Diving with fluid in Middle Ear

[TSandM]

The presence of fluid in the middle ear is an indicator that there was trauma. The fluid itself most likely won't impede equalization, and if it's not infected, is unlikely to cause significant symptoms.

The issue is how it got there. It's highly likely that it was from inadequate or delayed clearing during your certification dives. If you dive again soon, the worry is that you will make the same errors and worsen the condition. Your symptoms won't resolve, and may worsen.

The key is to figure out why the original injury happened. Were you just overloaded with other issues, and you forgot to clear? What is to prevent that from happening again on your vacation? These are the questions you have to ask yourself.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The key is to figure out why the original injury happened. Were you just overloaded with other issues, and you forgot to clear? What is to prevent that from happening again on your vacation? These are the questions you have to ask yourself.

I wonder how often this happens to new divers during OW certification. There's so much task-loading going on that I wouldn't be surprised if it were a common occurrence. Perhaps some ear education is in order. Many of us can suggest viewing Dr. Kay's webpage on middle ear barotrauma and video on "Ear Fear."

 

[TSandM]

Thank you, Bubbletrubble, for posting the links I almost always post the Dr. Kay video on ear threads, and it's a testimony to the mind-numbing power of night shifts that I forgot this time!

 

[cruiser]

Mamahama--

A couple months ago I got water in my inner ear (not sure how it happened). ENT told me it may take weeks for the water to clear up, but that I was okay to dive in 14 days. Took his advice and didn't have any residual complications or pain.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I almost always post the Dr. Kay video on ear threads, and it's a testimony to the mind-numbing power of night shifts that I forgot this time!

When I was in college I took a seminar course with Charles Czeisler, a sleep expert. One of the topics we discussed was the cognitive effect of inverted sleep-wake schedules in shift-workers, particularly ER docs and nurses. This Stanford study suggests that the negative consequences are measurable by objective and subjective means.

For that same class, I wrote a term paper on the use of exogenous melatonin for resetting circadian rhythms. Over the last 15 years, there have only been a few studies looking at the efficacy of this treatment. One small study on ER physicians suggested there might be a modest benefit to taking 10mg melatonin at the end of the night-shift. It was hypothesized that melatonin taken in this way increases the quality of subsequent day-sleep and night-alertness. Other studies have found no difference comparing melatonin to placebo.

I'm not saying that you should take any melatonin. Just get some good quality sleep! Maybe one of us...ahem...should post the links in his/her sig. I'll work on that over the weekend.