Ear issues

[lkey6587]

We use EarShield before diving. It’s essentially kind of an oily mix that helps the water kind of roll out. Then we use swimmers ear after. Which is basically an alcohol mix similar to what some others are suggesting here. Typically works for us on several multi-dive days in a row.

 

[rmorgan]

I also use a saline rinse before I go to bed at night before a dive and also repeat this in the morning to keep my sinuses clear. I keep some Otrivine handy though just in case I get congestion, but prefer to use it at night rather than prior to the dives if possible.

Two trips ago I was having some trouble clearing. About a month before our last trip, I started using the Neilmed "Sinugator," which is basically a motorized neti pot, every day or two, and took a Neilmed squeeze bottle overseas. I was impressed with the results; I had some dives where I didn't need to manually clear, and no dive where I had any trouble.

I use ciprodex (cipro and a steroid) for OE and it works great, but only after symptoms have started. I have not used it to prevent any issues.

In Lembeh a couple of months ago I started getting mild pain in an ear. I immediately started using Ciprofloxacin, which my internist had prescribed for us to take with. The discomfort was arrested pronto and steadily improved. I didn't miss a dive, and am pretty sure I would at least have been out for a couple of days, if not packing my gear, without the drops.

 

[uncfnp]

I use ciprodex (cipro and a steroid) for OE and it works great, but only after symptoms have started. I have not used it to prevent any issues.

I’m guessing polysporin could help as well once OE set in. I’m not sure how well it would work to prevent any problems in the first place.

It would be for treatment not prevention.

Obviously prescription Ciprodex is a better choice. The Polysporin otic is OTC and possibly an alternative for travel/LOB when other options are limited.

 

[LI-er]

Yes...that has been the message from ENT doctors for decades. What can I say...every dive boat I've been on has folks using Q Tips despite this knowledge.

As I said earlier in the thread I use Q-tips all the time. Gets rid of the itch, gets rid of the wax and I've never gotten an ear infection. As per your post lots of divers do this probably for the same reasons I do. If they got infections, or suffered hearing loss or other ear problems or one or both ears fell off, it naturally follows that they wouldn't continue to do it.

Based on this anectodal evidence/statistics, perhaps the ENTs don't always get it right. It's also been my experience that trained professionals in general don't always get it right. So don't blindly rely on advice dispensed even by so-called reputable sources. Sure, consider it, use it, and then do what works for you.

 

[LI-er]

NEVER use use Q-tips in your ears. Before, during or after a dive trip.

Again, this advice is questionable at best and is simply regurgitated over and over again because some trusted authority said it and others simply take his or her word for it.

 

[kinoons]

As I said earlier in the thread I use Q-tips all the time. Gets rid of the itch, gets rid of the wax and I've never gotten an ear infection. As per your post lots of divers do this probably for the same reasons I do. If they got infections, or suffered hearing loss or other ear problems or one or both ears fell off, it naturally follows that they wouldn't continue to do it.

Based on this anectodal evidence/statistics, perhaps the ENTs don't always get it right. It's also been my experience that trained professionals in general don't always get it right. So don't blindly rely on advice dispensed even by so-called reputable sources. Sure, consider it, use it, and then do what works for you.

The major concern with Q-tips is perforation of the TM. Secondary are the other concerns as noted.

Hence the old saying don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.

 

[LI-er]

The major concern with Q-tips is perforation of the TM. Secondary are the other concerns as noted.

Hence the old saying don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.

Yes, if done incorrectly or too forcefully or with too sharp an object there can be problems.

That's like saying never use a steak knife, only use a plastic utensil, because someone might, when cutting a thick, juicy Rib-Eye, suddenly experience an itch, turn the knife around and stick it their abdomen.

 

[kinoons]

Yes, if done incorrectly or too forcefully or with too sharp an object there can be problems.

That's like saying never use a steak knife, only use a plastic utensil, because someone might, when cutting a thick, juicy Rib-Eye, suddenly experience an itch, turn the knife around and stick it their abdomen.

I’d be willing to bet the absolute risk of breaking a TM with a q-tip vs accidental stabbing are orders of magnitude apart. I’ve seen several broken TMs in my career from q-tips. I can only recall one or two truly accidental serious stabbings; and I’ve worked in emergency medicine for over 20 years.

Relatively speaking a TM rupture from a q-tip is rare when compared to something like a viral URI. But the occurrence is common enough for clinicians to recommend not using cotton swabs to clean the ear canal.

 

[uncfnp]

Yes, if done incorrectly or too forcefully or with too sharp an object there can be problems.

That's like saying never use a steak knife, only use a plastic utensil, because someone might, when cutting a thick, juicy Rib-Eye, suddenly experience an itch, turn the knife around and stick it their abdomen.

Nothing covers every circumstance but in gereral the advice against Qtips is sound and I speak from professional experience. Not only is there risk of acute injury or foreign body, the greater concern is 1) micro abrasions that open the skin to infection, 2) removal of the EAC’s protective barrier again increasing the risk of infection and last and perhaps the most common I would see, 3) cerumen packed tight into the canal that then requires professional removal.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

HI all,
I am off diving again for a couple of months. I sometimes have issues with the ears at some point.
I'm looking for some ideas to keep my ears healthy.
What is the best way to clean the ears after diving ?
Do people use anything pre diving ?
What solution should I use if I have ear issues ?
Thanks in advance

Just verifying that you're talking about your external ear canals vs. middle ear/equalization. If that's the case, the simplest thing you can do is rinse your ears out after diving just like you rinse your gear out. Pull the pinna (the part of your ear that you can see) gently upward and back to straighten the ear canal, then run a gentle stream of water into it. The shower works fine. If you're diving in water you're concerned about or if you're particularly prone to external ear infection, then using @doctormike 's ear beer recipe would be reasonable.

Best regards,
DDM