Diving after Transplant

[Bsting]

I Had a kidney transplant 3 years ago tonight.
Ok,
This is My Question My Doctor Has advised me not to dive because my bloodcount is to high. What causes this and what does he mean,and what are the risks if I still want to dive, thankyou for your help

 

[John Reinertson]

There are a number of ways in which blood tests could be abnormal after a kidney transplant. The risks would depend on some of those answers and it's impossible to give an intelligent opinion without more specifics.
In general, It doesn't hurt to get your local physician in communication with someone experienced in diving medicine.
DAN can assist in such referrals.
I'd be happy to tell you what I know about diving medicine and a particular problem, but with health problems and individuals, the devil is truly in the details, and a careful consultation is probably the best way for you to get accurate advice tailored to your individual health problem.
I don't know of any reason medically that would automatically disqualify a kidney transplant recipient from diving, but there are a lot of factors to consider based on medications, the cause of the original kidney disease, and your health in other respects.
I know this is a very nonspecific answer, but it's the best advice I can give.

Hoping to see you either diving or snorkeling,
John Reinertson

 

[scubadoc]

Dr. Reinertson's reply is excellent advice - and applies to almost all questions that we get concerning diving and medical problems. Rarely do we ever get enough information to make a value judgement for the diver.

The problem with diving after a transplant of any kind is usually not the transplant itself, but all of the surrounding medical problems that caused the organ failure in the first place, the problems caused by the transplant itself and the medications required to maintain the transplant rejection free.

Kidney transplant patients would be at little risk of sport diving given good recovery from the surgery and no evidence of organ rejection. However, there are risks for diving in the marine environment while taking immunosuppressants (see Marine Infections and Diving in Polluted Water).
http://www.scuba-doc.com/marinf.htm
http://www.scuba-doc.com/dvpolwtr.html

Without more information as to the type of elevated blood test(s), and whether or not the diver is hypertensive, has renal failure, requires steroids or immunosuppressants - one really cannot advise specifically. The best thing to do is to heed your personal physician until he/she can consult with a physician knowledgeable about the risks of diving.