Quote: (Originally Posted by Crazyduck)
Personally it was very brave of you to openly admit this knowing it could affect your diving ticket. Bravo, for being open.
Instead of just banning everyone is there a general medical standard that the patient can be measured against?
If you see a non-expert doctor and tick yes to asthma on the form, the answer is likely to be NO to diving 'cos everyone knows asthma and diving are a no-no right? But if you lie and tick yes, then you possibly put yourself at risk. Don't forget you put your buddy at risk also and may spoil some diveguide/boatowners life too. It's not as simple as "It's my risk so it's my business".
If you see a doctor with some expertise in diving medicine, it is likely that they (like Dave Teubner above) will explain the pros and cons, and further assess your personal risk for diving. After the talking and testing are done, the doc can give you an informed opinion abut risk.
But remember:
1) Many asthmatics dive without difficulties.
2) Asthmatics ARE over-represented in diving fatality figures, primarily from drowning on the surface.
3) There IS a theoretical increased risk of pulmonary barotrauma in asthmatics. The first 10m is the MOST dangerous so depth limitations are pretty much non-sensical.
4) There are some objective measurements for asthmatics which doctors will use as a guide/cut off to determine fit or unfit to dive (eg for commercial diving medicals).
So disclose the truth to your doctor and go with their advice. But make sure you see one that knows what they are talking about.