Diving

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Alister said:
I have not bothered with a diving medical for many years, even before I was diagnosed To my mind if something does go wrong then I probably wont be around to worry about it anyway. As for my buddie it would be my word against his and as I wont be saying much...
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Alister said:
Not taken personally at all in fact I agree with everything above (& any of the above scenarios could happen to anyone not just a diabetic).

That is why anyone considering diving with me with will be made fully aware of my condition so then can make an informed decision on whether or not they are prepared to take the risk. They will also be advised that in the case of an emergency I consider their safety to be paramount.
If that means they simply crack the bottle on my buoyancy compensator and send me to the surface alone or even leave me then so be it.
If a potential buddy is in anyway unsure because of my condition then for their sake I don't want them diving with me.

Actually that was my attitude even before becoming Diabetic, I would not want a buddy to suffer because of something that happened to me.

Likewise if a buddy gets into trouble I will do my best to assist but not at my own risk.
In my training we regularly taught that their were 3 types of casualty, conscious & cooperative, concious & uncooperative or unconscious (which becomes cooperative by default).
is the casualty was uncooperative Wait, they will eventually become cooperative one way or the other.

In fact for this weekends dive I am already thinking about the best way to minimise the risk - any comments welcome.

1 The dives will be close to sure & of limited depth - 20M Max probably < 15 this is to minimise the risk of mistaking a hypo for nitrogen narcosis - or vice versa.
2 check BG level before diving & take 2 or 3 gluco-tabs to give a boost
3 Make sure I have a good breakfast & take a quality packed lunch with me.

I am also considering reducing or omitting my morning Basal, I have quite a small dose anyway only 10 units. & do not use a bolus.

(sorry if this is hijacking the thread)

Diving is a dangerous sport, We all have to accept that.
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Unfortunately, if the worst did happen, not only would your buddy have the stress of having been there when you died (with all the thoughts of "Did I miss a sign that there was a problem?", "Was there something else I should have done?", guilt if they had sent you up alone/left you behind etc), there would then be an inquest asking them all the same questions over again, with possible legal implications. And while there is always a possibility something unexpected can happen to anyone (as you say, diving *is* a dangerous sport), there is an increased risk of something going wrong when you have certain conditions, such as diabetes, which has to be accepted.

The best way I could think of to mitigate this would be to have a log of testing records showing your normal variations, what you have eaten & injected (including times), and maybe include some examples of levels pre- and post-normal swimming to show the effect of similar exercise, test about an hour before you plan to go in the water and again just before you go in (so you can see if your BG is heading up or down), keep sessions short to begin with until you can build up a stack of data to show the doctor.
 
For those who are interested the dive out of Pool (on the valentine tanks) went perfectly
6.6 before entering (1 hr after lunch + 2 Glocotabs before entry) 20min @14M (visibility 6-8M 🙂 ), 5.9 on exit
then back to 6.5 before the 2nd dive.
I had not bothered with my small Basal dose in the morning but still maintained good reading all day 🙂
If any of the Divers in the forum want to contact me directly I would be more than happy 🙂
 
Just a quick update on my diving.
Yesterday I had my medical with a HSE diving doctor and after a long medical he signed me to allow me to start my diving.

If anyone is interested but remember everyone is different and may need expert advice.

I started by speaking to London dive chamber in London who were very helpful.
They sent me forms and paper work that my doctor would need to read-and sign ( but not sign to allow me to dive as they won’t due to them having no knowledge of diving ) and if all my levels etc were ok.
And he was happy for me to go and see a private doctor and with the paper work signed.
Off I went And then the next step was to find a HSE diving doctor ( not a sports doctor) On the HSE web you can find one in your area or close by.
I found one booked a appointment and now I can dive.
The London Dive Chamber are HSE dive doctors.
As most dive doctors are divers they know the sport and diabetes and the dangers of diving with diabetes. They are great for explaining what to do next and what not to do.

Again this is my account of what I had to do everyone is different if you interested in diving please speak to you doctor first.
 
congratulations
I hope you have many enjoyable & incident free dives
 
I just did some diving to get a spoon from the sink :/ exhausted
 
CarlG said:
Just a quick update on my diving.
Yesterday I had my medical with a HSE diving doctor and after a long medical he signed me to allow me to start my diving.

If anyone is interested but remember everyone is different and may need expert advice.

I started by speaking to London dive chamber in London who were very helpful.
They sent me forms and paper work that my doctor would need to read-and sign ( but not sign to allow me to dive as they won’t due to them having no knowledge of diving ) and if all my levels etc were ok.
And he was happy for me to go and see a private doctor and with the paper work signed.
Off I went And then the next step was to find a HSE diving doctor ( not a sports doctor) On the HSE web you can find one in your area or close by.
I found one booked a appointment and now I can dive.
The London Dive Chamber are HSE dive doctors.
As most dive doctors are divers they know the sport and diabetes and the dangers of diving with diabetes. They are great for explaining what to do next and what not to do.

Again this is my account of what I had to do everyone is different if you interested in diving please speak to you doctor first.
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"speak to you doctor first"

Is that wise 😉
 
This has been an issue for me and it really boils down to that old problem "Commercial Risk!" PADI and other dive outfits around the world in the main do NOT have cover or specialist trained divers. Yes diving below 30mtr is a big issue, it is with fit and healthy people. One answer is to form a small dive group where all in the group are aware of diabetes and its potential! I think most diabetics who are in athletic of sport pursuits have taken the time to get their condition pretty well managed I TBH I wouldn't consider for those who have the "risk" is any greater than that of an embolism or any other diving related accident. Go deeper than 30m or consider tec diving well then its probably a bit daft! Most of what you want to witness underwater lies in 30m of water or less!
 
Hi guys
This is an update on the diving post that I started around a year ago.
First i like to say thank you to all that replied and gave me advice along the way.
So a year ago i was given the all clear and signed off to dive yay to start with I chose PADI and completed me open water cert by Aug this allowed me to dive to 18m this was completed in the uk waters. ( made of hard stuff )
In September off I went to Gran Canaria and completed x3 dives to 18m in warm water compared to the Uk.( i saw some amazing wild life )
Once I was back I stared to look what I needed to do next then I found the local group BSAC I joined and found that it was run more of a club rather than a business like PADI.
Since joining I have been diving x7 time in the Uk in inland lakes, Im in the pool x2 even month practicing all skills and special skills designed for me eg like how to take glugel under water etc.
I had training on first aid, dry suits, rescue skills, night dives, and completed my sports dive now I can go to the depth of 20m.
I done training on full face masks as well as the normal reg in mouth.
All buddies I dive with have an understanding of what to do and how to do it were my Glugel is how to get it and give it to me if I can get to it easy. The most important thing is If i don't have one of my buddies that understand and is happy to dive with me then i just don't dive.

Im now on my next part of trying that will allow me to dive to 35m but I will only be allowed to dive to 30m due to the rule ands insurance.
if you want to ask any questions fill free.
This was my experience every one is different
 
Well done on being able to carry on with the sport you love and not letting Diabetes stop you.
I will be going fishing on my own all day on the river when the new season starts next Sunday, its a bit remote where i go, i will go prepared so hopfully not have any problems.
 
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