Will I ever be able to dive again?

[aeweems12]

Seasiren, I'm going to give you my 2 cents worth (probably worth much less).

I have ruptured or put a hole in my eardrums three times. It sucks having to sit topside for however long it takes for them to heal, but I promise you would much rather do that than permanently damage your eardrums and/or lose your hearing. My doc admonished me that if I damage my ears again she's going to ban me from diving, therefore I am super careful with my ears.

While some have said to avoid Sudafed, I take it religiously on dive trips as well as supplementing with a nasal steroid. I also recommend, from personal experience, JBL's hydroseal ear plugs. I was turned on to them by one of my instructors. I started using them about 10 dives ago and I have not had any more issues with my ears. I am extremely prone to reverse blocks and between my drug regimen and the earplugs I have been able to enjoy my dives instead of fretting about my ears.

So take time to let your ears heal completely, take everyone's advice into account, and figure out what works best for you.

Happy diving!

*This is not medical advice and you should consult your doctor before taking any medications.*

 

[billt4sf]

There's lots of fun things to do in the world -- diving is one of them.

Take up the euphonium
Learn French
Read some good books
Watch every episode of Breaking Bad
Learn how to pick up women (or men if that is your taste)
Exercise a lot more

 

[barilhu]

If the pressure was -250mmhg then the eardrum is not perforated ( the machine cannot measure pressure if the eardrum is perforated). If pressure was measured than the eardrum was moving, indicating that the middle ear is not full of liquid. Give it time it will come back. Make sure you are fully OK before diving again.

 

[Seasiren4scuba]

Thanks, I am so grateful for all of these messages! As to the negative pressure issue, I should have been more clear. The eardrum had no hole in it even 48 hours later when I got to the first doctor. So either it was a small hole that healed fast, of I didn't really perforate it? Not sure. I thought I tasted the alcohol from the swimmers ear, though. Now, a month later, I am not sure about a lot of things.

I had my first breakthrough two days ago when I was finally able to clear that ear! Since then I have only managed to do it two more times, and the hearing is still reduced from the good ear ( I tested that out today with headphones). Anyhow, I am using the time to catch up on life, and am spending more quality time with my family. My non-diving husband and I are having a relaxing weekend away... A weekend I might have gone diving if not for this.

Thank you you very much for caring.