomorrow at 3:00 to see the scuba doc DAN recommended to me. Today I had an appointment with my asthma/allergy specialist (Routine yearly checkup to see how things are. Just a coincidence that I have the scuba doc tomorrow). He is one of those NO WAY NEVER docs.
Today I pushed him on the subject and he seemed to get a little mad that I questioned him not in a bad way but more of a "Me doc you patient" kind of way. I asked him why he will not consider the possibility and he said
(not exact quote but close)
" Do I think you will dive and die? No but I do not want the responsibility on me. Asthma has many triggers and even if you are an allergy asthmatic it doesn't mean other triggers won't cause an attack. One of the main triggers for asthma is cold and exercise and I do not think it is wise to be 50 feet under water and the only means of breathing is cold dry air. But, I do not think it is wise for you to hang out with a cat of camp out under a juniper bush (I had a very big response to juniper when I had my allergy test)"
I thought about what he said and I guess he is stating what most docs/instructors complain about. It isn't that they think asthmatics will die they just feel that it is not a wise thing and do not want to be responsible for anything bad that might happen. I get it and I think this is a reasonable stance.
Ok so I didn't stop there. If you want to go get something to drink go ahead I am going to keep typing...
I asked why there were no statistics to back up the statement that it is not wise for asthmatics to dive. Well accept for in Australia where for some reason you have a 90% chance of dieing when you an asthmatic diver...
He said .... (again not exact quote but close) "I do not think the stats are necessarily accurate. There might not be any report of a dive accident or death but I believe there are many people that have an attack or other later that was a result of the dive but people self medicate or end up in the ER and these stats are not kept track of,"
This seems very obvious but i never thought about it. I wonder if hospitals have to report that a scuba related illness was seen there? This does not mean I do not want to dive anymore. I think it is important for me to consider there is a lot of information out there that I am not considering. I hope the SCUBA doc has some good info for me
Today I pushed him on the subject and he seemed to get a little mad that I questioned him not in a bad way but more of a "Me doc you patient" kind of way. I asked him why he will not consider the possibility and he said
(not exact quote but close)
" Do I think you will dive and die? No but I do not want the responsibility on me. Asthma has many triggers and even if you are an allergy asthmatic it doesn't mean other triggers won't cause an attack. One of the main triggers for asthma is cold and exercise and I do not think it is wise to be 50 feet under water and the only means of breathing is cold dry air. But, I do not think it is wise for you to hang out with a cat of camp out under a juniper bush (I had a very big response to juniper when I had my allergy test)"
I thought about what he said and I guess he is stating what most docs/instructors complain about. It isn't that they think asthmatics will die they just feel that it is not a wise thing and do not want to be responsible for anything bad that might happen. I get it and I think this is a reasonable stance.
Ok so I didn't stop there. If you want to go get something to drink go ahead I am going to keep typing...
I asked why there were no statistics to back up the statement that it is not wise for asthmatics to dive. Well accept for in Australia where for some reason you have a 90% chance of dieing when you an asthmatic diver...
He said .... (again not exact quote but close) "I do not think the stats are necessarily accurate. There might not be any report of a dive accident or death but I believe there are many people that have an attack or other later that was a result of the dive but people self medicate or end up in the ER and these stats are not kept track of,"
This seems very obvious but i never thought about it. I wonder if hospitals have to report that a scuba related illness was seen there? This does not mean I do not want to dive anymore. I think it is important for me to consider there is a lot of information out there that I am not considering. I hope the SCUBA doc has some good info for me
There is no truly effective way to collect all scuba statistics so there are gaps to be sure.
I think you are going about this the right way. The DAN endorsed doctor should be able to speak to the sport and you more directly. If you still have gaps a follow-up with a DAN staffer is another option.
Keep in mind that scuba diving in and of itself has certain risks associated with it. If a doctor has it in his head that he does not want to have a diver patient injured or die in the sport then nobody will be good enough.
In the end be true to yourself and the best opinions you can find. There's nothing down there worth dying for.
Pete
I think you are going about this the right way. The DAN endorsed doctor should be able to speak to the sport and you more directly. If you still have gaps a follow-up with a DAN staffer is another option.
Keep in mind that scuba diving in and of itself has certain risks associated with it. If a doctor has it in his head that he does not want to have a diver patient injured or die in the sport then nobody will be good enough.
In the end be true to yourself and the best opinions you can find. There's nothing down there worth dying for.
Pete
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movieflick
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I try to tell myself that but if you have never been it is hard to convince yourselfspectrum:
****Edit***
This is what I am talking about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGp3Y5pBlwY that is the coolest thing I might have ever seen!!!
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movieflick
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Well I got my approval. The scuba doc made me do a puilminary function test and I had no reaction so I was approved woo hoo!!
Good for you! It is an individual thing. My wife has asthma. She is a dive instructor, cave diver, trimix diver. She's been in 40ish degree water and to depths beyond recreational limits with no problems.
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movieflick
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Dive-aholic:
That is awsome!! I am happy to see other asthmatics diving without any issues. I agree that it is an idividual thing. I have been searching the internet and talking with people about the subject for months. I also saw 2 specialists after my regular doc had already given the OK and took the tests to be extra sure my risk was low. I think it is important for anyone with any issues to get all the facts before making a decisions.
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." Martin Luther King Jr.
fisherdvm
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movieflick:
I don't see how a "scuba doc" can make a clearance based on a PFT? I imagined that he cleared you on your history of mild symptoms, and not the PFT. Was it a PFT done with exercise?
PFT's done at rest in the office don't mean much, as it is probably normal in 90% of mild asthmatics, 95% of the times. Unless it was done following aerobic exercise (which is likely to be more than 9 minutes at 4 mph, but I don't know your age and heart rate achieved), it can not say that you don't have exercise induced asthma. A good self test is to run in wet clothes at 60 degree or less. Bring along an inhaler, just in case... I think that will be more realistic, in case of scuba diving .... You might also want to bring along a friend with a cell phone in case you'll need 911...
Don't sue me if you die doing so...
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movieflick
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PFT as in a pulmonary function test they had me blow into a sperometer (sp?) then I on a treadmill and ran which got my HR to the desire 150 then I had to keep it there for 2 mins the total exercise time was just over 10 mins. After that they had me do another spermoeter test right after words then again at 15 mins then they did a breathing treatment waited 15 more mins and did another sperometer.
Ok here are the test scores I am not sure what any of it...
I had to stop all allergy and asthma meds for 2 days so this is at my worst.
Before the workout stats they user RHR -80 THR-145 MHR - 189 80% - 151 HR
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.41
% Predicted 84%
FVC 5.96
% Predicted 94%
FEV1/FVC .74
FEF25-75% 3.38
% Predicted 63%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
1 min after Workout - as you can see everything went up not very asthma like
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.75
% Predicted 90%
FVC 6.16
% Predicted 97%
FEV1/FVC .77
FEF25-75% 3.98
% Predicted 74%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
15 mins after Workout - everything returned to pre workout for the most part
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.46
% Predicted 85%
FVC 6.05
% Predicted 95%
FEV1/FVC .74
FEF25-75% 3.34
% Predicted 62%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
15 mins after breathing treatment of Xiopeuex (SP? cant read the writing very well) - No Change as would be expected with an asthmatic
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.46
% Predicted 85%
FVC 6.06
% Predicted 95%
FEV1/FVC .74
FEF25-75% 3.38
% Predicted 63%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
The asthma allergy doc that administered the test said no there was not any exercise educed asthma. When I brought the results to the scuba doc (Hyperbaric Doc) he said the same. He still warned me of the possible problems that I may have and said not to dive if I am having any problems at all around the dive time but that the tests looked fine and there shouldn't be any problems.
Ok here are the test scores I am not sure what any of it...
I had to stop all allergy and asthma meds for 2 days so this is at my worst.
Before the workout stats they user RHR -80 THR-145 MHR - 189 80% - 151 HR
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.41
% Predicted 84%
FVC 5.96
% Predicted 94%
FEV1/FVC .74
FEF25-75% 3.38
% Predicted 63%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
1 min after Workout - as you can see everything went up not very asthma like
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.75
% Predicted 90%
FVC 6.16
% Predicted 97%
FEV1/FVC .77
FEF25-75% 3.98
% Predicted 74%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
15 mins after Workout - everything returned to pre workout for the most part
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.46
% Predicted 85%
FVC 6.05
% Predicted 95%
FEV1/FVC .74
FEF25-75% 3.34
% Predicted 62%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
15 mins after breathing treatment of Xiopeuex (SP? cant read the writing very well) - No Change as would be expected with an asthmatic
Spirometer PB
FEV1 4.46
% Predicted 85%
FVC 6.06
% Predicted 95%
FEV1/FVC .74
FEF25-75% 3.38
% Predicted 63%
AGE/HEIGHT 31/75"
The asthma allergy doc that administered the test said no there was not any exercise educed asthma. When I brought the results to the scuba doc (Hyperbaric Doc) he said the same. He still warned me of the possible problems that I may have and said not to dive if I am having any problems at all around the dive time but that the tests looked fine and there shouldn't be any problems.
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