Hi everyone,
My name is Dustin and I'm 28, almost 29 years old. I made the decision recently to join the U.S. Navy as a NSW/NSO diver, but to much disappointment, discovered that asthma is a disqualifier across all branches of the service, as well as depression.
Diving has hit me so hard and true that I want to do anything and everything possible to pursue a career in this field, if I can do it safely for both myself and the others that I would be working with.
Now, more information...
Depression - I take 50mg of Zoloft daily. I have spent the last 5 years or so analyzing myself very intimately and I am most definitely back on track. Depression is no longer an issue and I'm sure I can get my docs to sign off on this. I'm not as worried about this as I am asthma. I have learned how to control the depression - I have a very, very strong mental attitude.
Asthma - I've had it since I was a kid, but I've never considered it a disability until other people told me it was. I used to skateboard as a kid, P.E. in school was fine, I even started exercising and running on a regular basis. I have exercise-induced asthma, but it is also triggered by other factors such as smoke or mold or whatnot. BUT - I KNOW WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO. I was on Advair for a month or so as a trial medication, and it changed my life. For the first time ever I didn't have to use my rescue inhaler.
My question is this - if I can prove / show a solid history of Advair use without having any asthma attacks or having to use an inhaler, can I dive? My goal is to talk to my doctor and get a script for Advair. Once I have that (in the next week), I plan to start training for the U.S. Navy physical testing. I still may be ineligible for the Navy - I'm going to talk to my local recruiter to see if controlled asthma via Advair is acceptable. More than likely it is not - and this disappoints me greatly. It took me years to set my heart on something only to find out my asthma is preventing me from doing so. I will not stand for this - I will beat this monster and do anything to overcome it. If Theodore Roosevelt can, you bet your ass I can.
Please - if anyone has any experience with this or knows of anyone I can speak to or any dive schools I can attend, please let me know. Again - this is a decision that I have thought years about and I'm going to do every possible thing I can to at least attempt to do this. I will NOT let it control my life.
(I apologize for not doing a quick search for articles related to this. I'm at work now [I've been in IT for years], but I'm so distraught over the recent news that I have to ask, I have to do whatever I can to try.)
Thanks,
Dustin
My name is Dustin and I'm 28, almost 29 years old. I made the decision recently to join the U.S. Navy as a NSW/NSO diver, but to much disappointment, discovered that asthma is a disqualifier across all branches of the service, as well as depression.
Diving has hit me so hard and true that I want to do anything and everything possible to pursue a career in this field, if I can do it safely for both myself and the others that I would be working with.
Now, more information...
Depression - I take 50mg of Zoloft daily. I have spent the last 5 years or so analyzing myself very intimately and I am most definitely back on track. Depression is no longer an issue and I'm sure I can get my docs to sign off on this. I'm not as worried about this as I am asthma. I have learned how to control the depression - I have a very, very strong mental attitude.
Asthma - I've had it since I was a kid, but I've never considered it a disability until other people told me it was. I used to skateboard as a kid, P.E. in school was fine, I even started exercising and running on a regular basis. I have exercise-induced asthma, but it is also triggered by other factors such as smoke or mold or whatnot. BUT - I KNOW WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO. I was on Advair for a month or so as a trial medication, and it changed my life. For the first time ever I didn't have to use my rescue inhaler.
My question is this - if I can prove / show a solid history of Advair use without having any asthma attacks or having to use an inhaler, can I dive? My goal is to talk to my doctor and get a script for Advair. Once I have that (in the next week), I plan to start training for the U.S. Navy physical testing. I still may be ineligible for the Navy - I'm going to talk to my local recruiter to see if controlled asthma via Advair is acceptable. More than likely it is not - and this disappoints me greatly. It took me years to set my heart on something only to find out my asthma is preventing me from doing so. I will not stand for this - I will beat this monster and do anything to overcome it. If Theodore Roosevelt can, you bet your ass I can.
Please - if anyone has any experience with this or knows of anyone I can speak to or any dive schools I can attend, please let me know. Again - this is a decision that I have thought years about and I'm going to do every possible thing I can to at least attempt to do this. I will NOT let it control my life.
(I apologize for not doing a quick search for articles related to this. I'm at work now [I've been in IT for years], but I'm so distraught over the recent news that I have to ask, I have to do whatever I can to try.)
Thanks,
Dustin