difficult first 25 feet

[caribou]

I was doing the OW training last week end. On my way down (surface --> 20 feet) I was slower than the others to equalize.

sometimes, I was hearing my ears clearing, sometimes I wasn't. The first day I was only hearing sound (you know this internal squissh) from the left ear, on the second day I wasn't hearing any sound, but it was clearing because I was feeling confortable at 35 feet later. This "sound" is troubling me. my instructor told me it was fine, my friends (soon to be divemaster) tell me I have water in my middle ear.

Reading through what was already posted here leads towards the middle ear issue...

What is even more troubling me is that once down at 25 feet and confortable, we were following the bottom going up and down between 25 feet and 40 feet, and it was easy to equalize at this point, actually easier for me than for my friends (ow students too) who were waiting for me on the first 25 feet descend...

So i wonder wether if blowing against your blocked nose HAS to work EVERY time, or if you have to do it several times, because it is not a machine, hence not 100% of the time.

I don't feel any pain or hearing loss, I feel my ear "different" from usual but not as different as when as a kid i was spending the all afternoon in the swiming pool.

Can it be hood related ? I for sure don't have a cold or anything like that.

Just to detail, when I say slow, it was taking me about a minute more than the others for the first 20 feet, and from there, i could equalize as i was finning along the bottom downward.

last question, as I anyhow plan to see a doctor : can any doctor diagnose water in middle ear or this kind of problems ? or does it has to be a "dive" doctor ?

Thank you all
nice forum !

 

[Atticus]

I am NOT a doctor, or have any reason to believe that my advice may be right, useful, etc. but here's my 2 cents if you'll have it.

In my own experience if it's a slosh slosh gurgle gurgle kind of sound that's a bad thing and I stay out of the water for a while / take my medicine / enjoy another hobby.

If it's a squeeeek, there is no pain, and everything seems fine then I personally don't worry very much about it.

Please consider talking to a doctor if you are concerned about this.

Perhaps one of the medical regulators can shine some more educated light on this? I'd like to hear if I'm out of line with how I handle this too.

 

[scubasean]

caribou once bubbled...

So i wonder wether if blowing against your blocked nose HAS to work EVERY time, or if you have to do it several times, because it is not a machine, hence not 100% of the time.

If you don't equalize as you go and your Eustacian tube has already collapsed, it may be that so much pressure is keeping it collapsed that you can't equalize.

In that case, you go up a few feet and try again. (blowing harder has its own associated problems...Please just ascend a few fet and try again)

Repeat as necessary.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

You should equalize on the surface and then every couple feet for the first 30 ft or so if you are prone to having problems clearing.

Once you feel the pressure or the pain it is really too late and you should ascend and start clearing before you feel the need to. Many people will be able to clear more effctively from a vertical position.

You also want to avoid a lot of repeated ascents and decents that can aggravate your ears and estuchian tubes. If your buddy ain't on the bottom with you, wait for him in stead of going back up and having to start the whol;e process over again. It's a good idea to advise the buddy of your problem and intentions befor ethe dive and arrange to have him/her signal you (yank on the flag line etc) if he/she cannot get down or needs to abort the dive.

If you force the issue and continue the descent without clearing it is possible to have the unequalized water pressure force water through or around the ear drum and this can result in water in the middle ear which can result in a nasty infection. If the water is cold it can also result in a really bad case of vertigo.

I have found that the first dive is critical, if you wait for pressure or pain to develop before clearing it seems to cause things to swell and subsequent dives will get progressively harder.

I have also found that often on ascent from the first dive, or during the first dive, that your nose will plug up a lot with...umm...drainage. It works much better for me if I get rid of this as it develops. Blowing your nose under water is pretty simple, just lift the bottom of the mask like you are going to clear it and then blow your nose. Sometimes if things do not go perfectly, you may get some of the... umm...drainage in the mask and you may then want to flood the mask and clear it to clean things out.

Any ENT doc can certainly diagnose fluid in the middle ear and I suspect most GP's or even PA's could do the same. Often the fluid in the ear is not actually water but rather fluid that forms in the ear in response to the barotrauma. In my non medically trained experience, it normally gets re-absorbed in a week or two and resolves on it's own as long as an infection does not develop..

 

[caribou]

what actually happened is that she was staying still while I was going back up 2-3 feet, we would then continue on downward. I never had to go back up all the way to the surface either. and we always stay very close to each other (the nice thing about couple diving...).

so about the squiiiik sound I hear sometimes when my ears clear, does everyone hear it every time or it can clear without making any sound. if it doesn't produce this sound, how do you know ?

and last, do I need a special (dive) doctor to look at my ears (just to make sure I don't have anything weird in there) ? or a regular doctor is fine ?

 

[RICHinNC]

Definitely start equalizing before you enter the water. It will make it easier to do as you go down. And, dont wait until you "feel" like you need to equalize.....it is already too late then.

 

[Atticus]

I agree with what's been said, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with what causes the squeak sound vs. the gurgle gurgle slosh slosh sound?

Equalize on the surface, and every few feet, definitely.

- Atticus

 

[Dr Deco]

Hi:

This is not in my realm of experience. The advice of consulting an ENT physician is good as far as I am concerned.

Dr Deco:doctor:

 

[RICHinNC]

not sure about what causes the sounds.... i just know that if i am very wrapped up in watching something...my ears will tell me if i start to drift up or down. if i am going down i start to get a tightness and pressure.......if i am going up i get a tickle and noise. it helps me keep track of my position depth wise.