Ear Problems and a Renewed Love of Diving

[Kelley]

Hi All!

I just got back from an incredible dive vacation in Cozumel. I received my Open Water certification in 2008 and hadn't gone diving since. I took a refresher course here in SF a few weeks ago and eagerly jumped in the water and had a fantastic vacation (6 dives). By the way - Cozumel is one of the best places in the world to dive and the guys at Deep Exploration were incredible!

My only problem was my ears. I had a lot of problems with my ears when I was a kid and I had so much trouble clearing when we were diving. I even had to not do a second dive one day. I took sudafed and ibuprophen during the day (not recommened, but I had to in order to dive) and antihistamines at night. I now have some barotrauma (muffled hearing, dizziness) and the dive instructor I dove with recommended that I see an ENT to figure out exactly what is wrong. Can anyone recommend someone in San Francisco who has a specialty in diving? I have found someone in Palo Alto but that's an hour drive from where I live. I really want to continue to dive, but am worried about my hearing and ears if I continue like this.

By the way - the only thing that helped me clear my ears was tilting my head to one side and massaging my Eustachian tube (ex: tilt head to left, place finger behind right ear and gently pull down the neck to open the Eustachian tube). I still had ear squeezes and generally took 5-10 minutes to get to 30/40 feet.

I cannot WAIT to go back - and if you want to go to Cozumel and have questions about the dive company, PM me! I'm happy to recommend them!

Cheers,

Kelley

 

[Davemohio]

Kelley,

Maybe this post should be moved to the medical forum.

I believe if you call DAN, they can refer you at a local ENT Doc.

Please note that I am not a medical professional. If DAN cannot locate an ENT, I would see an ENT recommended by your physician.

 

[Crowley]

I second that - DAN the Diver's Alert Network) will help you even if you are not a member, or perhaps your LDS can help.

Some people do have equalized problems caused by a malformed Eustachian Tube, the bit that connects your middle ear to your throat. I hope somebody medical will chime in (cue TSandM!) but I believe it's due to the position and shape of the tube in infancy which changes as a person grows. In some people it doesn't, and it's left too narrow and a bit twisted. Something like that. I have met a few divers who had similar problems, also as a child, and one clear indicator was that they all had problems equalizing when flying as well as diving - as in, an inability to equalize when the surrounding pressure drops, as well as increases.

I believe problems such as this can be fixed, but do require some form of surgery. It might be that you simply have a build up of gunk in your ear. It might be that you actually have a physiological problem. In which case, the only person who can tell you either way is an ENT specialist with hypo/er/baric training.

Sorry I can't help with the location but for sure there's one there somewhere.

Cheers

C.

 

[sharkbait2010]

Kelley,

I understand your problem. DAN should be able to give you some guidance. You are a member? Arn't you?

Additionally, try ear plugs called Doc's Pro Plugs. They have some mad for divers. They are not completely closed so after about 20' water will enter your eustachian tubes but they reduce equalization problems dramatically.

I hope that helps. By the had forcing yourself to dive with ear squeezes is setting you up for rupture of the tympanic membrane or ear drum which separates the outer and middle ear. It is extremely painful and can eand your days of diving.

 

[RonFrank]

Pro-plugs might help. You could also try this funky mask which keeps things dry. Not sure how that works, but it does.
https://www.proear2000.com:452/shop/shop.asp?p_cat=0

Drive to Palo Alto if need be. Finding an ENT that understands diving issues, or better yet dives, is key. An hour is not very far, some folks have gone hours out of there way. Maybe its nothing, but it sounds like it is a long term issue. This is not the type of issue that can be handled by the Experts online!

 

[DandyDon]

This video can be very helpful: Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page

 

[Kelley]

Awesome! Thanks everyone! I have a scheduled appointment to see an ENT next week.

The earplugs sort of worry me - sure that they don't cause any other problems? Can they inadvertently cause other trauma? I'm just worried that this sounds too good to be true!

Cheers-

 

[DandyDon]

Awesome! Thanks everyone! I have a scheduled appointment to see an ENT next week.

The earplugs sort of worry me - sure that they don't cause any other problems? Can they inadvertently cause other trauma? I'm just worried that this sounds too good to be true!

Cheers-

They are vented. Some like them, some don't. My home bud always has a lot of problems clearing the first few days of a dive trip, getting better as the days of diving pass if he does not overdo it, hehe - getting good at clearing just in time to come home. We stop at 15 ft on descent until he clears. I never have a problem but I stay with him because buddies do.

He really works at it too...
> he reviews the video I linked above and practices the various techniques;
> rinse with a Netti Pot often;
> practices clearing for a week in advance of any trip;
> take antihistamines and decongestants every morning before dives;
> practices clearing on the boat out and right before backroll...
Or so he claims anyway. "Yeah yeah I'm doing all that."

We also rinse our ears with alcohol-vinegar mix often on dive trips to prevent swimmers ear infection. I've read it's best to soak each ear for 3 minutes, but I'd fall asleep - naps readily. :blush:

A divers ears and related areas are pretty sensitive to pressure, moisture, etc. Got to take care of them or end up ruining a trip, if not worse.

 

[Davemohio]

Awesome! Thanks everyone! I have a scheduled appointment to see an ENT next week.

Cheers-

Good deal. I am glad.

I had a middle ear barotrauma 2 years ago. Not fun.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Which ear equalization technique(s) do you typically use? The Roydhouse maneuver works best for me. Dr. Kay describes a number of different ear equalization methods on his website. Try all of them out and figure out what works best for you. Click the link in my sig for more info.

Do you have allergies? If so, it would be a good idea to address that issue first via antihistamines or saline nasal irrigation (Neti-pot).

FYI, once you experience a barotrauma incident (first dive of a trip/class?), you're going to be fighting an uphill equalization battle on subsequent dives. It's probably best to refrain from diving until your ears recover (several days in a lot of cases).

I'm glad that you've made an appointment with an ENT. He/she will be able to assess whether you have any anatomic issues that complicate ear equalization.