To tell or not to tell?

[Gilligan]

Should you reveal what meds you are taking on any questionaire while on a dive trip?

The Nov/Dec 2003 edition of Alert Diver (DAN) had an article re a 72 year old diver who had his dives cancelled while on a liveaboard in Australia.
While filling out a dive questionaire onboard after the boat departed, the diver revealed he was taking Lipitor (cholesterol lowering drug) in response to a question re "what meds are you taking"
A crew member then phoned a doctor on shore and as a result his diving was cancelled.
It turns out Australia requires a current diving medical certificate if you are over 65 (not sure if that is in general or if you are on meds).

I am 62 and a frequent diver. The moral of this story for me is to not reveal anything on such questionaires. If you are a regular diver and take meds you already know, or should know, what the effects are, if any, as respects scuba diving.

I am sure the dive operation was just covering their backside but the man lost his trip. Hopefully he will recover the costs from the agency that booked his trip as they should likely have known theses requirements, as they are in the business.

 

[DivemasterSteve]

i agree with you 100% sir. i'm only 50 but i do have to take some drugs. i have checked with my doctors and they all have told me that its ok to dive and i know what my limits are and dont try to over do it. i'm sure some dive operations might not let me dive if they knew i took the drugs so i would think twice before telling them.

steve

 

[H2Andy]

well, i take two meds (i am 37) and i have checked with three doctors "live"
and with some on line, and so far everyone agrees that i am fine to dive as is,
so I don't put that down on any forms i fill. as long as i know i am safe, i don't think i am doing anything wrong by avoiding the hassle.

it would be a different story if i were to dive after being told by my doctor that it was not safe for me to do so while on those meds.

however, we are in fact withholding and/or providing false information, which could result in a waiver of our rights in a legal action against whoever is asking us to fill out the forms.

thus, be aware that you or your estate might be estopped from legal action
based on the "false" information provided on the form. at the very least, it won't look very good for your case that you were lying about your medical condition on the form.

be asured that in a legal proceeding, your medical records will become discoverable and what medications you were taking prior to the dive will be found out.

this is even more true of any insurance claim you or your estate may make.
if you don't disclose your meds to the insurance company, rest asured
that there is a clause in that policy that will make your coverage null
and void (i.e. they won't pay a penny). The insurance company may even
refuse to pay if the non-disclosure was not to them but to the dive operator,
though this is probably going to depend on the facts of the individual
claim.

 

[Otter]

While this is a sweeping statement that is likely too generic, the reality is that at least in the US, you have no or little recourse unless there is gross negligence.....thats what the waiver is all about.

 

[H2Andy]

yes, but assuming that you have legal recourse, do you waive it or are you estopped if you provided false information?

i don't know the answer because it depends on the negligence laws
of the forum state as well as the facts of the case. but there is
certainly a danger that providing false information may deprive you
of legal recourse you would otherwise had been entitled to.

 

[DandyDon]

I know the feeling: "If I tell them about this, they may not let me dive, so I'd better not tell them." Tempting...

I was with a dive group in Cozumel that incurred a string of bad luck - and some bad decisions:

(a) One diver left in an ambulance the first day of diving from a medical condition he'd not disclosed on any of the questionnaires. Only after he regained consciousness could he help with his needed treatment, as we didn't know what the problem was.

(b) I loaded another into an ambulance myself on day three, after he complained of some possible DCS symptoms and requested O2. He's a 20-something kiddo who'd felt he was tough enough to dive after 3 hours of sleep; wiser now.

(c) On the last day of the week long trip, most of the group flew home, but of those of us leaving the next day - one particular member of the group who'd come in drunk at 4am skipped diving (I doubt that we would have let him on the boat anyway, after this week) and slept in while many of us went out. When we returned, we were met with news that he'd be found unconscious by the dive shop after checking his gear in. "We checked his questionnaire, but found no medical problems to advise the ambulance?"

His best friend then called the hospital to advise that the patient is diabetic.

So, what are your plans, if you omit medical information, then are unable to assist when you need emergency medical care...?

 

[diver_paula]

So, what are your plans, if you omit medical information, then are unable to assist when you need emergency medical care...?

I take meds and have been cleared to dive by multilple physicians. & I've been diving on these meds for years with no problems. For that reason I don't always reveal all on a dive operation's questionaire. I've experienced people being turned away for reasons they've had cleared medically. A friend was even turned away from snorkelling at Sting Ray City (what - maybe 4' deep water?) for a mild case of asthma.

I keep a complete list of medical conditions, meds with dosage, emergency contact info, insurance info, blood type, that I wear contacts and a few other things in my drybox. There are also second copies of my medical insurance card and DAN card in my dry box. I make sure my buddy knows they are there in case something happens.

Paula

 

[Pez de Diablo]

I think the best way to go about it is to review your meds with your family doctor. Tel him/her that you are a diver. Ask if any of the meds will effect you adversely with increased PPO2 - at a minimum. Review your situation with your doctor and get them to write you a letter allowing you to dive. Go on your trip with this letter in hand, I'm sure that you can be honest with the dive op and if there is a problem, they will at least know the meds you are on.

I am not a doctor, this is just what I would do.

 

[H2Andy]

don i don't think the situations you describe are comparable to what we're talking about here.

we are talking about having medical ok's to dive on certain meds that if we disclose to the dive operator will create a lot of hassle prior to arriving at the same conclusion: we're ok to dive.

i don't know of any dive operator who takes on the responsibility of keeping track of and ultimately informing EMS personnel in case of an emergency of what meds each and everyone of their divers is on. so, why give them information they don't need and won't use?

 

[DandyDon]

I like Paula's answer better, Pez, but each of the three times we loaded a diver into ambulances, there was little time to search for information, family docotrs were not available, best friends were not available. In two cases, they only had passed out bodies.

I think:

(1) Review your medical conditions with a Dive Doctor, not a family physician - or get DAN involved, to ensure you are ready. This may not be enough for many operators, though, so many divers will feel encouraged to not tell.

(2) Wear a Dog Tag with medical conditions on your body at all times of a dive trip. I wear my DAN tag on my BC on every dive, and my basic info (no conditions) on a tag.

And I hope I never see another diver leave in an ambulance.