Ear Problems....again

[RickH]

I posted on this forum back in March(?) about having problems with my ears clearing/equalizing. I was doing a beach dive and the first dive was fine but after the surface interval I couldn't go back down, my left ear wouldn't clear and the pressure hurt like hell so I had to call it quits after completing just one dive.

Well I finally was able to get back to try to finish this weekend and almost didn't get certified. We went to Catalina for three boat dives.

The first dive I went down to 50 ft fine, but had to surface after 2 min. because some of the other students were having issues. The 2nd dive I didn't notice any problems, maybe just a hint of a delay with my right ear clearing, and it sounded like air was passing through my ear drum of my right ear, but no one saw any bubbles. The 3rd dive I think there was a little bit more of a delay with my right ear clearing, but nothing troubling. The instructor had me come up with him to do a surface interval for 10 mins so I could do a "4th dive" and complete my certification. After the 10 mins when we went to go back down my right ear wouldn't clear. I tried pinching my nose and blowing, just my left ear would clear. I tried and tried, tilted my head and tried, massaged behind my right ear. Eventually I felt it clear a little bit and was able to go a few feet more, but then had to do the whole thing agian. Most of the time I felt it clear just a little bit, and once I felt it clear all the way but after a few feet had to struggle with it. I finally made it down to 32 ft and was able to finish and get cert.

Has anyone else had this issue? Is there something I can do to help with this problem?
After the dive when I pinched my nose and blew (valsalva maneuver) my right ear drum was "crinkly". Right now if I do the Valsalva maneuver gradually I can feel my left ear clear and with more pressure my right ear drum will clear but it seems reluctant. I took Claritin-D 24Hr a few hours before the dive.

Sorry if this thread is long winded but wanted to be adequate in explaining the situation.

 

[DandyDon]

I remember the thread. I don't remember if you saw a ENT or watched the video on Equalizing linked below...?

 

[TSandM]

I don't think this is unusual. If I do a bunch of ascents and descents in a day, toward the end of the day, my ears are much slower to clear. One of the only times I've been totally unable to clear at all was a night where I was doing ascent drills, and sawtoothed a bunch.

It's worse if you're just a little slow to equalize, but even if you're pretty good at it, repeated dives can be hard, especially with very short intervals like what you describe.

 

[don Francisco]

The fact that it's the other ear this time is good evidence that it isn't biological. Ear problems are the number one dive complication. It doesn't have to be so, but most folks simply won't accept that pressure changes in water occur about 1,000 times faster than those in the air we're adapted to live in.

Think about how often you might equalize your ears in a airplane descent from 8,000 feet to a sea level landing. Probably five or six times over 20 minutes or so, maybe while chewing gum to help. That's to equalize a pressure differential comparable to diving to 8 feet.

The ups and downs didn't help, but the real message is that you have to learn to equalize often and quickly, before you even begin to feel the pressure change, certainly before you feel pain.

If you delay until sinking 6-9 feet (where you start feeling pain) clearing is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Go back up until you feel little or no pressure equalize, and resume your descent.

Diving is not a race, so until you can equalize faster, descend slower.

 

[DandyDon]

"....equalize your ears in a airplane descent from 8,000 feet to a sea level landing."

I think DF is referencing the 8,000 feet altitude equivalent pressure of an airliner's cabin during high flight, in case you're not up on such.

 

[TravelDive]

This might help,

article based on personal experiences, I would PM it but it's quite a big subject for me since I have had such severe problems with it so it might be useful to the forum.


Alan


Things worth noting:


1. Nasal polyps are big cause of sinus complaints. I have mine removed periodically to stop the irritation.
2. The last 10 metres has the biggest change in gas pressure, alot of damage can be done in this area
3. Surgery does help.
4. To equalise a soft blow is needed, anymore and you might cause a lot of damage.
5. If your locked go up a bit, it really should be a soft blow.

 

[White Knight]

Going up and down with short surface intervals is a pain. Count on that to mess up your ears at least a little bit for the day--or two, or three. At least, it does me. Even though your ears may be equalizing ok, go down slower than you need to and come up “very” slow--especially when you are doing multiple dives. For me, my ears equalize ok during my dives, but that doesn’t mean that they are not being subjected to stress as they equalize. The more equalizing my ears do (up and down, up and down, etc.) the more they are stressed.

 

[Staticdiver]

i have the same problem. in my last trip i dove 5 days in a row with no problems until the last day when i couldn't do the last two dives. it sucked. it also took me 3 times to get my cert cause i couldn't equalize. i found that i just have to use every way i can to do it. moving my jaw around while squeezing my nose and blowing and tilting my head side to side. i must look very strange doing that every 10 seconds. but whatever gets me to the bottom.

 

[ligersandtions]

I don't know if you are nervous at all when descending, but I remember on my first open water dive, I was super nervous and it was extremely hard to equalize. The next couple dives, I was a bit less nervous and it took less to equalize.

I have issues with my ears as well (have always hated flying on airplanes because my ears would plug and not clear easily), so I had to learn to deal with it. I equalize early and often - and by early I mean as soon as I wake up, on the way to the dive site, while gearing up, just before I get in the water, just before I descend, and just after my head breaks the water. As long as I pre-pressurize my ears, I don't have much of a problem, so it may help you out as well.

 

[RickH]

Yes I did watch the video, though it's been awhile.

Honestly my expectations Sunday were to finish so I could be certified and then sell all my gear and probably never go diving again in a long time. I've had a bit of a hard time all the way through, it's taken me just about a year from the time I was in the pool to now due to ear problems, work, and the birth of my son. But after I finished my skills and was able to swim around and actually enjoy it for once it has me itching for more, I'm actually going back next week.

I made sure to equalize often, at surface and then every 2 feet. On that last dive when I was having problems I would ascend a few feet and try, once I felt the pressure ease up I'd descend and repeat, I just worked it til I was at bottom but I made sure not to push too hard.

I'm not familiar with it but I am thinking that it may be a little bit more complicated than equalizing often as my right ear still seems to be acting up. Right now when I do the Valsalva maneuver my left ear drum clears right away and the right ear drum takes a bit more pressure. The left ear drum "pops" and the right ear drum sounds "crinkly".

I'll look at the video again to refresh myself and I'll let you all know how it goes when I go diving next weekend. Thank you for all your advice.