Astma attack under water

[Pam and Stella]

Dear Dr.Deco,

I am currently being treated for asthma. I am on
steroid inhalers,as well as my rescue-albuterol.I recently had a severe attack-fingernails blue,sweatingetc.. Now I am afraid to dive next month, I hope I can attribute this attack to the dry,cold winter weather in Buffalo,NY.Is there such a thing as a battery operated nebulizer treatment I can take with me under the water? A respiratory therapist I spoke with believes so. I am afraid of getting an attack while down under. Thank you very much for your valuable time!

 

[Mario S Caner]

Welcome to the site Pam.

I'm no doctor, but as an instructor I do know that most cases of asthma are too much of a liability have in a class. I have a question for you, how is it that you got clearance to dive from a doctor? Is it that your asthma is very mild and it didn't raise any red flags?

Mario

 

[Pam and Stella]

Mario,

I got certified in May,00 in West Palm, FLA.Frightning
experience My DM was assured me lots of people dive with asthma.Just mail the DR. clearance when I get home.I didn't know what a drift dive was,he told me no problem,it's like DisneyLand Diving.He told me he would do all the thinking for me.LOLWEll I was pulled 65ft to bottom in the Gulf Stream,he forgot to check me properly, I forgot my belt.It
took me 9 min to get to bottom, but I am in LoveI gnorance
in this case was bliss, if I would have known of the current, I wouldn't be diving.I told him while descending, I wanted to abort the dive,he wouldn't let me, and I am very glad.Got a terrible mask squeeze,black and blue all over with blood clots to boot in my eyes. I now use my brain,will not borrow others,even though DM came highly regarded. I am addicted, and ready to go to Belize next month. Will people be afraid to dive with me because of asthma? I have done much research on diving with asthma.no
proof of higher accident incidents ie.. gas embolism,DCSetc.
Sincerely,

Pam

 

[Mario S Caner]

Pam,
You're experience is scary. If it were possible, I would personally go and cut up both the DM and the Instructors C-cards and then proceed to smack them!:fury:

There were so many bad judgements made in your case I don't even know where to begin. Basically NOTHING was done right!:nono: The best thing you can do is to speak to a another local instructor and explain to he/she the whole story from start to finish.

I feel angry:grrr: that those people whom trained you are even in the same species group as I am. If my words seem harsh, good they are meant to. Perhaps those clowns whom are resposible will see this too and take shame in their actions.

The smartest thing you could do is to report these individuals to their training agencies so appropriate action could be taken. We're talking about human life here... perhaps you'll save someones.

Mario :upset:

 

[Pam and Stella]

Mario,

At the risk of sounding histrionic, as well as looking like a blonde desperate bimbo trying to get certified LOL The assistant DM on my last check out dive took me 100ft, I wasn't paying attention to depth, when I looked at my gauge "Oh well,he has faith in me" came into my mind. He also made a comment on my breasts,I had to tell him they were implants. I was told there is a possible risk of rupture at depth, I am still waiting to hear about that issue. GEEZ!!!! So many questions. I feel like a pain already on this board. I found out at the last check out dive I did, we did a deco dive. We did a complex series of stops, I knew something wasn't right. He figured I was clueless I'm sure, but HA!HA! I was seriously thinking about blowing the outfit in, I am torn, it is not in my nature to cause problems,but I realize the seriousness of the situation. I seriously think they are just really confident in their skills,very dangerous I know. I will never dive without hiring a DM, I need the reassurance, that's just my nature for now. But, I am so thrilled to be diving nothing else matters right now

 

[rcohn]

Pam,

Please be careful. I'm hoping your post is just a troll.

I have asthma and dive safely but I never have attacks when medicating with a steroid inhaler at proper dosage. I also have never in my life had an attack where my fingernails turned blue!

Many astmatics can dive safely. Old safety concerns were greatly overstated. The YMCA protocols for asthmatics seem to be the most reasonable in the industry based on the latest medical data (http://www.ymcascuba.org/ymcascub/asthmatc.html). I would not dive if I couldn't meet this standard. Certainly anyone who must take additional medications while underwater should not be diving. Mario is of course correct about the training, but the casual medical advice from your instructor, about a potentially life threatening condition, was just as bad. You should report these clowns, they will get someone killed. Remember that air from a scuba tank is also cold and dry.

You should have an evaluation by a pulmunologist and adjust your medication so that you are not at risk of an attack underwater.

Please dive safely, there is nothing underwater worth dying for. And by the way implants are safe to dive with.

Ralph

 

[danreind]

Hi Pam,

I'm not a doctor, but I'm completely confident that breast implants will not rupture at depth. Just as in the rest of your body, the fluid transmits the pressure equally. Only if the implants were rigid and contained 1 atm of air would there be any risk (i.e. if they were submarines). I was suprised to find out from the deco list that a study had been performed on possible bubble formation in implants. Here is the abstract from the paper:

"Mammary implants were exposed to various simulated dive profiles followed by altitude exposures to stimulate aircraft travel and then were observed for bubble formation and volume changes. Minimal volume changes occurred after each dive. Numerous bubbles formed, however, reaching their maximum size in 3 hours. By comparison, when implants were exposed to high altitude following a dive exposure, significant volume changes occurred. This in vitro study showed that bubble formation and volume expansion occur after exposing implants to diving and altitude, but the circumstances required to produce these changes in vivo are extremely unlikely to occur normally."

It would appear that the bottom line is not to worry about it for diving, but maybe to take it easy for flying after diving. Even then I suspect the risk is insignificant for conservative diving, though I'd have to read the full paper to comment further.

Cheers,

Dan

 

[Dr Deco]

Pam:

As Dan commented above, the implant issue is a non-issue for divers with respect to decompression. The proper conditions do not exist for the formation of gas bubbles upon decompression.

If one were saturated at a considerable depth and brought straight to the surface, the implants might form bubbles and explode. However, in this case, the unfortunate diver would have expired long before. Not much solace here………

 

[Mario S Caner]

Pam,
The more I hear about the chain of events throughout you're unfortunate and potentially fatal training, the more I get pissed off!:fury:

I'm sure that as this thread get's read more and more, you will find that the vast majority of divers will ask you to report these jerks. :grrr:

If you are anywhere near San Diego whatsoever, I would be happy to recertify you in your course, and we'll even do advanced open water... completely free of charge. Take this offer to heart, I'm very serious about it. Taking the time to learn everything thoroughly is well worth the effort.

Mario

 

[Warhammer]

I agree with Mario on your DM for the OW cert. Sounds to me like he thought maybe, just maybe, that if he took you deep enough for long enough, the narcosis wouldn't wear off and he could experience your implants first hand. Report the reckless ______ before he kills someone.