Scuba and Diabetes/High Blood Pressure

[k4man]

Before you feel too bad:shakehead no, I do not have either of these medical problems. However......... they are both in the family history. I know that many articles have been written and studies done about the limitations of Scuba with one or both of these diseases.

What have you all on the board heard (or know first hand from experience) about this??

Kevin

 

[TSandM]

With both conditions, the safety of diving is going to depend heavily on how well controlled they are, and how compliant the patient is.

Both conditions significantly raise the risk of heart disease, which appears to be a common cause of death during diving.

In the end, we all have to do our risk-benefit ratios on our activities.

 

[Dragon2115]

TS&M is absolutely correct and I'd like to add that with the diabetes it makes a big difference if it's type 1 or type 2. A non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetic doesn't have to worry about their blood sugar bottoming out to dangerous levels during a dive.

However, even an insulin dependent type 1 diabetic can still dive but it becomes a lot more complicated. They need to be well controlled, take appropiate measures to have a high enough blood sugar level to conduct the dive, monitor their blood sugar levels both pre and post dive, carry some form of glucose in case of emergency, and above all else, their dive buddy knows about their condition, knows what to watch for in a hypoglycemic episode, and knows what to do in the event one occurs.

The bottom line is that diabetes does not necessarily mean the end of the world with regards to diving.

As for your particular situation k4man, keep up with regular checkups and physicals. If you watch your weight and stay in reasonably decent shape you may never develop either of these conditions despite any genetic predisposition.

 

[Guba]

I have no experience with diabetes, but I'm on medication for high blood pressure. I've had virtually no problems with either the condition or the meds while diving. However, on extended dive excursions in which there will be multiple days of diving, I do modify my medications somewhat. My prescription combines two meds, one of which is a diuretic. Before a dive trip, I ask my doctor to prescribe my medications without the diuretic in order to limit fluid loss. This keeps my blood volume high, minimizing the chances of dehydration and subsequent DCS. (Not only that, but it also cuts the chances that I'll have to "christen" my wetsuit during a dive!)

 

[ppo2_diver]

One should also note that with Type 1 diabetics who are on insulin pumps, the risk of low blood sugar is significantly reduced as the pump can't be worn while diving. Hence, no insulin in the body to lower blood sugars.

 

[Web Monkey]

You can get info on HBP and diving here:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=11

Terry

Before you feel too bad:shakehead no, I do not have either of these medical problems. However......... they are both in the family history. I know that many articles have been written and studies done about the limitations of Scuba with one or both of these diseases.

What have you all on the board heard (or know first hand from experience) about this??

Kevin

 

[tnfireman]

One should also note that with Type 1 diabetics who are on insulin pumps, the risk of low blood sugar is significantly reduced as the pump can't be worn while diving. Hence, no insulin in the body to lower blood sugars.

also most,if not all pumps use fast acting insulin (regular or novalog/humalog)