Done before I even began...

[nejohnson]

I was really interested in learning to dive, so I took a trip to see the ENT specialist because I have had problems in the past with my ears not popping while in mountains and on flights. He in pretty simple terms told me that because of the size of my ear tubes, I have no chance of ever being able to dive.:15a:

Oh well, at least I didn't waste any money on buying equipment I'd never be able to use.

 

[El Orans]

That's a pity, but you could always have a go at snorkeling.

Laurens

 

[nejohnson]

I already do a bit of snorkeling, that's what made me want to dive .

 

[ScubaFreak]

That is a pity, sounds unusual to me though, would that be worth getting a second opinion? But Laurens is right, you could try some sorkelling - much cheaper in the long run

Scubafreak

 

[Marek K]

Have you had trouble popping your ears diving down while snorkeling? Even the bottom of an average swimming pool is enough to do or not do it...

Like ScubaFreak, I'd be suspicious of anyone telling me I had "no chance" of doing something.

--Marek

 

[mania]

Exactly.
I would then first of all go to ENT that is experienced either with diver or is a diver.
If you would look at mine ear tubes - answer of a normal ENT would be the same. But my ENT (who knows a lot about diving) said a completly different thing.
So - check whether your ENT knows anything about diving.
Mania

 

[cdiver2]

I was told NO you will never dive after the Dr found out I had three sinuous ops,
I have now been diving 31 years. Get a second opinion.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

I have a similar problem, and have lot of trouble with my ears, especially flying, and have even had to pull over for a few minutes when driving down a long hill. I fight my tubes constantly (even sitting here in the office).

I do dive, and have had to abort a couple of dives because I couldn’t get my ears to clear. However, I have had a lot of successful dives. I have found that if I take Sudafed before the dive and do slow descents I can dive without problems. I use the long-acting Sudafed (12- or 24-hour) to make sure that it won’t wear off during the dive. The Diver’s Alert Network says Sudafed and nasal sprays are OK with the approval of your doctor.

If you can’t clear you ears while snorkeling (free diving), don’t let that influence your decision on whether to SCUBA. When you dive with SCUBA gear, your descents and ascents can be much slower, so the pressure change is slower, and SCUBA allows you much more time to equalize your ears.

I’m not qualified to say that your ENT is wrong, just that you should get a second opinion. Especially if your current ENT is not a diver or specifically knowledgeable about dive medicine.

Also, do some reading (on this board and otherwise) on the different ear-clearing methods, and make sure you get a mask that gives you good access to hold your nose, even with the regulator in your mouth.

Good luck.

 

[WellBelowH2O]

He in pretty simple terms told me that because of the size of my ear tubes, I have no chance of ever being able to dive.

That's a shame, but like the others have said, get a second opinion. DAN can even provide you with a referral to a physician w/ training in dive medicine that would almost certainly be able to give you a more qualified opinion (unless your ENT is up to speed already on diving).

Click here for a link to DAN.

 

[nejohnson]

The weird thing was, I didn't even mention diving to him. I went to the ENT in the first place because I am going on vacation in a couple weeks, and I always have trouble on the plane. Last trip I took, my right ear was pressurized for about 50 hrs.

So I described the plane problem to him and outta the blue he said "Don't ever try to dive". I told him it was weird he said that because that was my next question.

I am going to be snorkeling on vacation...I'm going to try to dive down as deep as possible and see how my ears respond.