Diving with Asthma

[velocityoflove]

My career goal is to eventually do underwater videography. Anyway, I'm not dive certified yet, but I would like to be within the next year. I have asthma. I take a preventative medicine, and hardly ever need an inhaler. I was just wondering if anyone has experience of having asthma and diving. If I hardly have it now, could it be a problem anyway? Are there some of you that have it but dive just fine?

 

[skriz]

I have asthma and have had no issues diving. I did get a tank once that made my throat dry, which led to coughing, but no asthma. I think that particular tank would've made anybody cough and have a miserable dive. Other than that one tank, all other dives have been great.

 

[bluespot]

Hello, very nice and interesting goal you have. I am a respiratory therapist so your thread caught my interest. I have met other asthmatics that do dive. They have rescue meds/inhalers on their dive boats at all times. These days there aren't many things that asthmatics cannot do. There has been a big change in people's views about having asthma and not using it as a crutch to limit your life. The amount of education and variety of controller meds have made a huge difference.

A lot depends on the severity of your asthma and how well it is "controlled". You should be pretty familiar with your triggers and avoiding them. Remember that you will be breathing a very dry gas out of the tanks which may be a new trigger for you due to the irritating nature of dry gas in your airways. You should know during your certification training and underwater classes at dive school. Good thing is that is a very controlled environment in case an episode is triggered.

I highly recommend you consult with your primary care physician and/or pulmonologist if you are seeing one. They know your case better and can advise you further. I applaud you for wanting to get out there and be active and adventurous. Like I said I know for a fact that asthmatics can/do dive. Sorry for the long post but thought I might be able to help.

 

[stacy22]

I have asthma and I dive. I have seen dive operators abroad who will not take asthmatic divers on trips. The couple of times I have encountered that I simply find a different dive operator.

I am familiar with my condition and understand it medically. I have no qualms about diving.

 

[nassar0505]

I had it bad when i was young and got certified when i was young, no problems just always went thru tanks quicker then everybody else.

 

[garibaldi]

I have asthma and use to dive. I got sick during the certification process and the dive shop made me get doctors approval before continuing. Doctor told me the same thing that others above have stated; know what triggers the asthma and avoid it when getting ready to go diving. The concern is actually if you have an attack while diving you will trap air at pressure in your alevoli which will then burst when you surface. This would be a bad thing to have happen. :wow2:

I would recommend a good dive shop that gets you in the pool many times before going in open water. That will help you be more comfortable and ensure you don't have problems with the asthma. Also be aware that you might use more air than other divers, meaning you won't stay down as long. I had a dive buddy that was missing half a lung and could stay down forever it seemed.

 

[bluespot]

On a side note, I just want to add that a lot of people have "childhood" asthma that they seem to "outgrow". I just want to caution them that a big part of asthma is an inflammatory response to an airway irritant. Like most allergic reactions, the body does not truly outgrow its response. A child has a much smaller lung mass to body size ratio so symptoms may be more severe in a young person. As the child grows the lung capacity increases greatly in relation to body size. For a lot of people the biggest change is around the 8-12 year old mark but change obviously continues until adult size is reached. In milder cases of asthma it may make the condition seem to disappear for good.

Many patients I have seen havent had a noticeable attack since childhood but a lot of times it is due to their larger lung capacity not being as compromised as a child's would be. That does not mean it may not be severe in the future or different triggers may be encountered. If I only had a dollar for everytime I have heard "I haven't had an attack in 20 years...." I'd have a much nicer reef tank, that's for sure. I just urge caution to people who have been diagnosed with asthma any time in the past.

 

[velocityoflove]

Thanks for all of the awesome responses. I am confident that ill be fine, but good idea to ask to breathe through that is a good idea to ask to breathe through the stuff before I commit to the certification process, I will definitely have to ask to try that!

 

[mc524]

Check out Divers Supply right there on Cobb Pkwy. Between South Marietta loop and Lockheed. They are on the west side of the road. Super nice group, and do a really good job of answering questions and make sure you know what you are doing in the pool. Ask for Ashley, she will answer any questions you have. She gas been diving a long time and a great instructor. She really took the time to make sure my wife had things down. Good ahop and best prices when you go to get your gear.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[dmkahlan]

MC524;804082 wrote: Check out Divers Supply right there on Cobb Pkwy. Between South Marietta loop and Lockheed. They are on the west side of the road. Super nice group, and do a really good job of answering questions and make sure you know what you are doing in the pool. Ask for Ashley, she will answer any questions you have. She gas been diving a long time and a great instructor. She really took the time to make sure my wife had things down. Good ahop and best prices when you go to get your gear.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

^+1 for Divers Supply. Unfortunately Ashley is no longer there. Chat with Brandon, he's the manager and has helped me out a lot long the way.

 

[mc524]

DMKahlan;804607 wrote: ^+1 for Divers Supply. Unfortunately Ashley is no longer there. Chat with Brandon, he's the manager and has helped me out a lot long the way.

Really! I did not know she had left. Its been months since I've been in there. Any idea where she went?
Anyway, good store, not sure if I had met Brandon or not. I'm usually better with remembering a face than a name...at least until I've spent some time talking with a person.

 

[dmkahlan]

MC524;804691 wrote: Really! I did not know she had left. Its been months since I've been in there. Any idea where she went?
Anyway, good store, not sure if I had met Brandon or not. I'm usually better with remembering a face than a name...at least until I've spent some time talking with a person.

Long story short, she and the manger had a disagreement about a few things and she decided working there wasn't fun anymore. I got along great with her and hated to see her leave, but it is what it is.

I'm friends with her on FB and LinkedIn. Last I spoke to her, she was talking about going back to school to become a chef (I think).

Brandon is the new manager. I believe he's been there almost a year. He took over when Jack (the old manager) got diagnosed with cancer. (small prayer). Brandon came from SC - Lake Jocassee Dive shop.

They are have a lot of new faces there, you should stop by and say 'hi'. Heck, as often as I'm in there, you might even see me. :roll:

Matter of fact - if anyone wants to get a dive in, this is White Stone's last weekend of operation before they shut it down for good. I'm heading up there with Nick from Divers Supply and a few of the guys from Atlanta Aquanauts (Meet Up group). I've never dove there and don't expect much, but its a reason to get "narc'd" or get wet anyways...

Edit:

DMKahlan;804750 wrote: Long story short, she and the manger had a disagreement about a few things and she decided working there wasn't fun anymore. I got along great with her and hated to see her leave, but it is what it is.

I'm friends with her on FB and LinkedIn. Last I spoke to her, she was talking about going back to school to become a chef (I think).

Brandon is the new manager. I believe he's been there almost a year. He took over when Jack (the old manager) got diagnosed with cancer. (small prayer). Brandon came from SC - Lake Jocassee Dive shop.

They are have a lot of new faces there, you should stop by and say 'hi'. Heck, as often as I'm in there, you might even see me. :roll:

Matter of fact - if anyone wants to get a dive in, this is White Stone's last weekend of operation before they shut it down for good. I'm heading up there with Nick from Divers Supply and a few of the guys from Atlanta Aquanauts (Meet Up group). I've never dove there and don't expect much, but its a reason to get "narc'd" or get wet anyways...

Need to update my statement - Ashley and the owner (not manager) had a disagreement....

Edit: Long story short, she and the owner had a disagreement about a few things and she decided working there wasn't fun anymore. I got along great with her and hated to see her leave, but it is what it is.

I'm friends with her on FB and LinkedIn. Last I spoke to her, she was talking about going back to school to become a chef (I think).

Brandon is the new manager. I believe he's been there almost a year. He took over when Jack (the old manager) got diagnosed with cancer. (small prayer). Brandon came from SC - Lake Jocassee Dive shop.

They are have a lot of new faces there, you should stop by and say 'hi'. Heck, as often as I'm in there, you might even see me. :roll:

Matter of fact - if anyone wants to get a dive in, this is White Stone's last weekend of operation before they shut it down for good. I'm heading up there with Nick from Divers Supply and a few of the guys from Atlanta Aquanauts (Meet Up group). I've never dove there and don't expect much, but its a reason to get "narc'd" or get wet anyways...

Edit:

Edit: Long story short, she and the owner had a disagreement about a few things and she decided working there wasn't fun anymore. I got along great with her and hated to see her leave, but it is what it is.

I'm friends with her on FB and LinkedIn. Last I spoke to her, she was talking about going back to school to become a chef (I think).

Brandon is the new manager. I believe he's been there almost a year. He took over when Jack (the old manager) got diagnosed with cancer. (small prayer). Brandon came from SC - Lake Jocassee Dive shop.

They are have a lot of new faces there, you should stop by and say 'hi'. Heck, as often as I'm in there, you might even see me. :roll:

Matter of fact - if anyone wants to get a dive in, this is White Stone's last weekend of operation before they shut it down for good. I'm heading up there with Nick from Divers Supply and a few of the guys from Atlanta Aquanauts (Meet Up group). I've never dove there and don't expect much, but its a reason to get "narc'd" or get wet anyways...

Edit:

Long story short, she and the owner had a disagreement about a few things and she decided working there wasn't fun anymore. I got along great with her and hated to see her leave, but it is what it is.

I'm friends with her on FB and LinkedIn. Last I spoke to her, she was talking about going back to school to become a chef (I think).

Brandon is the new manager. I believe he's been there almost a year. He took over when Jack (the old manager) got diagnosed with cancer. (small prayer). Brandon came from SC - Lake Jocassee Dive shop.

They are have a lot of new faces there, you should stop by and say 'hi'. Heck, as often as I'm in there, you might even see me. :roll:

Matter of fact - if anyone wants to get a dive in, this is White Stone's last weekend of operation before they shut it down for good. I'm heading up there with Nick from Divers Supply and a few of the guys from Atlanta Aquanauts (Meet Up group). I've never dove there and don't expect much, but its a reason to get "narc'd" or get wet anyways...

Edit:

Edit:

Edit: I just wanted to update my post and instead I got all that.... Sorry guys/gals.

 

[mc524]

Yeah that's too bad. She did a great job IMO. Always willing to help. Even when we brought out little girls in to get sized for wetsuits and snorkel gear. She is a great instructor...made it fun, but made sure you could do what was being asked.
I had known about Jack, but have not heard any updates. He and I are both from Michigan, so we chatted about that as well as other stuff. Hated to hear he was diagnose with Cancer.
I pretty much have most everything I need. I do need to pick up some weights, and nicknack things ie. knife/scissors stuff like that.

Where is this White Stone? I'm still looking for someone to help me finish out my OW certification. No one replied to my post here...and don't know of any groups of divers yet. I was going to try and do it at DiveHaven, but hard to get a hold of those guys. They didn't reply back when I asked if they were PADI certified.

 

[todd_washowich]