Surviving an asthma attack

[simonc]

Hi Gerald,

I'm curious to know how frequently you get tight in the chest when diving and is it safe to do a controlled ascent? Has it actually happend?

My attacks are mild (only slight narrowing) and as you say do not hit me like a train either. Thus I feel confident to take whatever action is necessary. I also do some pre dive checks recommended by the YMCA and SSI procols for asthmatic divers. Such as....1. Never dive if wheezing 48h prior to dive. 2. Do daily measurements of peak flow as well as immediate before and after a dive, and if a reduction of 15% is recorded, thats it...no more diving until all is normal again. Thankfully, this has never happened.

What meds are you on? Do you take a puff of ventolin immediately prior to each dive?

For me, I am a mild asthmatic triggered by pollens. I am under the care of a physician and only take preventatives (pulmicort) in the weeks prior to, and during, a dive trip and a hit of ventolin prior to each dive. This is as a precaution because I rarely need ventolin anyway.

Happy diving

SimonC

 

[cyklon_300]

yet one more reason to take advice on this board with a huge grain of salt...good thing the advice is free because some of it is worthless.

The admonition that asthmatics must not dive is horribly erroneous information. I am a life-long asthmatic and the intensity of my symptoms have run the gamut from having to have an O2 cylinder in my bedroom as a child to being controlled enough to compete in triathlons.

I have been diving for 20+ years, logged multiple hundreds of dives and have yet to have had to abort a dive due to asthma-related reasons.

And FWIW, my board-certified allergist is both an asthmatic and a diver.

 

[CuriousMe]

I was diagnosed....well actually he wrote it down as Reactive Airway Disease....but I haven't been able to find a real difference between that and asthma anyway, I was diagnosed in January. I've probably had it all my life, my only trigger is second hand smoke...since I'm surrounded by smoke now, my flare ups were much more severe. Someone finally figured out that me having bronchitis every other week wasn't normal. We got it controlled in Feb. It's wonderful to not cough anymore....I've been coughing for years and not realizing that it wasn't normal.

My Pulmonologist cleared me to dive once I was controlled. I check my peak flow and my FEV1 every morning (my FEV1 is now between 115% and 120% of my predicted for my age, gender and size..I guess growing up playing the trumpet and swimming competitively helped my lungs out <smile>). If I notice more than a ten percent difference on a morning I want to dive, I don't dive. A bit more conservative than some....but I don't play with it.

SimonC, to answer your question....I've never experienced Exercise Induced Brochospasams <sp?>, so I don't take any rescue inhaler before diving ( I don't take it before going to the gym either). I've never dove when feeling tight. If I did feel tight, I'd abort the dive.

I do use an inhaled steroid though, and I found out that use of an inhaled steroid can increase my risk of OxTox when using Nitrox, so I need to be more conservative with my PP02. My earlier question was: what about the function of the steroid causes me to be more susceptible to an OxTox hit? Just curious....I have this bad habit of wanting to know everything about everything

Peace,
Cathie

 

[simonc]

Cathie,

I too check peak flow, but not FEV1. What is that and how do you check it?

I blow normally 850L/min peak flow, well above the population average of 500-600. Would never dive on a change of more than 15%. Take a puff of ventolin prior to a dive too.

I am encourage by all these asthmatics and the 100's of dives logged.

Adios,

SimonC

 

[CuriousMe]

Cathie,

I too check peak flow, but not FEV1. What is that and how do you check it?

I blow normally 850L/min peak flow, well above the population average of 500-600. Would never dive on a change of more than 15%. Take a puff of ventolin prior to a dive too.

I am encourage by all these asthmatics and the 100's of dives logged.

Adios,

SimonC

Hi Simon

I use a little hand-held spirometer. It measures the Forced Expiratory Volume over 1 second (FEV1)....basically, how much can air can you blow out in 1 second. It's one of the things they measure when you take a spirometry at the Dr.'s office. According to my Doc....the FEV1 is more a reliable measurement than a Peak Flow (although the two meters below measure both).

There's the Piko-1 and the Koko Peak which measures the FEV-6 as well as the FEV-1 but is a bit bigger than the Piko. I bought mine online and they go for between $25 and $50. Very handy littles things.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[simonc]

Anyone tried the Apollo Biofilter http://www.apollosportsusa.com/products-regcomp.html? It's an add on to the 1st stage that increases the humidity of the air from 0.1% to 30-70%, plus it has an activate charcol filter to clean the air.

Considering dry air and polutants are triggers for asthma attacks, this device sounds very interesting.

SimonC

 

[rcohn]

Anyone tried the Apollo Biofilter http://www.apollosportsusa.com/products-regcomp.html? It's an add on to the 1st stage that increases the humidity of the air from 0.1% to 30-70%, plus it has an activate charcol filter to clean the air.

Considering dry air and polutants are triggers for asthma attacks, this device sounds very interesting.

SimonC

The air in your tank is already highly filtered. The bio-filter is used to add moisture. If it is not kept clean enough it could cause problems.

Ralph

 

[starfish365]

I also have asthma but don't have my peak flow checked unless theres a problem....how do you check it every morning and what instrument do you use?\
ok so now I know what you use but where do you get these from?
my asthma isn't enough to warrent the purchase but I'm just curious

 

[CuriousMe]

Hi Starfish,

You can get a mechanical peak flow meter at any pharmacy (if they don't have one, they can order it)....the electronic PF/FEV1 meter's are newer....I bought mine online.

My symptoms are very controlled now, I check my numbers every morning because I found it helps to stay ahead of a problem, and the sooner I intervene the lesser the consequences. It was a completely different mind set than I grew up with....I was involved in various sports as a kid and would "walk it off" or work through whatever discomfort until a point that I felt it really needed attention. I've found I need to do the opposoite with my breathing....if there's a measureable drop in my breathing numbers....I take steps ASAP and head off a bigger reaction. Since I've been controlled, this has only happened once (I'm getting better about avoiding smoke here on the ship)....but it was great to stay ahead of it and minimize the reaction.

Peace,
Cathie