Ear problem question

[tavs]

Hi folks,

I wonder if any of you can help me out with a question:-
I stepped off a liveaboard two days ago in Thailand (14 dives in 4 days) and have been having very slight ear problems since. I felt very slight vertigo as I sat down in the taxi to leave the dock and my ears felt 'full' and my hearing was a bit muffled.
The next morning my head felt full of concrete and I still had very minor vertigo sitting at a computer temporarily and my hearing was noticeably muffled.

It's now the next day and the vertigo seems to have cleared but I still have clogging and low key ache in one ear. I think my hearing might still be slightly muffled. I went to the doc here who didn't seem to know much but said it wasn't an infection and gave me betahistine dihydrochloride which helps the inner ear.
It's possible the ache part is actually my jaw which can be sensitive from having to bite on a crappy regulator for the last two days - it's impossible to distinguish from ear pain. But the fullness and muffledness is definitely the ear.

The info on the web and even from divers here is confusing. Some people say it's normal, others insist it's an infection. I'm interested to know if any of you guys have had similar symptoms and what happened.

My big question really is how long I should wait before diving again. The doc said it can take 6 months for the hearing to come back and if it's not back by then, that's it. So can I dive during this time window?

I equalise by swallowing which on one dive was quite clunky because we descended a bit faster than I'd like to avoid the fast current so I'm assuming that is the source.

Any thoughts appreciated.
Tavs x

 

[scarefaceDM]

I would call a Dive doc and contacted DAN.

I had this simmilar issue a few times.
As the ringing in my head, and the feeling of FULLNESS was getting to me. It turned out to be a BAD CONGESTION in the inner ear. The dive doc told me to take EXTRA STRENGHT SUDAFED for a week. as recommended. and use some Polysporin drops for the pain in the ear. I had swimmers ear and a BAD congestion. Painful but it went away after a few days. And so did the ringing. After a week I went back to see the DIVE doc and she told me to wait one more week then I was good to go.

As for the Jaw pain..yes it is from biting hard. Been there.

But again...seek a qualified Dive doctor.

I would not dive until I have seen a specialist in Dive medicine. Because you can do more harm. DO not fool around with ear injuries even the slightest infection can lead to more problems down the road.

 

[TSandM]

This sounds like barotrauma. If one has trouble equalizing, the squeeze causes fluid to transudate out of the tissue around the middle ear, into the airspace. This fluid remains after the dive, and creates the muffled hearing and the feeling of fullness. Usually, within a few days, the fluid reabsorbs, and sometimes one can assist it with the use of some decongestants.

If the symptoms persist more than a few days, and aren't improving, the situation deserves evaluation by an ENT physician for the possibility of inner ear damage, as in the oval window injury described above.

An excellent resource for information about ears and diving is THIS website.

 

[tavs]

Hi folks - thanks so much for your advice and explanations - it's really helpful.
I'm going to contact Dan to find a doctor who's dive savvy in Malaysia where I'm going tomorrow. The fluid explanation explains a lot.
Thank you so much,
Tavs x