Equalization injury advice

[peterjmaerz]

Hi Diving Docs,

For the 1st time in 225 dives, had an equalization problem yesterday. Felt some pain during a descent, thought I'd perhaps *over* equalized, descended a few feet further, felt strong, sharp pain, realized I'd *under*equalized, ascended a bit. Problem resolved. Continued dive with no further problems equalizing and no pain.

On surface, buddy noticed bleeding from left ear. It was not heavy, felt no pain, no fullness in ear, no affect to hearing. Bleeding subsided almost immediately. Dove second, 35 foot dive with no problems or pain. After surfacing, slight bleeding from ear again which subsided quickly.

As of now (next day), still not suffering any pain, fullness or hearing issues. Made appointment with ENT for tomorrow. I'm not asking for official medical advice. Just want to know what kind of questions I should ask the ENT who may not be familiar with diving issues. Further, wondering what *typically* would be a standard period of non-diving after a perforated eardrum if, in fact, that's what I'm diagnosed with. I've got my dream-of-a-lifetime PNG trip coming up in exactly two months!

Thanks very much as always,

 

[pipedope]

http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/index.html

and watch the video;

Streaming Video Lecture
"The Diver's Ear - Under Pressure"

Scuba diving and snorkeling can be fun ways to explore the depths - especially if you can clear your ears as the pressure changes. In this video lecture Dr. Edmond Kay discusses techniques for preventing middle ear barotrauma. Learn what to do to equalize pressure in your ears, teach others proper techniques and learn the safest way to prevent "ear squeeze". This talk was recorded live in September, 2000 and is now available for Internet viewing over the University's video portal .

 

[peterjmaerz]

Will do.

By the way, contacted DAN who offered some good insight as well.



best,

 

[SDAnderson]

Good thing you aren't asking for medical advice, inasmuch as I'm unqualified to give it to you. From first and second hand experience, I think you're going to find out that you have ruptured your eardrum and that you will be out of the water for 6 to 12 weeks, depending upon the severity of the tear and how quickly you heal.

Bummer, dude. I had a friend pop his eardrum last year and he figured out how to control a valsalva so that he could make his eardrum whistle. A+ saloon entertainment that night, even though the doctor smacked him pretty good for it the next day.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I know a guy who was diving with tubes in his ears. He didn't really need to equalize much but he did out of habit. When he did a valsalva in the water he blew bubbles out his ear.

If I had to guess I'd guess that ...something... happened to the ear drum. In my time diving and teaching I've seen a few squeezes but none bled from the ear.

 

[weekender]

im not a Dr. but i play one in bars. ok, but seriously. the exact same thing happened to me once, although my case might be different because my ear was sore for a day or two. with that being said, everyone i know told me i had a ruptured eardrum. I made a call to DAN and they suggested the ER. i went and the ER dr said there was blood on my eardrum. his diagnosis was a ruptured eardrum and to go see an ENT within a few days. the ENT washed out the dried blood exposing a perfect eardrum. he told me i broke a blood vessel in my ear and the ER dr made an honest mistake. no ruptured ear drum!! i was diving in a few weeks. so try to relax until the ENT has a look, you still have a chance its no biggie.

 

[peterjmaerz]

im not a Dr. but i play one in bars. ok, but seriously. the exact same thing happened to me once, although my case might be different because my ear was sore for a day or two. try to relax until the ENT has a look, you still have a chance its no biggie.

Appreciate the encouragement! Yes, the DAN Doctor, as well as my buddy yesterday, who's a long-time instructor, told me the same: that from my description it's likely that I've busted a few blood vessels and not ruptured the drum. (That's why I opted to do the second, shallow dive yesterday which I would have immediately aborted if I felt any discomfort) Got my fingers crossed till my meeting with the ENT tomorrow.

Best,

 

[MikeFerrara]

I don't even play a Dr. in bars but I wouldn't have kept diving. I'd have it looked at and make sure it's ok before diving again.

 

[weekender]

again, im no dr and hate when people get preachy (sp) but if your ear is bleeding you might want to sit out the next dive. just an idea. i find blood a good indicator of a problem. but maybe thats just me. anyway, good luck.

 

[mania]

As the others I'm not a doctor but I had ear barotrauma. The basic thing is that the ear membrane (sorry but I'm not very good in English medical terms) has to be looked at with the microscope. Very often these are simply a very, very small perforations than can be seen only with the microscope. In my case it healed by itself but it meant 5 months of no diving. When the scar was not visible even with the microscope I was allowed to dive. So this is the basic thing - make sure they use the microscope to have a good look at your ear and its membrane. And be careful - as my doc told me - it's very easy to make the things worst - this is why she forbade me to go to the doc in Egypt - they didn't have the microscope.
Mania