worried about medical clearance for certification

[LuvDaOcean]

I'm 47yrs old and have been lucky enough to have been escorted on 4 OW dives w/o certification via wonderful (instructor) friends whom I'm, unfortunately, out of touch with now. The deepest I have ever gone is 45ft. Shallowest is approx. 35ft. My last OW dive was last summer in Hawaii. I can snorkel like a fish, but still, I want SO badly to become certified! Snorkeling just doesn't compare to the "high" I've experienced while diving.

Well, I have finally come to a place in my life where I can afford to get certified and also have a buddy to take classes with - the best buddy I could possibly hope for - my 16yr old son. But here is my problem...I'm afraid that my HMO doctor won't sign off my medical release form due to the following:

1) High cholesterol - currently taking Lovastatin to lower it.

2) I smoke (I know! I know!).

3) Family history of congestive heart failure (both grandfathers and one grandmother).

4) Diagnosed with Generalized Panic Disorder in 1982 - have been taking Xanax for 22 years - haven't had a panic attack since starting the medication.

I'm sadly aware that all of this will look terrible to my HMO doc and I guess what I'm wondering about is what your opinions are about my situation? Does it look hopeless to you? Should I prepare for the worst? Should I get my pillow ready to cry on for after the failed med exam? Or is there a glimmer of hope...any chance at all...that I might actually get the release form signed?

Thanks so much ahead of time for your input/opinions/whatever!

Toni

 

[pilot fish]

I'm 47yrs old and have been lucky enough to have been escorted on 4 OW dives w/o certification via wonderful (instructor) friends whom I'm, unfortunately, out of touch with now. The deepest I have ever gone is 45ft. Shallowest is approx. 35ft. My last OW dive was last summer in Hawaii. I can snorkel like a fish, but still, I want SO badly to become certified! Snorkeling just doesn't compare to the "high" I've experienced while diving.

Well, I have finally come to a place in my life where I can afford to get certified and also have a buddy to take classes with - the best buddy I could possibly hope for - my 16yr old son. But here is my problem...I'm afraid that my HMO doctor won't sign off my medical release form due to the following:

1) High cholesterol - currently taking Lovastatin to lower it.

2) I smoke (I know! I know!).

3) Family history of congestive heart failure (both grandfathers and one grandmother).

4) Diagnosed with Generalized Panic Disorder in 1982 - have been taking Xanax for 22 years - haven't had a panic attack since starting the medication.

I'm sadly aware that all of this will look terrible to my HMO doc and I guess what I'm wondering about is what your opinions are about my situation? Does it look hopeless to you? Should I prepare for the worst? Should I get my pillow ready to cry on for after the failed med exam? Or is there a glimmer of hope...any chance at all...that I might actually get the release form signed?

Thanks so much ahead of time for your input/opinions/whatever!

Toni

I think you are good to go, IF YOU STOP SMOKING. You know, you know!

I'm not a medical person but I think the cholesterol is in check with meds, right?, your panic disorder is taken care of, don't take that med and dive, when do you take xanax?, and congestive heart failure doesn't seem to be aggravated with diving. You stop smoking you might be OK, but wait to hear from some medical people here.

 

[spectrum]

I'm 47yrs old and have been lucky enough to have been escorted on 4 OW dives w/o certification via wonderful (instructor) friends whom I'm, unfortunately, out of touch with now. The deepest I have ever gone is 45ft. Shallowest is approx. 35ft. My last OW dive was last summer in Hawaii. I can snorkel like a fish, but still, I want SO badly to become certified! Snorkeling just doesn't compare to the "high" I've experienced while diving.

Well, I have finally come to a place in my life where I can afford to get certified and also have a buddy to take classes with - the best buddy I could possibly hope for - my 16yr old son. But here is my problem...I'm afraid that my HMO doctor won't sign off my medical release form due to the following:

1) High cholesterol - currently taking Lovastatin to lower it.

2) I smoke (I know! I know!).

3) Family history of congestive heart failure (both grandfathers and one grandmother).

4) Diagnosed with Generalized Panic Disorder in 1982 - have been taking Xanax for 22 years - haven't had a panic attack since starting the medication.

I'm sadly aware that all of this will look terrible to my HMO doc and I guess what I'm wondering about is what your opinions are about my situation? Does it look hopeless to you? Should I prepare for the worst? Should I get my pillow ready to cry on for after the failed med exam? Or is there a glimmer of hope...any chance at all...that I might actually get the release form signed?

Thanks so much ahead of time for your input/opinions/whatever!

Toni

The cholesterol is a risk factor and if Lovatatain worked for you like it has for me then you are under control.

The smoking, obviosly it's in no way good for your health if you dive or not. Smoking divers are not a rarity though probably less than in the general poulation.

The family heart history is a risk factor but not an obstacle to diving by it's self.

Panic would seem to be under control. Getting private intruction may make it easier for you be certain that you are 100% comfortable with your training. I'm not sure if this is relative to controling what you had, just a guess.

For your peace of mind (which is important especially since you posted these concerns) you might ask your doctor about a stess test (like a treadmill test. This would let you go forward knowing that you have a strong healthy heart and that your smoking has not overly compromised you body.

Have a good talk with your physician. These don't sound concerns that warrant a physician with dive medicine experince but you could ask how dive savy he is and if you're still not comforatble a second opinion is not out of the question.

Disclaimer:
I'm just a newbie a year older that you that with my wife each asked ourselves some similar questions. If your are a strong active person otherwise you should be fine. Setting a personal goal to become the best diver you can be would be a great motivator to kick the habit. Can't help much there, I'm just glad I never started.

Good luck,
Pete

 

[RonFrank]

Talk to the doctor, not us. They are the ones you need to worry about.

As to diving, IMO rec diving is less stressful than most other sports I do. For example sking, MUCH MUCH more stress on just about everything.

However what I've said holds true up to the point of panic. The risk UW is that things can go wrong, and then it's how you deal with that stress, and there is more danger of death if you mess up under stress.

 

[pennypue]

Stop worrying. Worrying isn't going to do SQUAT.
Just go get your physical. Stress test is a great idea.

Doc should tell you to quit smoking. I'm not a doctor, I won't bill you anything and I'll tell you. QUIT SMOKING. But that won't keep you from diving.

The only thing I would want to check on is the Xanax. And of course, your personal comfort level. I have zero problems with anxiety. Not in my personality. I figure if something bad is going to happen, the worst would be to die. And I'd much rather die underwater than anywhere else. So what do I have to worry about????? YMMV.

Do it. Now. Call, make the appointment. You've wasted enough time already.

 

[crpntr133]

Don't know what your doctor is going to tell you but I took Xanax when I had my sinus surgery so I could equalize, and dive. (yes I had surgery so I could dive). He told me that he wouldn't clear me till I was off the Xanax. You take it for a different reason so I really can't say either way.
Look at it this way. If you don't go then you might be missing out.

 

[MoonWrasse]

1) High cholesterol - currently taking Lovastatin to lower it.

2) I smoke (I know! I know!).

3) Family history of congestive heart failure (both grandfathers and one grandmother).

4) Diagnosed with Generalized Panic Disorder in 1982 - have been taking Xanax for 22 years - haven't had a panic attack since starting the medication.
i

Not to harp on you, but you are in a high risk catagory group for heart attacks. Underwater is NOT the place of all places to have this occur.

Suggestions:
1) give up the smoking.
2) go with your son, but snorkel above him while he dives below - some waters are clear enough this is not a problem.

 

[Stirling]

Toni, I don't think there is any reason to worry in advance about what the doctor will say - go find out. I think it's a very good idea to get checked out by a doctor, but I would be more concerned about the result of tests relating to your general physical condition (i.e., the smoking and what that does to you) than to the other things you mentioned.

After I turned 50 last August, I thought it would be a good idea to be more thoroughly checked out than I had been recently, and I had a stress test earlier this year. I think that may give you some useful information about your overall cardiac and respiratory condition that is relevant to diving and your ability to handle the stress of those occasional periods of unusual exertion.

Anxiety and panic disorder take in a lot of different things, and that may or may not become a problem for you. If you are concerned about it, and are cleared by your physician to start diving, take it up with your instructor and have them note how you deal with the small stresses of diving in your class. There are ways to deal with anxiety. This article may be helpful to you - you won't be the only diver who has ever faced this issue:
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=42

The statin thing had better not be a problem, because I'm taking one (and the same doctor who prescribed it is the one who saw me through the stress test).

You already know that you should quit smoking, for your benefit and for the sake of your family. The history of congestive heart failure may or may not mean anything to you at this stage of your life; the actual condition of your heart and lungs is what matters, and the stress test (and maybe some others) can tell you something about that, but the smoking doesn't help.

If you really want to take up diving, I would encourage you to pursue it.

 

[LuvDaOcean]

First, thanks very much to all of you for your responses. They're very much appreciated.

Seems unanimous that a stress test should be done and I'd be elated to have one (no, really! ), but at this particular HMO (Kaiser) they are infamous for being penny-pinchers. I'm not sure how far I'll get with the physician, but I will definitely ask him if he'll set one up for me.

I'm having another cholesterol draw tomorrow a.m., so will find out at my appt. how well the Lovastatin has been working. I've been taking it for 3 months now so it has probably worked whatever "magic" it's going to work by now, is that correct?

As far as the panic disorder goes, I'm surprised at how aware you all are of the fact that people can have very different types of panic disorders. I've never met anyone other than psychs and other panic sufferers that could make heads or tails of the condition without a long boring explanation. I'm really impressed with you all!

I had/have(?) the generalized type where there is no particular stimulus or stressor that triggers the panic. When I was having the attacks they would just hit me out of the blue - boom! - for no reason at all. But after the Xanax rx they stopped entirely. I take Xanax 4 times a day, so diving while on the meds is a "must". It's hard to explain, but after taking the meds for this long, if I don't take them THAT is when I'm not in any condition to dive rather than the other way around. IOW, I'm "normal" when I take them and function well in any situation, but if I don't take them I'm definitely not fit to do much of anything, let alone dive. Taking the meds does not "drug" me anymore. During the first year? Yes, they made me drowsy and performance was down. After 22yrs? No. ~Without~ them I'm "drugged" and performance is down. Hope that makes sense.

And, Ron, I totally understand what you're saying. I ski too, and skiing among other sports, is much, much harder on my mind & body than diving. Other than those first couple of minutes of apprehension right before a dive, diving itself is the single most relaxing and non-stressful sport that I've ever experienced. It's the closest to "nirvana" that I've ever come. Yes, even in the midst of sharks.

I don't plan on being a super-diver or anything like that. I'd just like to get the certification so that I can do recreational diving a few times a year. It's been a dream of mine since I was 18yrs old, but unfortunately the circumstances have never presented themselves up until now. Like most people, I've had to wait until my later years for enough time, money, and other resources needed for SCUBA diving.

Last, but not least, I hear you all about the smoking. More than anything, I would like to be able to just up and quit a habit that is stronger than heroin addiction and I will do my best to focus, focus, focus on that, but it's so much easier said than done.

And, Stirling, thank you so much for this: "If you really want to take up diving, I would encourage you to pursue it."

I plan to.

Will let you all know if I pass the exam or not....

Toni

 

[SDAnderson]

• Don't worry - it's counter-productive. If you can't get clearance, remember that diving is great fun but not worth dying for.
• Join DAN and spend some time reading the materials on their site, they provide a ton of stuff designed for laymen to read as well as physicians.
• Get a comprehensive physical and make sure that you and your doctor are educated on the issues.
• Stop smoking.

The experts in medicine for divers: Divers Alert Network