Babette Costa
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Is diving a good idea for people with asthma?
Is it good?
- Thread starter Babette Costa
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Talk to a doctor that specialises in diving medicine. They will be able to assess your situation specifically. I know of divers that have been given clearance to five whilst also having asthma. I have also seen divers denied clearance due to asthma. Personally I have a history of childhood asthma but no longer have symptoms. I had to undergo a saline challenge test. Basically breathing air with a saline mist and completing respiratory tests. This cleared me to dive. Depending on your situation you may have to undergo a similar test.
Best to get a professional opinion to ensure that diving is something you can safely undertake. Hopefully you’re all good to dive and can join the wonderful world the diving community is.
Best to get a professional opinion to ensure that diving is something you can safely undertake. Hopefully you’re all good to dive and can join the wonderful world the diving community is.
In short: Get an appropriate physical with lung volume test and if the doctor deems you fit for diving, go try it, you might love it.
The longer story: My son had allergies and asthma and still has all his allergies and presumably also asthma, although notably it has not been showing at all for years now.
In a way diving was an excellent means for trying to wean him and mom off believing that prescribed habit forming nasal sprays etc. and a live of aboiding contact with allergens are a necessity for his survival. It seemed to me that was the live that one doctor seemed to draw up for him.
We had one severe episode years back, prior to diving where he needed emergency care for wheezing and not breathing much severely in the middle of the night. That was a pretty good scare and how we found out he had asthma in the first place. Up to then we just thought he has environmental allergies pretty bad at times, but did not think more seriously about it. Bunch of tests (allergy & asthma) later, a different live seemed to be drawn out. One that is heavily medication and nasal spray and epipen armed and medication dependend and outdoors avoiding... After some reading I concluded there might be some differences in how various trains of thoughts in the medical community address allergies. One way appears to focus on long term desensitation and do what it takes... and another seems to prefer to prescribe the cookbook. Our doctor was in the latter camp. I watched for a while and noticed how an unencumbered kid transformed into a needy person, not going out due to pollen counts, needing to bring a bag worth of mefical goodies along... and generally just knowing he now will have trouble doing things he did not think a second about doing just a year ago. I decided we need to go out more and did some paddlung and camping trips, which helped him change his mind on what he all can do a little.
A reason (long story) came along for him to go on a youth camp with scuba OW class abroad...and he was interested. So I took him to a "dive physician" (and altitude medicine) abroad where we were for a physical to see if he is fit to dive. He did not pass the test for minimum required lung volume (80% of normal?) the first time, but it was close. The physician coached him a bit more and tested his resolve on how much he wants this and when trying again he passed. Just.
So off he went and loved it. The camp (simple tent camping) was near the sea, he seemed less bothered by allergies there and he loved diving and reported his allergies and all was better underwater than ever before.... The wonders of clean, allergen free air. After coming back he stopped using the nasal sprays etc. and has not touched them since. He still needs to take a daily allergy medication through good chunks of the year.
I am not advocating to take up diving as a means of treatment of any sorts, but I am saying it helped my son to arrive at judging for himself what he can do and not solely let someone else (with a possible conflict of interest (prescriptions, continued visits...) determine that, at least not w/o a second or third professional opinion...
The longer story: My son had allergies and asthma and still has all his allergies and presumably also asthma, although notably it has not been showing at all for years now.
In a way diving was an excellent means for trying to wean him and mom off believing that prescribed habit forming nasal sprays etc. and a live of aboiding contact with allergens are a necessity for his survival. It seemed to me that was the live that one doctor seemed to draw up for him.
We had one severe episode years back, prior to diving where he needed emergency care for wheezing and not breathing much severely in the middle of the night. That was a pretty good scare and how we found out he had asthma in the first place. Up to then we just thought he has environmental allergies pretty bad at times, but did not think more seriously about it. Bunch of tests (allergy & asthma) later, a different live seemed to be drawn out. One that is heavily medication and nasal spray and epipen armed and medication dependend and outdoors avoiding... After some reading I concluded there might be some differences in how various trains of thoughts in the medical community address allergies. One way appears to focus on long term desensitation and do what it takes... and another seems to prefer to prescribe the cookbook. Our doctor was in the latter camp. I watched for a while and noticed how an unencumbered kid transformed into a needy person, not going out due to pollen counts, needing to bring a bag worth of mefical goodies along... and generally just knowing he now will have trouble doing things he did not think a second about doing just a year ago. I decided we need to go out more and did some paddlung and camping trips, which helped him change his mind on what he all can do a little.
A reason (long story) came along for him to go on a youth camp with scuba OW class abroad...and he was interested. So I took him to a "dive physician" (and altitude medicine) abroad where we were for a physical to see if he is fit to dive. He did not pass the test for minimum required lung volume (80% of normal?) the first time, but it was close. The physician coached him a bit more and tested his resolve on how much he wants this and when trying again he passed. Just.
So off he went and loved it. The camp (simple tent camping) was near the sea, he seemed less bothered by allergies there and he loved diving and reported his allergies and all was better underwater than ever before.... The wonders of clean, allergen free air. After coming back he stopped using the nasal sprays etc. and has not touched them since. He still needs to take a daily allergy medication through good chunks of the year.
I am not advocating to take up diving as a means of treatment of any sorts, but I am saying it helped my son to arrive at judging for himself what he can do and not solely let someone else (with a possible conflict of interest (prescriptions, continued visits...) determine that, at least not w/o a second or third professional opinion...
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