Diving with asthma.

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Boston Breakwater

"Outlaw." Solo Diver
Messages
522
Reaction score
512
Location
Brunswick, Georgia.
# of dives
None - Not Certified
Hello. I met a guy about 1 1/2 years ago. He works as a tank monkey, at a local shop. We hit it off pretty well.
He asked if, he could dive with me. Over 90% of my dives have been solo dives, I'm very particular who I dive with. (Sorry, that's just how it is.)
A couple months went by and he mentioned that he has Asthma. I rather put a deaf ear to him. I think he has approximately 150 dives. He's been to 118 fsw once. I felt somewhat bad about blowing him off.
Recently, he nonchalantly mentioned that he's had a collapsed lung on two separate occasions, some eight years ago. I do not know if they were dive related. At that point, I decided not to even entertain the thought of diving with him.
There are many reasons why I solo dive....being responsible for myself is waaay at the top of the list. I don't have any information on the type of asthma, or specifics on the lung collapses. Initially, I felt bad about not diving with him, then as I got more information...I felt relieved that I didn't dive with him.
Am I wrong, in making that decision, and also.....should he even be diving? It may be a difficult question to answer without the medical specifics.
Cheers.
 
I've got asthma. Rather mild asthma. I've gotten dr. sign-off when needed for a class or something. There's a wide range of symptoms for asthma. Mine when it gets bad, is just unpleasant wheezing. If I were somehow to have an attack during a dive, I would just surface normally. That said I haven't really had an "attack" in probably 30 years. It's just an occasional wheeze. I carry an albuterol inhaler with me mostly out of habit. Some folks have it much worse.

When I was a child (under 5 yrs old) I guess they had to take me to the base hospital a few times for attacks. I don't really know any details beyond that.

Now, the collapsed lung thing.. I'm not sure that's really part of having asthma - maybe I'm mistaken. I think that happens when you get air or blood into your chest cavity but outside of the lung.

Asthma is a very common ailment and there is a wide range of severity.. although afaik it's not diagnosed in "types" like some diseases.
 
My son had a collapsed lung and has been told he cannot dive.
 
Some males, usually otherwise healthy, will have a collapsed lung spontaneously, aka spontaneous pneumothorax. Problem is, if it happens once, it can happen again. IF it happens while diving it can set up a very bad one-way valve effect into the pleural membrane. That has the potential for disaster. It is one absolute counter-indication to diving.

Asthma....depends. Well controlled mild asthma usually isn't a problem. That's something best taken up with a diving, or at least dive knowledgeable pulmonologist.
 
@fmerkel - that's what my son had - spontaneous pneumothorax - and ended up having the surgery to fuse his lung to the lining of his chest. It's truly a shame as he's the only one of my kids who I think would really enjoy diving. :(
 
Hello. I met a guy about 1 1/2 years ago. He works as a tank monkey, at a local shop. We hit it off pretty well.
He asked if, he could dive with me. Over 90% of my dives have been solo dives, I'm very particular who I dive with. (Sorry, that's just how it is.)
A couple months went by and he mentioned that he has Asthma. I rather put a deaf ear to him. I think he has approximately 150 dives. He's been to 118 fsw once. I felt somewhat bad about blowing him off.
Recently, he nonchalantly mentioned that he's had a collapsed lung on two separate occasions, some eight years ago. I do not know if they were dive related. At that point, I decided not to even entertain the thought of diving with him.
There are many reasons why I solo dive....being responsible for myself is waaay at the top of the list. I don't have any information on the type of asthma, or specifics on the lung collapses. Initially, I felt bad about not diving with him, then as I got more information...I felt relieved that I didn't dive with him.
Am I wrong, in making that decision, and also.....should he even be diving? It may be a difficult question to answer without the medical specifics.
Cheers.

Hi @Boston Breakwater ,

People with asthma can be cleared to dive, though criteria varies slightly across practitioners and regions. We will clear a diver with well-controlled asthma as long as he/she has normal lung function with a provocative (dry air) exercise test and doesn't need a rescue inhaler regularly. Here are the UK guidelines, which are a little more lenient with respect to rescue inhalers but more stringent with respect to monitoring one's own peak flow prior to diving.

A history of spontaneous pneumothorax is typically an absolute contraindication to diving. Recently the diving community has been re-examining this with an eye toward considering those with a single, resolved spontaneous pneumothorax in the distant past for clearance to dive, but most practitioners are understandably still reluctant. If a diver has had a pleurodesis, it decreases the likelihood of recurrence in that lung significantly and so may work in the prospective diver's favor with respect to recreational diving, but probably not commercial diving.

A diver with a history of traumatic pneumothorax can be cleared to dive provided that radiographic examination (usually a high-resolution CT scan) shows no evidence of scarring or potential for air trapping.

You mentioned the possibility of his pneumothoraces being related to pulmonary overinflation during a dive. That can happen with air trapping on ascent, as you probably know. If we go down that rabbit hole, asthma can cause air trapping, but so can holding the breath during a decrease in ambient pressure.

All that said, if you didn't have any details about this diver's medical history, then I personally think you made a prudent decision. If you have any influence on this gentleman, you may want to consider recommending that he see a diving medical practitioner.

Best regards,
DDM
 
A history of spontaneous pneumothorax is typically an absolute contraindication to diving. Recently the diving community has been re-examining this with an eye toward considering those with a single, resolved spontaneous pneumothorax in the distant past for clearance to dive, but most practitioners are understandably still reluctant. If a diver has had a pleurodesis, it decreases the likelihood of recurrence in that lung significantly and so may work in the prospective diver's favor with respect to recreational diving, but probably not commercial diving.

This is hopeful for my son. Thanks for the info. :)
 
Not surprising @Duke Dive Medicine gave a beautiful concise answer. All divers should heed that advice.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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