Diabetes and Diving...

[ptc]

I was wondering is there any diabetic scuba divers out there on the board that have been diving for a long time and enjoy it?

My husband is a diabetic and he went on a dive excursion when we were out in Tahiti last year and just loved it! of course he had to get a written note from his doctor approving his abilities to dive which he did (Unfortunately, I didn't make it through the excursion, I panicked in the OW intro). He'll be 42 this year and has always been very conscious of his diabetes, he's very healthy and takes very good care of himself physically.

I finally did receive my certification last year in August and would love to have him get his so we can dive together. He has the desire it's just that he doesn't have the desire to dive cold water, since we live in No. CA. and that's pretty much where we'll dive since we probably won't be going on warm waters vacations every year.

I was just curious to find out from other diabetic divers what their experiences are on this exciting sport of scuba diving. It would be exciting to share your experiences with him, it might get him to just do it!

ptc

 

[devjr]

I can only tell you about my friend so it's not first hand. We used to take two week boat trips through the Bahamas. We were in the water about 4 hours each day. We snorkeled and dived with air tanks. He said he never felt better and his insulin use was way down. I guess he was feeling the results of fresh air and excercise.

 

[TRUETEXAN]

I am an insulin dependent diabetic and I started diving about a year ago, and I absolutely love it and have no problems, actually I find that diving greatly reduces my stress level and therefor lowers my blood sugar. I personally learned to start my dive with a little bit higher than normal blood sugar level so that I keep from getting hypoglycemic, and I also check my blood sugar levels very often when I am diving since it is not just myself I would be putting in danger, but also those who are diving with me and might have to put their life on the line to try and save me,
I am not a doctor however and am not recommend that your husband do as I do, only he knows his body and he should certainly talk to his further about diving and see if the doctor has any recommendations.
By the way, your husband is lucky to have a wife that cares as much as you do!

 

[DivingDoc]

Originally posted by ptc
I was wondering is there any diabetic scuba divers out there on the board that have been diving for a long time and enjoy it?
.....
I was just curious to find out from other diabetic divers what their experiences are on this exciting sport of scuba diving. It would be exciting to share your experiences with him, it might get him to just do it!

ptc

See the Diabetes FAQ on the DAN site:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=126

Divers with diabetes requiring insulin are much more at risk because they can get hypoglycemic. Hypoglycemia is also more apt to occur with exercise. And, of course, when you are diving, you are exerting yourself.

I am diabetic, but completely controlled with diet and Glucophage. I only supplement with oral hypoglycemics or insulin if I way overeat on carbs. If I eat my normal diet -- especially if I consume low amounts of carbohydrate -- I only need the Glucophage, which is incapable of causing hypoglycemia. I try to stay especially low on my carbs when diving, other than a couple of pieces of fruit during the surface interval.

:doctor:

 

[ptc]

Truetexan do you have type 1 diabetes? My husband has type 1 diabetes and has been a diabetic since he was a junior in high school (he will be 42 this year).

I've been trying to get him to certify and take up this exciting sport of diving with me and I think I have almost talked him into getting Padi certified. The only problem is... do you know if there are any restraints in how deep a diabetic can dive? and once he's certified does the dive shops still require him to get a doctor's approval everytime he dives? He doesn't want to go through certification if he's going to have all these limitations in diving. He's pretty adamant against certifying if there are so many constaints for a diabetic to dive. I know it's all for his safety he just doesn't want to be limited in possibly diving deeper than 60ft or having to always get a doctors approval when ever he dives. We just got back from Hawaii and I dived the Mahi wreck which was about ~90ft down, it was an awesome sight to see, though if he is constrained in diving that deep because of having diabetes, he doesn't think diving would be a sport for him to get into, he doesn't want to sit up on the boat waiting for me to complete the deep dives.

Any suggestions, thoughts, opinions from anyone out there would be much appreciated. Also if there are any good dive sites that talk about diving and diabetes, I would be interested in the urls. Thanks in advance for your help.


ptc

 

[TRUETEXAN]

Hi ptc,

Yes, I am a type 1 diabetic. There are no diving guidelines established for diabetic divers, such as depth or time spent underwater. Your husband should only have to provide a release from his doctor saying it is okay for him to dive, and once he is certified he will never have to show any kind of medical paperwork to any dive shop so that he can buy air or take a dive trip. Once heis certified he will get a C-card saying he is Open Water certified and tat is the only thing he will ever hae to show to a dive shop, and it will not say that he is a diabetic. I think your husband would love diving and as long as he has been a diabetic he can handle diving just like he would any other type of physical activity and watch his blood sugar levels closely. Send me a private message and Iwill be glad to give you some suggestions on how to approach instructors and how to deal with diving with diabetis on a more in depth scale.

 

[sandyke]

I too am a type 1 Diabetic - for 33 years. I just began diving and am a little nervous about it too. My doctor had no qualms about signing my release and I have not had any trouble with low blood sugar as of yet. When I get nervous my sugar drops like a lead ball - so I have tried not to take my insulin before I dive. This has worked so far, but I know I should not do that. Maybe in time, once I am comfortable and more relaxed I will be able to take my injection before I dive and make it through without any complications. Not sure how I am going to handle my injections on my trip to Cozumel as I know we will be out on dive boats all day and I can't go all day without my shots. Any suggestions?

 

[ptc]

Sandyke,

Can you tell me once you got certified did you have any problems with the different dive shops getting an ok from your doctor to dive? When we were in Hawaii two weeks ago my husband just wanted to do an excursion dive and the shop said under PADI rules they needed to fax a release to his doctor and get it faxed back (in California) with an approval this was on a Friday and his doctor is usually not in the office. They did not want to accept the doctor's written prescription approval that we had in hand.

He thinks it's a big hassle that he has to go through all that just to do a dive. Do you or Truetexan know if once he gets certified that he doesn't have to go through all this trouble? I think that 's the only thing that would hold him back all the red tape he has to go through. Any insights would be great! -ptc

 

[sandyke]

I have only dove in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in one SCUBA park in Texas and I have never had to have a release from my doctor. I am going to Cozumel next month and have not been told to bring a release....just my certification card. Will let you know if I hear different. I know your husband probably thinks it is just a big hassle, but there is so much legal stuff involved with anything you try to do - folks try to cover every angle. I did some sky diving for awhile.......signed my life away when I did. Good luck. Sandra

 

[chiara]

I am not diabetic, but my boyfriend is, so i am somewhat attentive to the problem.

While on a dive vacation in Thailand (daytrips with the same boat and basically the same people for a week), I saw a fiftyish German lady taking a shot just before eating.

I summoned up all my courage and asked her if she had any problems being diabetic and an active diver at the same time; she showed me her log-book, she had a little over 400 dives in about ten years, AOW with PADI.

She also showed me a declaration from her physician saying that she was able to control her diabetes and that her usual buddy (her husband) was trained to help her in an emergency; she also carries some kind of jelly pills (sugar of some kind, can't remember exactly) in her BCD, and they can be taken any time, even underwater.

Having seen this woman I'm trying to convince my friend to take up a course, but he seems happy with snorkeling, argh!