New to diving not to diabetes

[mkutyna]

I know this is probably thinking ahead too far but if and when you get certified, one thing you may consider is to discuss your condition with whoever your dive buddy is before each dive. If I were paired up with somebody that has a known condition, I'd like to know if there are any specific things I should keep an eye on and whether or not I should provide any special assistance in the event that you become incapacitated. Of course, some people may not be willing to "take risks" diving with you so you will have to use discretion.

Also, I wouldn't worry if it takes you a month or more to get clearance from a doctor. My wife had to wait two months after my checkout dives to do hers since she had to have a bunch of doctors visits just to verify that yes, her asthma was triggered by allergies. If you explain the situation to the instructor, I expect they'd be more than willing to include you on a future set of checkout dives.

Good luck!

 

[rawls]

I have certified 2 students in the last year and a half who are female and who both use insulin pumps. They were fantastic students and have been diving consistently ever since they were certified. They both did alot of research themselves. They have done great and absolutely love diving. I actually went on a dive with one of them and her husband just a week and a half ago. They are great people and have become very good....and safe divers.

One suggestion I made to both of them was to maintain a log of each dive and record blood glucose levels before and after each dive, record the depth and time of each dive...which would be in the logbook anyway..., records of what they eat, any adverse affects, etc.

They both incorporate strict "policies" regarding their diabetes and diving. In effect, if their levels do not fall within their target ranges, if they do not feel well, etc., they scrub the dive, and they tell me there have been a few of those times when they did have to call a dive, or a subsequent one...but overall they have done really well.

 

[sasserasser83]

mkutyna... my partner is aware of my condition and I am thankful for that. Not to mention the group we will be diving with most of the time are all paramedic's, RN's, and EMT's. I would never hide my condition bc that would in the long run could make things bad for me. Everyone is well aware which is definately an advantage for me We will see what will happen, I am still looking for a doc that can relate to me. Again I appreciate everyones comments the information has been very helpful. Any additional info can be forwarded to my email SasserAsser83@aol.com Thanks again you all are great.

 

[kadleck]

You might like to show your doctor this pdf from DAN, describing numerous tests on an insulin dependent diver: https://www.daneurope.org/eng/diabetic divers Balestra.pdf

In case you have trouble downloading it, here is their conclusion:

SCUBA diving seems to be safely performed by this insulino-dependent diver, providing vigorous self-assessment throughout the day, including immediately pre- and post-dive, and performing systematic "glucose loading" underwater in order to obtain higher-than-normal glycaemia values at the beginning of the dive.
Emphasis should be put on the safety of glucose intake underwater with proper devices allowing a perfectly safe procedure to avoid water inhalation.

This is not the only positive diabetes message being put out by DAN. It seems to follow that, assuming diabetes is normally well controlled, diving is a safe sport. Glucose-loading before (and maybe during) a dive appears prudent too.

 

[buckedoff96]

Hi
I'm also type 1 on a pump. Honestly I'd go doctor shopping. I've been diving about a year now and it's a challenge but not that hard. What I do for low BS is I carry packets of liquid glucose in my BC. When I was finishing my classes I went down and tried drinking the stuff. It's easy to do actually and it's just a safety measure that makes me feel better.
The biggest thing to me is always let your parter(s) know that you're diabetic. Explain that you could have low BS and what they should look out for. So far I've never had a problem while I'm actually in the water. It helps that my dive partners are good buddies too. My girlfriend, she's a nurse and my dive instructor, a good friend.
I test my blood double and triple the norm on dive days. I've had to call a few dives and I have no issue doing that.More for high blood sugar than for low. DAN says that blood sugars have to be between 150 and 250 to dive. I know that's a bit higher than normal but it's not to bad and it's just for the reason of not having a low BS in the water.