diabetes and scuba?

[zor]

I'm currently taking the padi open water certification test, and I'm wondering what effect being diabetic has on it? I've had type 1 diabetes, insulin dependant (also known as juvinile onset) for 6 years, and have done fairly well managing it. I've never lost concousness as a result of a low sugar, and the worst low I've ever had was 21 shortly after I was diagnosed. I'd like to hear from anyone who has suggestions for how to cary sugar in case of a low, I was considering skittles, or mabey a tube of cake frosting, and does the presure have any effects in relation to diabetes I should be aware of?

 

[immersed]

I'm not a physician and have minimal knowledge of diabetes. The one part of your question that I can answer is

how to cary sugar in case of a low

There's a device on the market that is basically a flexible bag with a tube. I believe it also comes with a mouthpiece to which the tube attaches. It replaces the rubber mouthpiece on your regulator and you can put your liquid of choice into the bag. During your dive, you can squeeze the bag to inject the contents into your mouth. The only caveat might be that you'd want to select a liquid that's got the sugar you need but not the corrosive action that might shorten the life of the regulator. I've seen it marketed as 'scuda' (self contained underwater drinking apparatus) among others. If your dive shop doesn't stock them, they can probably order one for you, or you could probably even make one - they're not really that complicated. If you make one, you'd also want to include some sort of shutoff valve so you don't accidentally flood your mouth with juice at an inopportune time.

 

[616fun]

Hey,

I'm diabetic as well and have been diving for about a year. I carry the little tubes of squeeze glucose in my BCD pocket. I always let my buddy know I'm diabetic and that if I have a problem I will form an "L" with my thumb and forefinger then thumb up the dive if I have a problem. So far I've not had one. Just be sure to follow a strict regimen of testing before and after diving to be sure you're not at risk for low blood sugar. The protocol I follow is below:

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/pdfs/pdf_1017.pdf

Call Diver's Alert Network (DAN) and ask if they could send you information of diabetes and diving. They sent me a ton of stuff when I called. They will be releasing their study results of diabetic divers at DEMA this year. I'm trying to figure out a way to convince my wife I should go to Vegas. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Some other interesting reads if you have the time:
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/article.cfm?aid=1017&sid=9
http://www.pens.org/articles/smith_scuba-diving.htm

If you have any specific questions of me please feel free to PM me.

 

[Tamas]

A bit off topic but still on track.....a friend of mine also has insulin dependant diabetes and possible glaucoma (that runs in the family) with no symptoms in him yet. He checked with his doctor about taking up diving and the Dr. strongly advises against it saying that the combination of the two, even though the glaucoma is not apparent (yet), can/could/would cause problems while diving.

Any thoughts? Any article I read about glaucoma and diabetics diving say it's ok as long as monitor and know about it, but they have never been posted together as a possible problem.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

I'm trying to figure out a way to convince my wife I should go to Vegas. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Sure, no sweat. Tell your wife you want to take HER to Vegas, and give her a couple hundred to gamble with, take in a few shows, etc. (Of course at least one of the shows you want to take in she'll have no interest in, but you can leave her at the slots while you're there...)

I carry the little tubes of squeeze glucose in my BCD pocket.

A friend of mine is a diabetic diver. He carries the small tubes of cake frosting - 100% pure sugar. He says its cheaper and easier to deal with than the glucose - FWIW. YMMV.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has suggestions for how to cary sugar in case of a low, I was considering skittles, or maybe a tube of cake frosting, and does the presure have any effects in relation to diabetes I should be aware of?

There is an article in the March/April issue of Alert Diver from DAN regarding Diabetes and Diving. You ought to read it. For additional information from DAN, there are three decent articles here (fifth topic down):
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/index.asp

Hope this helps.

 

[616fun]

Sure, no sweat. Tell your wife you want to take HER to Vegas, and give her a couple hundred to gamble with, take in a few shows, etc. (Of course at least one of the shows you want to take in she'll have no interest in, but you can leave her at the slots while you're there...)

A friend of mine is a diabetic diver. He carries the small tubes of cake frosting - 100% pure sugar. He says its cheaper and easier to deal with than the glucose - FWIW. YMMV.

There is an article in the March/April issue of Alert Diver from DAN regarding Diabetes and Diving. You ought to read it. For additional information from DAN, there are three decent articles here (fifth topic down):
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/index.asp

Hope this helps.

Cake frosting is a good route too. I had the glucose sitting around and I pretty much just store it in the BC pockets. I advise getting to the surface before you try to eat it though. Low blood sugar affects coordination and I'd hate to try to eat underwater in that condition.

The article in Alert Diver last month really kinda stunk. Really didn't give any info. I think it's a teaser to the presentation at DEMA in Oct. I'll be really excited to see all of the results.

One other thing I should have mentioned. I put serious restrictions on my diving. No overhead environments, 80 ft depth limit, no heavy currents, etc. The original poster should consider doing the same. It's just not worth the risk to go 150 ft and have a situation arise. I like a direct route to the surface to deal with any diabetic symptoms I may have to tend with.

 

[616fun]

A bit off topic but still on track.....a friend of mine also has insulin dependant diabetes and possible glaucoma (that runs in the family) with no symptoms in him yet. He checked with his doctor about taking up diving and the Dr. strongly advises against it saying that the combination of the two, even though the glaucoma is not apparent (yet), can/could/would cause problems while diving.

Any thoughts? Any article I read about glaucoma and diabetics diving say it's ok as long as monitor and know about it, but they have never been posted together as a possible problem.

Diabetic glaucoma is a side affect of poor diabetes management. It affects eye sight - eventually leading to blindness. I don't understand how your friends glaucoma is not apparent yet? He should be seeing a opthalmologist (sp?) yearly for a full run down of his current state. When caught early - preventive measures can be taken.

The doctor may be referring to his poor diabetes management (making a very broad assumption) or the doctor simply isn't versed on dive medicine and for sake of liablity gives your friend a negative answer. I suggestion your friend call DAN and get the name of a doctor specializing in endocrine medicine to review his state and determine if diving is safe for him. It's really a case by case basis.

 

[Ann Marie]

My son is diabetic. When he dives, we both carry "Cake Mate" in our BC pockets. I would always encourage you to tell your buddy that you are diabetic and let him/her know of any possible signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia to watch for.
Neither of us had a problem with the cake frosting causing any problems due to pressure because it is in the plastic tube.

Since the biggest immediate worry of diving with diabetes is low blood sugar, he would always start with his blood sugar a little high, usually about 200. He only uses Regular Insulin and because of the peak time of the insulin, what was still in his body would continue to work. Once on the surface he would check and it would usually then be just right.

Good luck. Control the disease, don't let it control you!

 

[akscubainst]

As an instructor, I've had one diabetic student 9in my first o/w class) based on that experience, and in our climate, I probably will never take another diabetic student without some serious discussion as to their physical condition, habits, and what they are really capable of. I would probably go so far as to require a talk with thier Dr.

The guy was in his early 40's tall lean and had diet controlled diabetes, he looked in pretty good shape and his Dr. signed off on the medical release. At the time I wasn't all that informed about Diabetes and how it's managed and what happens if it's not managed well.

We went through the pool and he did fine, but When we went to the O/W, his wife who was also a student, helped him make sure his sugar was good and we all walked into the water. When his face hit the cold water, he freaked and was ina sheer panic. We hadn't even gone underwater yet. I had a DM remove him from the water an his wife went with him back to the car which was only about 50' away. After making sure that all was well, I took the rest of the class and did the dive. When we came up, he was out of his drysuit and doing fine but decided diving was not for him.

Turns out that even though he looks healthy, he smokes like a chimney and gets little or no exercise. So I would guess that those two things played a major role in his problems.

I've since done some research as well as really spent some time talking to a friend who I found out was insulin dependent, and ended up on a couple EMS calls with diabetics and have a much better understanding of what you guys have to deal with and how you do it.

One other thing you have to think about is that you are responsible for being capable of assisting your buddy if they get in trouble. Make sure you are prepared and capable (both physically and mentally) of doing that should something happen.

Just be careful, limit yourself to dives you are cabable of dealing with and keep the taskloading to a minimum.

Dave

 

[616fun]

As an instructor, I've had one diabetic student 9in my first o/w class) based on that experience, and in our climate, I probably will never take another diabetic student without some serious discussion as to their physical condition, habits, and what they are really capable of. I would probably go so far as to require a talk with thier Dr.

The guy was in his early 40's tall lean and had diet controlled diabetes, he looked in pretty good shape and his Dr. signed off on the medical release. At the time I wasn't all that informed about Diabetes and how it's managed and what happens if it's not managed well.

We went through the pool and he did fine, but When we went to the O/W, his wife who was also a student, helped him make sure his sugar was good and we all walked into the water. When his face hit the cold water, he freaked and was ina sheer panic. We hadn't even gone underwater yet. I had a DM remove him from the water an his wife went with him back to the car which was only about 50' away. After making sure that all was well, I took the rest of the class and did the dive. When we came up, he was out of his drysuit and doing fine but decided diving was not for him.

Turns out that even though he looks healthy, he smokes like a chimney and gets little or no exercise. So I would guess that those two things played a major role in his problems.

I've since done some research as well as really spent some time talking to a friend who I found out was insulin dependent, and ended up on a couple EMS calls with diabetics and have a much better understanding of what you guys have to deal with and how you do it.

One other thing you have to think about is that you are responsible for being capable of assisting your buddy if they get in trouble. Make sure you are prepared and capable (both physically and mentally) of doing that should something happen.

Just be careful, limit yourself to dives you are cabable of dealing with and keep the taskloading to a minimum.

Dave

Diabetes didn't cause this guy's issue, the cold water did. You've given no evidence that diabetes caused any issue for this guy. I've dove in water as cold as 37F and have had no trouble. I agree that you should actively pursue the ability of the student prior to accepting them into a class, but to make a blanket statement 'I wouldn't accept a diabetic student because...' on your limited exposure to the disease is not fair. Smoking and no exercise should also be reviewed and possibly a counterindication for any diver, not just diabetics.

Sorry if I come off harsh, but I've lived the last 21 years of my life striving to be no different than the next guy. People making a broad assumption on limited experience really gets under my skin.