Ear problem, temporary dizziness

[parrothead600]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'll give it a try.
This past Saturday my 19 year old daughter & I did a dive to 29' w/ average depth of 14'. About 50 minutes into the dive, she indicated that she could not equalize (which is not uncommon for her later in the dive). We ascended shallower & she indicated that everything was OK. Rather than descend & continue the dive, I chose to terminate the dive. Later that day, she told me that she was slightly congested before we made the dive, but had no issues w/ equalizing until approx 50 minute mark. I asked her if her ears felt OK & she said that everything was fine.
Today, she told me that on Monday she did a "closed mouth yawn" & 1 of her ears felt muffled afterward. Wednesday, she tried a Valsalva manuver to attempt to open up her ear. She began to get dizzy which lasted for approx 10 seconds. Approx 15 minutes later her hearing was fine. She said that there are no issues now, but she is concerned because she got dizzy.
I don't feel that the dive we made is a major factor, but it may have contributed to the problem. What do you think happened here?

 

[DandyDon]

I think you're right. The top 30+ feet of the water column are the worst about ear clearing generally.

I just had a friend who is not a member here ask me about ear problems diving. I gave him a long reply ending in linking to this forum to see how common ear problems are the subject of threads, and maybe read some of them. Looks like about half the threads are on ears with a few including dizziness.

 

[TSandM]

I suspect the dizziness (if it was a whirling or spinning feeling) may have been due to unequally pressurizing the ears. If she has one Eustachian tube blocked by swelling, she could easily do this.

There is little true treatment for barotrauma, but there is some anecdotal evidence that antiinflammatories like ibuprofen may be helpful, as well as systemic decongestants like Sudafed. But if the "clogging" persists much longer, your daughter probably should see an ENT doc.

 

[doctormike]

I suspect the dizziness (if it was a whirling or spinning feeling) may have been due to unequally pressurizing the ears. If she has one Eustachian tube blocked by swelling, she could easily do this.

There is little true treatment for barotrauma, but there is some anecdotal evidence that antiinflammatories like ibuprofen may be helpful, as well as systemic decongestants like Sudafed. But if the "clogging" persists much longer, your daughter probably should see an ENT doc.

I agree. Middle ear pressure changes, especially asymmetric pressure changes, can cause dizziness, which usually goes away once the pressure equalizes. The worst case scenario would be an inner ear related process, such as a perilymph fistula, which has the potential for permanent hearing loss, etc... However, these are rare, and most diving related dizziness is of middle ear origin (or a "caloric" response to cold water in the external ear canal stimulating the inner ear through the relatively thin bone).

So, if the symptoms persist, see an ENT doc and get an audiogram, which will help sort out the middle vs. inner ear issue..

Mike

 

[parrothead600]

Thanks for the replys. I checked with her last night & she said that everything was OK.
Now for 1 more question, if I may: As I stated in my original posting; it is not uncommon for her to have problems equalizing after 30 minutes or more into the dive. She has no problems initially, but later in the dive, she may indicate that her ears won't clear. I felt that she was waiting too long to equalize (forgetting to equalize until it started to hurt) which by then it would be too late. She claims that is not the case. I told her to listen for the sound of her bubbles to change also that she may try to pull her hood away to let some water in to help w/ equalization. We have not tried any meds yet but I'm considering trying sudafed or advil. Any other advice?

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks for the replys. I checked with her last night & she said that everything was OK.
Now for 1 more question, if I may: As I stated in my original posting; it is not uncommon for her to have problems equalizing after 30 minutes or more into the dive. She has no problems initially, but later in the dive, she may indicate that her ears won't clear. I felt that she was waiting too long to equalize (forgetting to equalize until it started to hurt) which by then it would be too late. She claims that is not the case. I told her to listen for the sound of her bubbles to change also that she may try to pull her hood away to let some water in to help w/ equalization. We have not tried any meds yet but I'm considering trying sudafed or advil. Any other advice?

Are these shallow dives with multiple ascents and descents? Those are more problematic than dropping down then working back up gradually, but even on those my bud can have difficulties the second dive or second day if he doesn't take preventative actions.

Advil (I prefer aspirin) is for after to reduce pain and inflammation. Sudafed (a brand name used on various decongestants and/or antihistamines) is for before; we like the day before and morning before all diving to help prevent problems. It also helps to practice clearing for days before and hours before diving, as well as clear several times just before the dive. My bud never has problems after a few days into a dive trip - when it's time to pack for home. :depressed:

We don't use hoods much down here, but I read about clearing problems with those who do so much I got to wonder why y'all don't burn ear holes in those things?

This 45 minute video is worth watching more than once for anyone who ever has problems clearing...
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