RubberDucky
Contributor
- Messages
- 178
- Reaction score
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Hi all,
First I'd just like to state that I've searched these forums and Google, but have come up short handed in finding a suitable answer. I also understand that advice given here does not constitute a doctor/client relationship, etc etc etc.
In January of 2008 I became OW certified in Cozumel. This was comprised of 5 dives at relatively shallow sites: La Francesa, Columbia Shallows, and Paraiso. I mostly hung around the 30 foot (9 meters) mark.
Not long after getting certified - a few days or so perhaps - I began to have problems hearing out of my right ear. When I tilted my head, I could hear fluid moving around. Silly me, I thought it was just ocean water and would simply dry up. When that didn't happen, I went to an ENT who gave me an antibiotic, a steroid, and a nasal spray, and told me to do the valsalva throughout each day. About a week later, while doing the valsalva one morning, some yellowish warm liquid fluid started leaking out of my ear. I could suddenly hear better and knew I was on the right road to recovery. Exactly 1 week later the same exact thing happened. All the fluid was finally gone and my ear felt normal again.
Fast forward to March/April 2009. I went to Cozumel and did 37 dives, which should've been double that, but a number of minor medical issues interfered. To my disappointment, I ended up with fluid behind the eardrum again. The same ENT that I saw in 2008 said that the eardrum was so far sunk into my ear canal (due to the negative pressure) that he referred me to an ear specialist. I ended up having to get a CAT scan, which showed the specialist what the problem was - fluid behind the eardrum.
Once again I started a regimen of nasal spray and antibiotics (no steroid this time that I recall), while doing the valsalva throughout the day. Just like last time, it only took a week or so before the fluid came leaking out from behind the eardrum.
Today, things are mostly back to normal, although I can tell that my ear is definitely not 100% the way it used to be. Hearing tests showed that I can hear just as well as before, although sometimes it'll "click", and there have been brief flashes of minor discomfort (kind of hard to explain that one).
My mother also dives and has had similar issues. The both of us have small ear canals, according to the doctors we've seen. I guess this is the main cause of the problems with the fluid buildup behind the eardrum. I was never really able to get a clear, concise explanation about the *exact* cause of the problem, but it's obvious that it was caused by diving. I also had a history of ear infections when I was a baby, and have had tubes in my ears as a result. Eventually those problems went away. I was so young when that happened that I don't remember anything about it at all. In other words, I've had no problems with my ears while growing up.
I did most of my dives in March/April 2009 on Sudafed (the kind you need a prescription for, the stuff with pseudoephedrine), per my ear doctor's recommendation to help with equalization. I'll note that the only problems I really ever had with equalizing were on my first few dives back in 2008. The dives I did earlier this year went very well. I got to the point where I could equalize very quickly. I had been practicing the valsalva even before the trip, as I've heard that can help somehow. I am a strong practitioner of "equalize early and equalize often" (every few feet or so). The dives I did without Sudafed, I also had no problems equalizing.
The small hole I had in my eardrum was likely from a reverse squeeze, as explained by an ear doctor in Cozumel. However, having not had any issues with this on any of the dives, I'm more inclined to think that it was due to my excessive habit of doing the valsalva in between and after dives. I've read (somewhere) that this can be problematic. Anyway the hole cleared up within a week or so according to the ear doctor. I did go snorkeling during this time, however, and paid for it with a nice (painful) outer ear infection. Whoops
That took a week or so to clear up.
Getting to the point here, none of the ear doctors and specialists (including one who works at one of the hyperbaric chambers / medical facilities in Cozumel) are able to recommend a solution. My mother was told she could still dive, but should not do so very often. I still want to dive. So does she. I do not, however, want to risk hearing loss. However, I'm missing the part of my brain that tells me when to officially call something quits, and against doctors' recommendations, I'd like to try beating this "fluid behind the eardrum" thing.
I've read the supposed benefits of using this mask on their website: ProEar 2000 - Benefits
I'm curious if anyone can tell me of their experiences - first hand or second hand - of using this mask to overcome the trapped eardrum fluid issue. Or, if you are aware of any other possible solutions, that would be great to hear as well. I'd be willing to try just about anything. Of course, I can live without ever diving again, but who wants to do that It's entirely possible I just might order the mask and head to Cozumel for a week or so and test things out on my own. I'm open for all suggestions, however. I asked the ear specialist about a surgery that can expand your ear canal(s), but he adamantly refused to have anything to do with that, stating it would be a risky procedure given the proximity of the carotid artery. Fair enough. I will defer to his judgement on that one.
Thanks for reading, and for any advice or recommendations about the ProEar2000, or anything else.
First I'd just like to state that I've searched these forums and Google, but have come up short handed in finding a suitable answer. I also understand that advice given here does not constitute a doctor/client relationship, etc etc etc.
In January of 2008 I became OW certified in Cozumel. This was comprised of 5 dives at relatively shallow sites: La Francesa, Columbia Shallows, and Paraiso. I mostly hung around the 30 foot (9 meters) mark.
Not long after getting certified - a few days or so perhaps - I began to have problems hearing out of my right ear. When I tilted my head, I could hear fluid moving around. Silly me, I thought it was just ocean water and would simply dry up. When that didn't happen, I went to an ENT who gave me an antibiotic, a steroid, and a nasal spray, and told me to do the valsalva throughout each day. About a week later, while doing the valsalva one morning, some yellowish warm liquid fluid started leaking out of my ear. I could suddenly hear better and knew I was on the right road to recovery. Exactly 1 week later the same exact thing happened. All the fluid was finally gone and my ear felt normal again.
Fast forward to March/April 2009. I went to Cozumel and did 37 dives, which should've been double that, but a number of minor medical issues interfered. To my disappointment, I ended up with fluid behind the eardrum again. The same ENT that I saw in 2008 said that the eardrum was so far sunk into my ear canal (due to the negative pressure) that he referred me to an ear specialist. I ended up having to get a CAT scan, which showed the specialist what the problem was - fluid behind the eardrum.
Once again I started a regimen of nasal spray and antibiotics (no steroid this time that I recall), while doing the valsalva throughout the day. Just like last time, it only took a week or so before the fluid came leaking out from behind the eardrum.
Today, things are mostly back to normal, although I can tell that my ear is definitely not 100% the way it used to be. Hearing tests showed that I can hear just as well as before, although sometimes it'll "click", and there have been brief flashes of minor discomfort (kind of hard to explain that one).
My mother also dives and has had similar issues. The both of us have small ear canals, according to the doctors we've seen. I guess this is the main cause of the problems with the fluid buildup behind the eardrum. I was never really able to get a clear, concise explanation about the *exact* cause of the problem, but it's obvious that it was caused by diving. I also had a history of ear infections when I was a baby, and have had tubes in my ears as a result. Eventually those problems went away. I was so young when that happened that I don't remember anything about it at all. In other words, I've had no problems with my ears while growing up.
I did most of my dives in March/April 2009 on Sudafed (the kind you need a prescription for, the stuff with pseudoephedrine), per my ear doctor's recommendation to help with equalization. I'll note that the only problems I really ever had with equalizing were on my first few dives back in 2008. The dives I did earlier this year went very well. I got to the point where I could equalize very quickly. I had been practicing the valsalva even before the trip, as I've heard that can help somehow. I am a strong practitioner of "equalize early and equalize often" (every few feet or so). The dives I did without Sudafed, I also had no problems equalizing.
The small hole I had in my eardrum was likely from a reverse squeeze, as explained by an ear doctor in Cozumel. However, having not had any issues with this on any of the dives, I'm more inclined to think that it was due to my excessive habit of doing the valsalva in between and after dives. I've read (somewhere) that this can be problematic. Anyway the hole cleared up within a week or so according to the ear doctor. I did go snorkeling during this time, however, and paid for it with a nice (painful) outer ear infection. Whoops
That took a week or so to clear up.Getting to the point here, none of the ear doctors and specialists (including one who works at one of the hyperbaric chambers / medical facilities in Cozumel) are able to recommend a solution. My mother was told she could still dive, but should not do so very often. I still want to dive. So does she. I do not, however, want to risk hearing loss. However, I'm missing the part of my brain that tells me when to officially call something quits, and against doctors' recommendations, I'd like to try beating this "fluid behind the eardrum" thing.
I've read the supposed benefits of using this mask on their website: ProEar 2000 - Benefits
I'm curious if anyone can tell me of their experiences - first hand or second hand - of using this mask to overcome the trapped eardrum fluid issue. Or, if you are aware of any other possible solutions, that would be great to hear as well. I'd be willing to try just about anything. Of course, I can live without ever diving again, but who wants to do that
It's entirely possible I just might order the mask and head to Cozumel for a week or so and test things out on my own. I'm open for all suggestions, however. I asked the ear specialist about a surgery that can expand your ear canal(s), but he adamantly refused to have anything to do with that, stating it would be a risky procedure given the proximity of the carotid artery. Fair enough. I will defer to his judgement on that one.Thanks for reading, and for any advice or recommendations about the ProEar2000, or anything else.
