Diving and Diabetes

[pharmguy]

Any Idea how to keep him from gorgeing himself at buffets now?

XENICAL!!!! Hehehe. He would do it (gorge) once and likely only once. This medication had to have been created by a sadist.

 

[crum]

Any Idea how to treat deal with insulin shock during deco?

I am a type 1 diabetic and have had diabetes for over 20 years. I want to first reply to your question about how to treat insulin shock during deco - but want to qualify it. I only do recreational diving, so I don't have long deco stops, only 15 foot safety stops. I carry Insta-Glucose (made by ICN and can be purchased at most drug stores) in my BC for both an incident of low blood sugar diving, at a safety stop or if I am at the surface and need glucose before a swim back to the boat (that hasn't happened to me but I would use it if I needed to). It is in a tube, with a twist of cap and the gel can easily be put into my mouth even with my regulator in my mouth, even under water.

In general, I test my blood sugar before I go into the water, make sure it is slightly higher than normal (160 - 180) if it is not, I eat something or drink something to make sure that it is safe to dive. I think diving is an excellent activity for diabetics, and can be done safely if the individual knows their body and their disease - but it excellent for diabetics to get to a point where they know their body and take control of their disease to participate in physical activities.

I not only dive, I rock-climb, mountain bike and partake in many physical activities that many healthy people do not even try, because I love these activities AND feel these activities motivate me even more to take extra care of myself and my disease. I feel that a person that does not want to be on a boat with a diabetic, should consider what other people may not like in their own lives - maybe they we wouldn't want to be on a boat with someone who has allergies, trouble clearing, that drank the night before, that doesn't even bother to go to the doctor for regular check-ups to make sure they are healthy enough to dive. A diabetic can be in good control and can dive safely.