Any advice on SCUBA diving with T2 diabetes?

[Earl]

Hiya,

With regards to sport my main hobby is diving. Yes strapping a big metal thing to my back and leaping into the fishies, not to eat (this time) but to watch, wonder and photograph.

Only been diagnosed a few weeks and haven't been since through a combimation of fear and uncertainty.

Am booked to go away in 2 weeks for a weekend but still have dancing BG's, trying all sorts, testing , testing, testing and still not getting many results below 8-10 after meals or even below 6-7 before meals.

Never had a hypo to my knowlege, just cannot get the numbers down.

Wondering what I need to consider for the dive weekend in terms of food management and preparation for the days of diving.

For info both days will be boat trips on small Rigid Inflatable Boats. They are classed as 2 tank dives. That is to say you leave land go out and dive, then stay on the boat eat a bit chat a bit and then do a second dive, so use 2 tanks in one trip. The norm is sandwiches! Food of the devil with that stuff called bread which sends me into the high teens too look at. Not a lot of choice when bobbing up and down in the ocean.

The nights are camping in a tent, so again limited cuisine choices both ends of the day.

Most of my diving is a day in this quarry or that quarry with a couple of weekend trips a year. It's the weekend ones that I need advice on most.

I am not a greatly experienced diver (2 years or so) and was hoping someone with more experience could pass on advice please.

Might be worrying over nothing but do not want to miss this.

Earl

 

[Northerner]

Hi Earl, I have no experience of scuba diving so can't help with the specifics, but as a Type 2 on metformin only you are extremely unlikely to suffer hypos so that is one worry you should not have. The activity will probably mean that you are much more sensitive to the insulin you are producing, so it may be that the sandwiches will not be as tough on your levels as they would normally. If this is the only choice, then if possible go for something with a filling that will lower the digestion rate and therefore reduce spikes - something fatty, like cheese for example.

As it's for a weekend, I would be a bit more relaxed - but sensible - generally with your meals. Try to make the best choices from what is available, keeping carbs and sugars in moderation. Again, the unusual experience of camping may have a beneficial effect on your levels as you tend to be a lot more active on a camping weekend.

We do have scuba-diving members, so hopefully they can offer better advice than me! 🙂

 

[Caroline]

Can't add tot he advice, the nearesti get to scuba diving is some of those wonderfull programmes on the TV. Just wanted to add have a wonderfull weekend, relax and enjoy it. I think I might mention the diabetes to the people you're with just in case of emergency, although the weekend sounds well planned.

 

[Earl]

Mentioning it to the people I am diving with is no problem.

It is a club dive and 8 or 9 out of 16 members are nurses 😉 One of whom is a very senior specialist nurse who actually lectures on Trauma and high dependancy treatment.

And they already know, so at least should have medical cover sorted

Earl

 

[margie]

I guess in this case you are diving around the UK. If you fancy diving abroad make sure that you check the small print on your insurance policy and make sure they know of your diabetes.

Have fun with your dive.

 

[Ikey the tinker]

I'm not sure if you are legally allowed to dive if you are diabetic - certainly not if you are type 1.

Hypos are possible during any exercise and I'd be extremely cautious about risking an underwater hypo as it would potentially be fatal.

 

[KateR]

It sounds like you have everything covered. Have a great weekend.

 

[Earl]

I now have a bit more info on SCUBA and diving, more of a results of a survey.


from http://www.scuba-instructors.com/medicine/diabetes.html

Quoted Text
From the findings of another UK based survey covering 11-year long experience of scuba diving with diabetes mellitus that was conducted by medical specialists within the group of 323 diabetic divers (269 male, 54 female) that had performed total 8,760 dives with scuba, only one incident of hypoglycemia underwater in an insulin dependent diabetic diver was reported. And that sole incident was none-fatal. Which means that within the group of well-controlled diabetic divers under the research, there were no serious problems due to hypoglycemia when they dived.


Really more info on how to eat without carrying about several days old pre cooked stuff when leaving the house on Fri morning to dive Sat and Sun so how to sort the food for that is the real question. 😱

Can't wait TBH 🙂

Earl

Earl

 

[gail2]

hope u have a great time it sounds fun

 

[Copepod]

Hypos are not really any more of a risk for someone with type 2 diabetes on metformin than for someone who doesn't have any form of diabetes. For simplicity (and to avoid personal distress over lost career), I'm leaving type 1 diabetes and insulin out of this reply. However, key point is that there's a big difference between recreational and professional SCUBA diving with diabetes - mainly for benefit of Ikey the tinker.

Re food, based on my experience of what I can tolerate on small boats: easy way to reduce carbohydrate content of sandwiches is to discard 1 of 2 slices of bread or use bread wraps instead of sliced bread; sandwich boxes of salads are lowish carbohydrate, depending on what you put in them; vacuum flasks of soup or coffee or hot chocolate without sugar are reasonably low carbohydrate, and you may well appreciate hot fluids.

Re food when camping - lots of options - I'm assuming you arrive by car, carry kit not very far, unpack tent etc, so it's not like you're backpacking and have to consider light weight food with no option of cool box? Things like eggs give lots of options, including hard boiled for midday boat meals. With things like pasta, noodles etc, the key is portion size. Fresh fruit veggies are perfectly practical for weekend camping - my personal record is keeping fresh onions & oranges for over 1 month at base camp before cooking in Greenland

 

[Earl]

Guys thanks for the advice to date.

Still waiting for the BSAC process just to start. Already missed one club dive weekend which was booked and paid for before I was diagnosed. And looking like I could miss this years trip to dive with seals in the Farne Islands the way it is going :'( Also already booked and paid for before I was diagnosed.

Basically until I get the BSAC approval it seems insurace would be a problem. And BSAC wont give me approval to dive until I can prove adequate control (yeah right, not due for first HBA1C until like July).

Worst part was attending this weeks club comitter meeting and helping to plan dives over the next 3 months for everybody else.

Just for the record the BSAC process is as follows

--- download diabetes pack
--- Fill in your bit
--- Get your GP to fill in medical bits (inc HBA1C and protein etc) and pay them a fee
--- Arrange appointment with a BSAC medical referee (who is a diabetic specialist) and get him to fill in their bit and give you a medical (including retinopathy and the a lot more by the sound of it) and their opinion on you diving and pay them a fee
--- THEN send it off to a single BSAC named doctor for them to say yes or no and if yes to give a timescale the approval will last for, normally a year I am told.

What a ridiculous over the top process. Why 2 separate BSAC medical guys???

The real real real annoying bit is just before I was diagnosed my wife bought me a load of diving gear for my birthday (pony, 12Lt, 10Lt, backup dive comp and regs for the pony, all second hand off a freind who has stopped diving). Beginning to think fate hates me.

Feels like it could be months at best

Oh well time to put a positive spin on it.... um.... trying really trying..... :🙂 ... something is starting ... 🙂 ... better ... ;D .. ok starting to feel it I think

Earl

 

[Northerner]

Hi Earl, really sorry to hear of all the hoops you are having to jump through, and the missed opportunities you had been looking forward to Are you able to claim anything on insurance, given that it is your diagnosis that is preventing you and it was undiagnosed when you paid up?

I hope the process doesn't take too long, and that the doctor who says yes or no, says yes! 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Why 2 medicals? I guess because your GP has your records to hand, while the diabetes specialist can look at the very specific risks of diabetes and SCUBA diving. Most GPs are not SCUBA divers (although some are - I had my medical done by a GP who was a member of my TA medical unit, obviously before I was diagnosed, and manged to get a chest X ray done free because I had just returned from working in a health care setting in Mexico, so had potentially been exposed to TB).

Don't give up on diving with seals at Farne Island - there's a simple potential solution - just take snorkling kit. Not sure if BSAC insurance will cover that, but might be more lenient than for diving with tank. I still put on a wetsuit, mask, snorkel & fins and swim in the North Sea, particularly around Tynemouth and St Mary's Island, a bit south of Farne Islands - at least I did during the year I lodged at Tynemouth recently. No insurance, as just went on my own, although my landlady, a keen surfer who lent me her bodyboard, knew where I'd gone and was expected back.

All depends on club refund policy whether or not you can get money back on trips you can't take. Have you paid in full or just deposit?

 

[Earl]

:confused 🙂 😱

I am a going diving peoples!!!!!

Finally got my second medical from a dive doctor today and now fully signed off and certified fit to dive.

Long proceedure but think I am an expert now.

Seriously if anyone is thinking of doing it, it's a great sport and I am happy to try to help anyone through the mysteries if anyone ever wants it.

Guys thanks for all your help support and advice that got me through it

Well 🙂 I am off to have a dive in the pool in about an hour

All the best

Earl

 

[Northerner]

That's terrific news Earl! Enjoy your diving! 🙂

 

[Robster65]

Good news Earl.🙂

Rather you than me 😱

Rob

 

[Copepod]

Hi Earl - hope you're diving somewhere more interesting than the pool soon!

Lots of great things to see under the North Sea, from the largest seals to the smallest invertebrates 🙂 (I did BSc Marine Biology at Newcastle Univeristy, where I was a member of SCUBA club - hence my enthusiasm)