Long story short, when I was 5 years old I popped a lung and had to spend a month in an O2 tent.

I’m 41 now and my son wants to learn to drive. Growing up I was a hockey player and cyclist able to ride 60 miles a day.

I’ve been told because of my lung injury it’s not possible, or smart for me to dive.

Is that the case?

This is one of those cases of "Ask your doctor".

My better half had surgery on her ears a few years back, and she was allowed to recently certify. It just takes us longer to get to depth as she has to equalize her ears more often and it takes her a little bit longer to do so, but we have successfully been down to 100 feet.

I'm going to have to get cleared by a doc before I dive again - I broke my leg/ankle/foot pretty badly on new year's eve. Once I can walk again, I'm truly looking forwards to working to get back into the water.

You would be best off calling DAN (Divers Alert Network) to ask for a referral to a doctor with experience treating divers. Depending on your area, there might not be someone available, but give it a whirl.

Call Doctor first.  No need to take a chance.  I dove in the late 70's great time. But diving is unforgiving
and can hurt you very badly. Good luck.

I’m not planning on going in without a doctors sign-off.  I’ll checkout that DAN, thank you.

Get a referral from DAN. You want to make sure the doctor you see is well versed in hyperbarics.

When I was an active instructor, I certified a couple folks that had had pneumothorax problems.

The key was they were examined by the physician that treated them for the issue and gave them clearance to train and dive.

I doubt you are going to be able to do that, given the time span, but clearance by a pulmonologist, particularly one versed in bariatric medicine is absolutely essential.

I'm gonna hazard a guess and say you'll be given the green light unless you've done something stupid like smoke for the last 36 years.

The first thing you will have to do is sign a medical form, any questions or yes answers you will need a medical release from a doctor. Find one that is hopefully a diver themselves so they understand what you are doing and want to do.