Diving with a history of eardrum ruptures.

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I perforated my right TM just about one year ago. I was given anti-biotics and referred to an ENT, who recommended that I stay out of the water for a month. Which I did. I was cleared to dive, and a month later ruptured again. This time, the ENT prescribed Nasonex. I haven't had any problems since then.

I had a theory that my problems were due more to technique than to anything physical, so about two months ago, I stopped taking the Nasonex. Still no problems.

In my case, it's not so much a matter of going slow as it is consciously equalizing very frequently; usually after every breath on the way down. I stop if there is even a hint of pressure.

Hope this helps.
 
Hard hat diving? Not that I've ever seen it in a recreational context, but that would certainly keep the middle ear dry in the event of a ruptured eardrum.
I have a very long history of ear problems & my last ENT finally cleared me to dive with those dang tubes in.
I wouldn't trust the "ear cup" mask assemblies, too easy to get dislodged.
The Kirby-Morgan Superlite series of hats can be very easily adapted over to be used free-swimming.
A used hat in decent condition will set you back at least $2500. Then there's the training part; you'll need to find someone willing to train you in its use. Weighing in at around 30 lbs they can be a bit of an annoyance to lug around.
 
I just purchased and tried out the Pro Ear Mask in a pool. The mask is a high quality product, well constructed and easy to adjust. The ear cups can be freely moved along the strap to position them over your ears. They really sealed well. The mask fit was comfortable. I had a little leakage from below my nose, though I have a mustache. I shave my mustache down under my nose, but may have to do more. Another idea occurs to me, use soft ear plug silicone to make a smooth surface right under my nose(man, have you got a booger.....) for a good seal.

The swim, verrrrrry interesting. My first impression was like I had three masks on my head. Hearing was different, less roaring though higher pitched sounds came through more clearly. I could easily flood and clear my mask without dislodging or flooding the ear cups. It was really nice not having water wash in and out on the surface, that slapping feeling you get. My ears won't necessarily stay completely dry, but this mask is sure going to be a big step towards protecting them.

The mask has tubes running to the ear cups from the top of the skirt. I don't know how it will do if you really go head down alot.
 
How much does the Pro Ear Mask cost I'm a new diver and just got back from Grand Cayman and after my first dive I haven't been able to hear the same, my left ear finllay can hear my right is still clowdy, muffled, has a fealy of being full of something.

Any Ideas how long it take to clear up or if I should go to the doctor. no pain just weird feeling. we did 14 dives and I thought I'd start looking for something like this to keep the water out next time I dive.

it's been a week today.
 
As the person who started this thread, let me update you what I ended up doing and what my experiences were on my last trip. As part of that, I'll try to answer some of the questions that have been put out there by some of you.

I decided to use the ProEar mask along with the Doc's vented Pro Plug together. I just finished with two weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii where I completed 30 dives, including dives to 135 feet, night dives, bounce dives. (Note: I am not a sport diver. I dive professionally deploying and retrieving gear.) In addition I did a fair amount of free diving, which I find more stressful on the ears since you tend to swim to depth fast, and rise from dives very quickly when out of air. The mask and the ear plugs worked great. I found it easier to clear, they kept my ears dry, and I don't end up blowing an eardrum.

First about the mask. None of the dive shops in my area carried the ProEar. I was nervous about buying a mask online since you can't asses fit. I ended up buying all four styles of the ProEar mask from Ear Inc. They sell the masks for $80 each. There are plenty of sites on the web that list them for less money but they either only had one style, or didn't look trustworthy. I called Ear Inc. up in advance and they were very helpful and at least one of them seemed to be knowledgeable about the masks. From their descriptions I couldn't tell which of the four styles I would want. With their 30 day return policy, I could try all of them and send the ones I didn't want back. I tried them all at a local pool.

A word on fit first. I have a mustache as well, and I find that smearing it with Vaseline works best to get a good seal. That worked well with these masks and was defiantly required. I don't have huge ears but I need to tuck my ears into each cup and make sure the double seals lie flat. I have a shaved head so I didn't have to worry about getting hair in the way. I imagine if you did, it would be more difficult. You have to get the mask tight but not too tight to get everything to seal. It is more tuning than I'm used to, but wasn't bad. Also, the strap does fit very low on the back of your head, which takes some getting used to, but it doesn't slip around.

I tested the masks first by putting some weight on and going slowly down and up the deep-end ladder to 12 feet clearing carefully each way. No problems. Then I put on a a bunch of weight and went to the bottom with a tank and regulator. At this point, I really felt no appreciable difference using this mask, except that my ears were dry. I took the whole mask and ear cups off and put them back on. With a bit of fiddling, I was able to clear all three chambers. To do this, you have to make sure the bottom side of the chamber you want to clear is the loosest spot in the system. That required holding the mask and alternate ear chamber on tightly while almost lifting the bottom of the one you want to clear. But after a few tries I found it pretty easy. I tried these test with each mask. I didn't see a difference in performance between the masks. I ended up liking the Mondeo model the best. It has a single front panel, which I like, felt better on my head, and gave me a better seal. I don't have corrective lenses. If you do you'll want the Corona. The 2000 looks cool, being all black and retro, but the Corona is nearly identical, is more modern, and likely to have a longer life when exposed to lots of sun. Though the shop suggested the Panorama was their best seller, I didn't like it at all. Too many windows.

Also, in the pool, I tested Doc's ProPlugs. They work as advertised. When properly fitted, using just the plugs, my ears stayed dry to the bottom of the 12 foot pool. Doc's says they keep ears dry to 20 feet but the pool didn't go that deep. Then I tried the mask and plugs together. It really made no difference in the performance of the mask nor the ease of use. I ripped the mask off my head underwater, and the plugs stayed in and kept my ears dry. Then I put the mask back on, and cleared all the chambers. When I came up, a colleague confirmed that my ear cups were dry and so were my ears, outside and inside the plugs. So the plugs proved a solid backup for the mask, at least in shallow water.

After all this testing, I felt confident that I could use these in the field. My colleague, who is my buddy in the field, felt confident as well. In addition to these two tools, I brought some moldable earplugs in case I blew my eardrum. My plan was that if a hole opened, between dives I could seal the ear at the canal, then use the ProEar mask as insurance. I never implemented this plan and was not able to test it since my eardrum didn't rupture. I can't report (yet) on if this would work.

My experience in the field was even better than my experience in the pool. I was able, with just the plugs, to jump the line to submerged mooring buoys. Free diving to 30 feet then darting for surface, I definitely felt the stress on my ears but they didn't blow. Scuba diving proved much easier. Clearing did seem easier than it has been recently. (I should add though that I also sprayed up with Affrin and took decongestants before each dive. I hadn't been doing that on my last trips.) On accent, I found that if I chewed lightly on my mouthpiece or swallowed a little I could clear easily all the way to the surface. I didn't have any problems when hanging upside-down, nor on head-first decents, or at 135 feet. It quickly becomes natural to blow a little more air out through your mask than you normally might to keep everything at the right pressure. My buddy noticed that I had a pretty steady little stream of bubbles coming out of one of the ear caps. It wasn't a problem and was just the loosest spot for any excess air to flow out.

My experience was very good, but not perfect. Here are a few complaints, which I think I will just have to get used to. 1) The mask looks funny. Especially with the hood that's made for it. Don't try to ware this mask and maintain any sense of dignity. It won't work. 2) Between putting in the earplugs, greasing my mustache, maneuvering the ear cups into place, tucking my ears in, checking the seal, identifying leaks and reseating the mask, it adds about 2 minutes to my preparation time and put me behind the rest of my group consistantly. And you can't rush it. When I did, I found myself having to do the adjustments underwater and clear the mask. That just takes more time and effort and is less safe. 3) With both the plugs and the mask, you are virtually def. I ended up wearing only one ProPlug in my left ear. My right eardrum has never blown so I took that one out so that I could hear. Even so, I had to get my shipmates to yell to communicate and the sound of distant singing humpbacks was greatly reduced.

I don't think this solution is right for everyone. You still need to be prepared for a complete system failure. If you blow your eardrum, loose your ear plug and mask all at the same time, or on the same dive, you are going to be in trouble. You need to have a plan. I agreed that I would to no decompression diving so I could always be brought safely to surface. In addition, I put a bongger on my tank and worked out a clear acoustic signal with my buddy incase everything went wrong. I don't think you should even try this unless you feel very confident you won't panic if something bad happens. I definitely don't think this is a solution for everyone. But for me, I'm convinced it will allow me many more years of happy, if quite funny looking, scuba diving.

Thanks to all of you who wrote in. I hope this thread has been and will continue to be helpful to some of you.
 
Joelzee:
... just got back from Grand Cayman and after my first dive I haven't been able to hear the same, my left ear finllay can hear my right is still clowdy, muffled, has a fealy of being full of something. Any Ideas how long it take to clear up or if I should go to the doctor. no pain just weird feeling. we did 14 dives and I thought I'd start looking for something like this to keep the water out next time I dive. it's been a week today.

Joelzee, GO SEE A DOCTOR. Don't mess around with your hearing. Even if it ends up being nothing, you need to get it checked out.
 
Gene,

After reading your post, I also suggest seeing a doctor. I have e-mailed my boss, who is also a doctor. He e-mailed me a list of precautions if you are diving with a ruptured ear drum. I hope this list helps.


DIVING WITH A RUPTURED EARDRUM OR VENTILATION TUBES

Do not dive is the best advice.
Learn what it sounds like when you have a hole in the eardrum.
Squeeze your nose and blow air gently into the ears as when equalizing.
When one tries to equalize on dry land there will be a thud with a normal intact eardrum.
If there is a big hole, the sound will be like a "whoof".
If the hole is tiny, the sound will be a squeak or squeal.
Do not check the amount of healing by equalizing more than once a day in listening for the different sounds. You may create enough pressure to blow the healing cells apart preventing the formation of a new membrane.
So be very careful.
I advise that you do not take chances. It is best to not dive.
Get the opinion of an ear specialist to find out if he agrees with the following directions.
If you are a die-hard and must dive, try to seal off the earcanal. You can do this with cotton mixed with Vaseline. Use a cotton plug big enough to fill the canal, about 1/2" long x 3/8" thick. More or less depending on the diameter of your canal.
Sew a thread through the plug and bring the thread to outside of the earcanal so that the cotton plug can be pulled out easily after the dive.
A Proplug should be placed in the ear to further hold the cotton plug in place. A vented Proplug can be used as the vent will be sealed by the Vaseline.
A vented Proplug must be used in the normal ear or no plug at all.
The ruptured eardrum must be checked from time to time by a physician to see if it has healed or has become infected. If diving at least once per week, see the doctor every 1 to 2 months. More often early on.
It is important to know whether the eardrum is healed or not. If there is no longer any hole, the vented earplug must be used or no plug at all to permit equalization. Blocking the canal completely once healed would be very dangerous for the fragile eardrum. At first, depths must be greatly reduced. Perhaps 10 ft or less because of the pressure.
is already very intense at that seemingly shallow depth. Depth can be increased progressively by small increments. Your dive instructor can tell you how much the baropressure increases per foot of descent. It may be that you can never go as deep as you once could go without further injuring your eardrum.
Copyright Robert T. Scott, M.D.
 
Hi DPP Santa Cruz,

The thread to which you have just responded was started on Jan 29, '06 and the most recent post prior to yours is dated Mar 24, '06.

In the likely event that at least some of the original participants are no longer following this thread, you may wish to PM or email them with your contribution.

Regards,

DocVikingo
 
My daughter has a ear drum rupture that was just diagnoased yesterday 7/14/08. We are scheduled to go to Cozumel for diving 08/16/08.

First off I wonder if her ear drum will be healed in time. Doc said its a small rupture.

Second, there is a mask called a proear 2000. Their website is Swimming Ear Protection Diving Masks ProEar 2000 With this will she be able to dive weather the ear is healed or not?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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