Diving with swimmers ear?

[kheldar321]

I have a question for everyone out there. I know everyone has their own opinions so I'm curious to see what I get ....

I am leaving on a dive trip Saturday, stopped by the Dr. to get a quick checkup and found out I had a mild case of swimmers ear (outer, drum is fine)?!?! May have been left over from a couple of weeks ago or a slight scratch in the canal :/ I don't feel it, never bothered me. The Nurse practitioner gave me some cipro drop and said I should be fine to dive, just keep using the drops. I normally dive with proplugs also.

My opinion is since I can equalize fine ATM and no pain, I should dive dive dive I plan on keeping up with the medicated drops and use the ear dry stuff after every dive. Any thoughts, opinions? I hate to cancel a trip over this since it's not bad....

Anyone?

Thanks!

 

[TSandM]

Well, the standard advice for otitis externa (swimmer's ear) is to keep the canal dry. But then again, the standard case of otitis externa isn't diagnosed in an asymptomatic patient, and that makes me wonder a little about on what basis the diagnosis was made.

If you are going to dive, I would be extremely careful to make sure your ears are dry after diving, with the drying solution, and then use the antibiotics. If you develop any ear pain, though, I'd cease diving until it has resolved.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Concur with TSandM above, with the added comment that proplugs do not exclude water from the ear and therefore won't have any protective effect in this case.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[kheldar321]

TSand - I did have a small scratch in the canal of my ear due to a fingernail of a baby, maybe the redness was a guess. I feel fine although the meds they gave me makes my ear ache when it didn't before. I got cipro liquid, I know it's a side effect. I may not even have it... can tug and push on my ear all day long.

Duke - I know the plugs don't keep water totally out but I seem to have less issues with my ears when using.

Thanks!