I have Asthma and I want to Scuba dive!

[purbeast]

Hello everyone. I am new to these boards so first let me tell you a little history about myself.

I am a 28 year old male who has asthma. I have been active and exercised pretty much my whole life. I currently go to the gym and lift weights 4x a week, and I am starting to do some cardio because my football season is comiing up. I play football 2x a year, spring and fall, 8 games a season (more if we make the playoffs!). I actually ran a mile yesterday in about 7:50 and I do some other cardio a few times a week as well, so I'm getting there.

I've been doing cardio consistently the past 4 weeks, 2 or 3 times a week, and getting back into it. Over winter I was just lifting weights.

About 2 or 3 years ago I went to my Asthma doctor after hearing about Advair. Prior to that I was using my inhaler 2-3 times a day, usually as a preventive measure before I worked out or went to sleep. Usually not much would trigger it. Then I found the beauty that is Advair...

Since that day, I don't think I've used my inhaler more than 5 times, if even that much. I don't even use advair every day, but it is recommended to take it 2x a day, once in the morning, once at night. I just do not need it and sometimes forget to take it. I can go days before I use it sometimes, all while exercising in the days between.

I have not had an actual attack since I was in my mid teens or so. I also have a nebulizer which I used to have when my asthma got real bad, which I have not used in years either.

SSssoooo now to my questions ....

I am going to Barbados in 2 weeks and I really want to scuba dive. My past vacations I've snorkeled A LOT and I love doing it and want to take it the next step. I even purchased my own snorkel gear for my trip.

Yesterday I called my Asthma doctor and mentioned to his secretary about my concerns about scuba and asthma, and she said she would talk to the doctor and have him call me back. I haven't heard anything back from him yet, but I also did a little research on the subject.

It seems there are "dive doctors" which can run tests on asthmatics? I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations on one of these around the DC Metro area. Or I'm wondering if this is even necessary, or if my current doctor could run these tests on me to see if I can scuba.

Personally I feel like I would be find since I'm pretty active in general and haven't really had any attacks in over 10 years, and don't even rely on my inhaler anymore.

Well any advice would be appreciated and thanks for taking your time to read this.

 

[Kingpatzer]

Only someone who is very familiar with the specifics of your case can give you a valid recommendation. However, I would suggest you do the following:

1) Go to a PADI scuba shop and get a copy of their medical release statement and physicians release.
2) Take that and DAN's contact number (1-919-684-2948) to an appointment with your allergist. Let him know prior to the appointment you'd like him to consult with a dive specialist over the phone on your case.
3) If he is willing to clear you, have him fill out the release and give it to you while you're there. If he is not, then take that as your answer, sadly.

Without speaking to your doctor, please do not dive. The effects of breathing compressed air at depth can be quite unexpected. It can change the way medications work. The dryness of the air can create problems where none existed before.

With your asthma being under control and a history of not having attacks, it may be that you are a prime candidate for a medical release. But get that opinion from your physician and not from this board.

 

[GeneV]

Hi there
There a lot of information on the net concerning diving and asthma. There's a pretty good article available at the following website Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page
( http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/]Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page[/url] ) Are Asthmatics Fit To Dive? Under very specific circumstances, YES.
Check it out.

But please check with your doctor. He/she will need to sign a medical release.

Cheers,

GeneV

 

[purbeast]

Thank you Kingpatzer, that is the kind of answer I was looking for!

I just wasn't sure what the next step in the process should even be and now I have a direction!

 

[njedrn]

Purbeast,

Asthma and diving are two topics that when discussed together cause large debates on the safety of the divers. DAN (Divers Alert Network - The "go-to" people when talking about diving and medicine) has a good article that you should read first, then learn more.

DAN Divers Alert Network : Asthma & Diving

Here are a few main points that need to be considered (this is by no means an exhaustive list) and if you truly want to scuba dive safely, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A PHYSICIAN WITH EXPERTISE IN DIVING.

1. PFT's - aka Pulmonary Function Tests. These are breathing tests that measure (among other things) lung volume, speed of air movement, residual volume, exhaled volume etc... in order to determine your baseline pulmonary status as compared to someone who is not asthmatic.
2. Cold, dry air (exactly like you would use scuba diving) all by itself can be enough to trigger an asthma attack.
3. Advair (the medicine you are taking) is a combination medication. It contains two medications: salmeterol (long lasting beta2 agonist - long story short it relaxes the bronchiolar smooth muscles) and Fluticasone (steroid that reduces inflammation of the airways). This combination of medication is designed to reduce bronchospasm and decrease inflammation when taken regularly. Consistent improper dosing may lead to overall increased risk of an asthma attack (even though you may have had less recently).
4. The good news is that as you say: you are in good shape, and are taking steps to further improve yourself. This will certainly be helpful.

I hope this information helps. Good luck to you. Let us know how you do.
And PS welcome to SB. :cool2:

 

[robint]

ditto what everyone said.... just because you are in good physical condition doesn't mean that diving won't trigger an asthma attack.

Be safe.

 

[captndale]

No one on this board nor any doctor can tell you whether or not you should dive. What a physician can do is to give you more information about your condition that you can use to help you make your own decision based on your own risk analysis.

There is a small risk to your life every time you do anything, including scuba diving. There is also an anticipated reward. We make a decision to dive or not to dive by comparing the anticipated reward to our assessment of the risk. The values given to the elements of the risk/reward equation can only be assigned by you.

 

[Crowley]

Some good advice from Kingpatzer above.

Let's not beat around the bush here - if you have an asthma attack underwater the chances are you will be very severely injured or killed. See a recommended hyperbaric physician and take their advice to heart. Being in good shape is, to a point, immaterial. There are many different triggers to asthma but if cold, exercise or stress are among them, it's likely you will be unable to dive.

Sorry if that sounds negative but being disappointed about not being able to dive avoids a lot more disappointment to your friends and family should you have an attack unerwater. The doctor will perform spirometry and inspiration/expiration tests and look at your medication and make the decison there.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Crowley

 

[purbeast]

Thanks for these replies guys.

Crowley, so is a "Hyperbaric Doctor" the type of doctor I should seek out to get some tests done? I am not familiar w/that term, however when I searched locally I found a few who seem to be classified as "Emergency, Hyperbaric, Undersea".

EDIT:

I guess what I'm also wondering is would seeing one of those doctors be better off than seeing my regular asthma doctor, whom I haven't seen for like 2-3 years since I was put on advair.

 

[bleeb]

When searching for a doctor with a background in dive medicine, don't be afraid to try phoning DAN, as one possibility. I understand they're happy to point you at doctors in your area with the appropriate background, even if you're not a DAN member.

They're actually running multiple different phone services. One is for general medical information, while another is for emergencies, while yet another (mentioned previously in this thread) is specifically for general physicians to talk to dive specialist doctors. For general consultation, this is a good resource for your personal physician, but in this particular case, I think you need to see a knowledgeable and experience specialist in person.