Scuba Diving (was Re: Myotomy - Any Views / Experiences?)

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wrote:I'm replying because I was thinking about learning to scuba dive and I found out it is completely a no-no for Achalasia sufferers.http://www.aquasafaris.com/pages/travel/faqs.htmlhttp://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=150

Debbi's input:

I haven't had a myotomy YET (plan to have one this year if it can be done laparoscopically), but I have to disagree with the reasonings this website gave to not dive if you're an Achalasian.

First, let me clarify that I'm not a certified diver (yet... when our son is older the whole family will get certified together, but he's only three years old right now and they won't let him take the classes yet).

However, my husband and I adore snorkeling and we own our own snorkel gear (renting a snorkel on vacation just turns me off a bit... the mask is fine, but the mouthpiece? yuck, might as well share a toothbrush with a stranger!). I was diagnosed in 1996 after several years of problems, and my husband and I married in late 1998 with a honeymoon in Dominican Republic which included several snorkeling adventures. We traveled to Florida in 2000 (when I was pregnant with my son) and snorkeled in the Gulf. Now we have a swimming pool in our backyard (might as well be an iceskating rink -- it's -7 degrees Fahrenheit today, or about -22C ) and my son's favorite activity was tossing diving toys to the bottom of the deep end for my husband and I to dive and retrieve for him (help -- I've turned into a labrador retriever!).

The website stated: Food and secretions can collect in a pool in the lower esophagus and cause regurgitation when the diver is in the head-down position. As with reflux, diving is not recommended.

This makes it sound like both untreated and treated (with myotomy) Achalasians can't handle being head down -- the untreated ones have food/saliva stuck in their esophagus at all times, and the treated ones have acid in their esophagus at all times. While this may be true for *some* of the people in the group, I think the vast majority of us can manage to bend over and tie our shoes without spewing food and saliva or acid all over the place. As was mentioned about a month ago, there are different "degrees" of achalasia.... I just dug up what was written up about it to post here, b/c several people mentioned that they liked the way it was written:

Some people are in a "degree" so severe *right now* that they have to spit out their own saliva (BTDT).

Some people are in a "degree" *right now* where they can get liquids through on good days only.

Some people are in a "degree" *right now* where they can get liquids through all the time.

Some people are in a "degree" *right now* where they can get mushy solids down.

Some people are in a "degree" *right now* where they can get down just about anything they so desire if they push hard enough.

Some people are in a "degree" *right now* where they can get down just about anything they so desire with little or no effort whatsoever.

To say that everyone with achalasia isn't a candidate for diving isn't taking into consideration that some people are pretty close to normal after some sort of treatment (nutritional adjustments/supplements, dilation, botox, myotomy, whatever). It also doesn't take into consideration that some people aren't in a "degree" of severity where they simply cannot function.

Obviously, people who are in the "spitting out my saliva b/c it won't go down" mode aren't candidates for diving -- they'd have to spit out their regulator every 30 seconds just to spit out the saliva. And people who aren't getting proper food into them aren't going to be strong enough to handle the physical side of the diving. As we've already determined, not many people (and unfortunately not many doctors) know what achalasia is or what it's like to live with the disease. Rather than take the word of a diving organization about an esophageal condition (which would be like getting advice on maintaining your car from a gardening website), I would discuss this with my doctor and also judge it based on my own personal experience.

Although I've not had a myotomy yet, I did have botox injections in May of 2002, which resulted in a pinhole opening in my LES that allows acid into my esophagus -- basically, it gave me GERD, so technically I have acid reflux. And I dove in our pool all summer long, completely head down, with no problems whatsoever.

So please don't think it's an absolute no-no for you to take up SCUBA diving. Check it out and see what it's like in your particular situation. If you can hang from your knees from the monkey bars at the local playground without drowning in acid or secretions, or if you can dive in a swimming pool without problems, then there's no reason to think you can't do SCUBA diving too.

Debbi in Michigan, who will be on a Caribbean cruise as of Sunday the 26th.... and I've already got my mask/snorkel/fins all packed up and ready to go!