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At 07:02 PM 1/7/97 -0800, you wrote:
>
> You will find that diving and asthma turns nightmare with long oxygen deco.
>Diving is not for everyone, and has the body count to prove it. I am not going
>to get into what happens, let one of the MD's on here tell you.
>
>George M. Irvine III
I am by no means a Doctor, But I am a Respiratory Therpist.
Asthma, is a hypersensitiviy disorder characterized by reversible airway
obstruction,which results from a combination of bronchospasm, mucosal edema,
and excessive secretion of viscid mucus.
There are 2 primary forms of asthma: atopic or extrinsic, and nonatopic or
intrinsic. Atopic/extrinsic asthma is caused by material such as polens,
molds, or animal dander. This form of disease abccounts for about 50% of
all asthma.
The other half of asthmatic patients suffer form nonatopic/intrinsic. In
this type asthma the bronchial reaction occurs in response to nonimmnologic
stimulisuch as infetions, irritating inhalants, cold air, exercise, and
emotional upset. ^^^^^^^^
Regardless of origin, asthma is characterized by recurrent attacks of
dyspnea, cough and expectoration of tenacious mucoid sputtom (snot), and
wheezing. Sysmptoms may be mild and may occur only in association with
respiratory infections, or they may be severe to the point of being life
threatening.
Dehydration, is one of the big problems with this, so that is one thing that
must be thought about quite abit.
So here it is: 1) The airway narrow, in an attact, causing an attack. You
dive to depth, and what happens to the airways as the pressure increases???
they constrict, or narrow. (not a very good idea), 2) you breath off a tank
that over a period, this in turn drys the airways out, making them sticky,
ie harder to open ( that is why the cotton mouth sets in, everyting is dried
out, think what your lungs are like at this time. 3) You are diving, and
exert yourself, so the dyspnia sets in, your breathing becomes labored, and
an attack is possible. No medication on the market has been designed to be
given at depth while diving. Besides, where would you keep your inhaler if
you needed it??
My suggestion as a Diver, and a Respiratory therp, is don't do it. I have
not seen alot of test being done on this subject, and not one doctor out
there is going to clear you for diving if you do have the asthma. If you
have life insurance and for some reason you do pass on to those gates in the
sky, your insurance company will not pay off of it. Think of your family in
this case. Also I hate tubing people and putting them on vents, it is no
fun and that means that we have to work that much harder, because you went
and did this to yourself.
THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anymore questions?? Feel free to post and ask..
Jeoff
***************************************
* Jeoff *
* aka Mr Lungs *
* Orange City Fl *
* www.totcon.com/users/lungs *
* Home to the Wrecks of Broward *
* PADI Divemaster *
* Respiratory Therp *
* A bad day Diving Beats a *
* good day at work !! *
* *
***************************************
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