4 days later... my ears don't feel right

[breckgirl5]

Thanks all.. I just came from the urgent care clinic (would have preferred ENT, but would have to wait until a weekday and I'm completely unavailable all week).

At least someone (an MD) looked in my ears and confirmed I'm OK. The left ear is a little red. No Otitis. She said I just have to wait out the "clogged" feeling. Joy. I sure wish there was a magic pill. This sucks. If it doesn't get better I will go to an ENT.

 

[Hoosier]

I have seen a doctor for a minor ear problem. She asked me to use a decongestion spray if I have the similar problem in future. The spray prevents a middle ear infection and helps a lot I only use a couple of times every 12 hours whenever I feel something weird. So far so good.

 

[DandyDon]

Breckgirl did you use alcohol/vinegar mix after every dive? I've had some horrible ear infections, until I learned to rinse with that mix after each one, and after each shower on a dive trip.

Otherwise, equalizing well, slowing descents and ascents as indicated, perhaps antihistamines & decongestant, and practice.

See if you can dive Santa Rosa March 18 weekend. Love to dive with ya.

 

[fisherdvm]

Thanks all.. I just came from the urgent care clinic (would have preferred ENT, but would have to wait until a weekday and I'm completely unavailable all week).

At least someone (an MD) looked in my ears and confirmed I'm OK. The left ear is a little red. No Otitis. She said I just have to wait out the "clogged" feeling. Joy. I sure wish there was a magic pill. This sucks. If it doesn't get better I will go to an ENT.

If she said it was "OK", and didn't use a little black bulb to blow air into your ear, I would not quite agree with her. The little black bulb will build a little pressure in the ear canal, and you can visualize the function of the tympanic membrane. Alot of pediatricians will use a machine to generate a graph and that is an objective way to determine eustachian tube function.

At minimal, based on your description, I would prescribe an oral antihistamine and an oral decongestant. I don't like to use combination products, as you might find it harder to fall a sleep with the decongestant at night.

If I found significant eustachian tube dysfunction, I might or might not prescribe an oral antibiotic. Antibiotics are controversial, but if a patient is unlikely to return to me for follow up, I would prescribe them. But it certainly can prevent an ear infection if the eustachian tube doesn't clear up quickly.

I no longer practice family medicine, but treated many barotrauma's in the past. DocVikingdo will likely give you an excellent answer on this.

 

[Dive-aholic]

It sounds like you may have been clearing too hard. It's a common issue. When I first started diving I did the same thing. I would clear too hard and create a "mini suction" in my ears causing water to seep in. The water would settle into a location in my ears where I couldn't drain it so for the next couple of weeks, I'd have that muffled sound. It will basically go away on its own as the water gets absorbed into your body. You can try some of the OTC stuff or home remedies, but I didn't have any luck with any of those things. Basically time was the only healer. The way to avoid this in the future is to clear more often and with less force. Use just enough force to equalize, but not so much that water gets into your ears. You want to equalize the pressure, not eliminate the pressure in your ears.