Ear problem, Tinnitus & Buzzing - Never Diving Again

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Hey guys. Just wanted to update. I've been diving yesterday 2 times. The dive was good and I had no symptoms during or after the dive. So it looks like I gonna start the diving study soon as the Prof. Ent said if I have no symptoms I'm fine.

The only thing I realised is that I need to equalize my left ear more often then the right one. I gonna call the ent Tuesday and ask if that's OK and if he recommend the balloon dilation nevertheless.

But I'm very happy now I can follow my dream and dont need to give up diving.

Maybe this is covered in the thread, but what equalizing method were you using up until the injury occured and did you change? If so, what are you using now?

 

[Oezkan]

Maybe this is covered in the thread, but what equalizing method were you using up until the injury occured and did you change? If so, what are you using now?

I just wanted to write something about that! I was using the usual nose pinching and air blowing method (Val slava I think its called?) - Dan on the phone said I shall swallow instead.

When I pinch my nose and swallow it works on the surface but unfortunately it didn't in the water so I did the usual method. But I did it softer and more often then I normally do. (normally I do it strong)

I did just a 6 weeks break and take every day this congestion nose spray and before the dive a congestion pill. That's all.

 

[Angelo Farina]

My suggestion: take a class on advanced equalization techniques. DAN Italy runs routinely these classes, at the Y40 pool and in other locations. A friend of mine who has problems equalizing did take this class 2 years ago. The class did include medical exams with a scuba-specialized ENT doctor.
Then they had theoretical explanation of the different equalization methods (Valsalva, Toynbee, Frenzel, Frenzel-Fattah, Marcante-Odaglia, BTV).
Finally they had to test these different techniques under the survey of instructors, both in air and in the Y40 pool, while using an air tank, down to 12m.
The class did cost around 150 eur and my friend was very happy of it.
Here the link to the equalization course which my friend did take in September 2019: EqualEasy with Andrea Zuccari

 

[rsingler]

I did just a 6 weeks break and take every day this congestion nose spray and before the dive a congestion pill. That's all.

Keep in mind the risk of tachyphylaxis and rebound from the sprays. Talk with your ENT, but my thought is that occasional use is okay to ensure you stay out of trouble. But should you find yourself on a multi-day dive vacation, things may go bad if you are trying to keep your tissues from swelling by spraying every single day.
Tachyphylaxis is the gradual loss of effectiveness from repeated use. Rebound is actual tissue swelling that may occur after your trip, right when you most need to unload the inevitable accumulation of a little bit of fluid in your middle ear and Eustachian tube from repeated dives.

Diving Doc

 

[DanBMW]

I have not read all of the posts, but can probably add some encouragement to your initial post. In the mid 80's I was diving in the Cayman Islands and surfaced with a feeling of cotton in my left ear. I can't remember the details but not long after getting home in Florida, I saw an ENT specialist who was also a diver. He diagnosed my "injury" as an inner ear barothrauma. There was no viable damage and the stuffy, cotton like feeling in my ear gradually disappeared. There was never any pain nor any hearing loss. I was left though with tinnitus in my left ear. That was about 40 years ago and it has been with me since then. I never stopped diving and the tinnitus never got worse. I have probably done several 1,000 dives since the injury and am a safety diver in a local aquarium where I dive several times a week.

BTW, I'm used to the tinnitus and it rarely bothers me except occasionally in the evening when there is little ambient noise. I never hear it when I am diving. You will probably get used to it and be able to continue diving. I was never told to stop.

Feel free to contact me off line for more information or questions.

 

[DanBMW]

"The only thing I realised is that I need to equalize my left ear more often then the right one. I gonna call the ent Tuesday and ask if that's OK and if he recommend the balloon dilation nevertheless."

Don't wait till you get in the water to start equalizing. Start as you wake up in the morning and eventually it will become a habit.

 

[Salamandra]

Oezkan I am so happy you got hopeful news and I wish you all the best!

I'm also very happy to have found this thread since I was taught the nose-pinch-blow method (without actually learning the name) on my OWC. I was already experimenting with swallowing but it never would have occurred to me to start equalizing the morning of a dive and now I know.

 

[Oezkan]

Hi guys, some new updates again. First of all @rsingler my ENT said there is no risk of tachyphylaxis because I do not take the short term use nose spray which has this risk. I take a saltwater one that u can use daily longterm (6 month).

@DanBMW thanks for sharing. It gives me a little bit hope. But please read my text here below now as there is some updates about that

OK I moved now To the gold coast and left my job and all friends behind for this diving study. I have done here 5 dives so far. 1 dive every day for 5 days in a row. Additionally some free diving too.

I never got pain or this loud buzzing again in my left air. The only thing is that the tinnitus gets a bit worse after the dive and then after a day better again. But it still doesn't bother me though. My dive instructor in this school who has 8000+ dives has tinnitus from diving too for 20 years. He said it gets worse and better worse and better all the time. But long term it gets better.

Anyway. I really don't have so much luck!!! On my day 5 I had a little problem with equalizing the right ear (the one that never had issues). The popping worked on the surface but the pressure feeling you get when you do so disappeared all the time. Then I started diving. I had to little bit force it but it worked. Then I got a very mild pain and acended, equalities again and kept diving. I couldn't feel the popping but there was no pain anymore so I kept diving on this depth which was around 10 meters. No symptoms after but a day later I got pain and a little tinnitus on the right ear now too I went to a diving medical gp. She said its no barotrauma but there is a little infection and that's all. The tinnitus can be from that too. Taking drops now.

Not going well for me lately. Hope I can go diving again next week. Also, a barotrauma would make symptoms after the dive if I'm correct and not a day later right?

 

[Oezkan]

Maybe I have some other issue that affects my both ears I don't know

 

[Oezkan]

Also maybe important, I got the cold or a flue now too. I guess maybe when I did the dive I was already ill and got something blocked. But it's just a guess.