Failing at Equalizing - Advice, Anyone?

[AEJ]

Hello,

I am new to this site. I am having issues with my ears and thought I'd reach out to you all.

3 years ago, I took an open water diving class. It was a terrible experience overall (1 instructor for 12 students, I was always behind and afraid to try the skills, instructor kept telling us all the ways we could die while diving). During the first deep-water pool session, I successfully descended to about 17 feet and swam around and ascended, and thought all was fine. However, my ears started hurting the next day and I just gave up and quit the class - I wasn't enjoying it anyway, and with ear problems and general fears about certain skills, I was done. I swore I'd never try Scuba again.

So here I am, trying Scuba again. My attitude towards diving has completely changed. I no longer fear diving like I used to. I am ready to dive! This past weekend, I had my pool sessions and successfully demonstrated all of the confined dive skills (clearing mask, removing and replacing mask, breathing without mask, free-flowing regulator, etc.) including the ones I was afraid to try 3 years ago! I was on top of the world until Monday, the next day, when my ears started feeling uncomfortable. Today is Wednesday and my ears are still hurting. I went to urgent care and was diagnosed with a double ear infection - fluid/blood in both ears with bulging eardrums. :depressed:I've begun taking Amoxicillin antibiotics and Medrol steroids.

This is not fun. I can't believe my second attempt at diving has resulted in a double ear infection. What's worse, I'm supposed to go on my open water dives on Saturday and Sunday to obtain my Open Water Certification, and now I probably won't be able to go. Rescheduling will be horrible because I'm only actually in town for 10 more days (at which time my internship ends and I return home, 1000 miles away from here). So I might have just lost hundreds of dollars, too.

So, I'm very frustrated and wondering what I can do to successfully equalize in the future. I am truly trying to equalize properly, but obviously I am doing something wrong. The doctor today said my ears are probably just naturally built in a way that makes equalizing difficult. She said I might have "blown" too hard (I was taught the pinch-your-nose, blow out method). Here I was, worrying I wasn't blowing hard enough?

If any of you have advice for people who have trouble equalizing, please share with me. I don't have any family or friends who dive, so you all are my best resource. I am a recent college graduate in the field of marine biology and I am ready to go beyond snorkeling and actually swim with the fishes I study!!! Please, please, please, any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!!

Amanda

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Watch this and then ask some questions

http://youtu.be/sXx3S74XPhY

 

[CptTightPants21]

As long as you give a gentle blow your ears will equalize and there should be a slight relief of pressure. There can be times where you keep equalizing, but since you at the same depth (bottom or a platform/ship most likely) your ears are already equalized, but you don't realize you are already equalized and keep blowing because you are waiting for that pop/relief of pressure.The general rule is if there is no pain, you are equalized.

As for your certification. I don't know where you live, but you can easy get a referral from your current instructor that will allow you to take the OW certification with another instructor anywhere--usually it is people doing pool sessions in the North and then gong to the tropics for their certification dives in the warm and crystal clear water.

 

[DandyDon]

Don't go this weekend if it still hurts as you can certainly make it worse. The referral approach is a good idea.

Watch this and then ask some questions

http://youtu.be/sXx3S74XPhY

Excellent video, very helpful.

Have you tried pseudoephedrine? I don't even know if you are or will be in the US, but while it's getting more expensive and more difficult to even find - it can be very helpful. I get mine at Walgreens, in their Wal-Act label as it's a daily med for me, and my home buddy cannot at all dive without it and the techniques in the video above - then it just takes him longer to equalize than anyone else for the first 4 or 5 days of a dive trip. He gets good at it about the time to start packing to go home. :silly:

I don't think the doctor can really tell much while your ears are infected & swollen, and besides - many doctors can't tell much about the ear anyway. It's a challenging part of the body to examine and you really need a good ENT for good results sometimes.

Your infection may well not have happened because of poor equalizing tho. I have almost always cleared easily, but if I don't rinse my ears with a vinegar & alcohol solution - I can end up in a doctor's office on the verge of tears. Over the counter products for Swimmers Ear will work but they only contain alcohol & some glycerin. I like to mix my own, and it's virtually free. Opinions vary on how to mix it exactly, but I use ½ white vinegar, ½ 50% alcohol, and add a little glycerin to help prevent pain from the alcohol use over several days of diving. DO NOT USE THIS NOW! It's too late and would hurt like hell. The US Navy tells their divers to put it in each ear while taking turns laying on your sides for 3 minutes each once a day, I think, but I just use it as a cheap ear rinse after each dive and each shower of any dive trip.

I mix up a little to put in 2 or 3 ear applicator bottles for any dive trip - day long or week long, use it often, then discard as it breaks down after a month or so. I guess this is why the OTC bottles don't contain vinegar? It's so cheap tho, no problem.

Equalize early & often, gently. Take the allergy meds if they help and don't cause problems. Ear rinse with the mix often.

 

[TSandM]

You may or may not even have an ear infection. Barotrauma, especially if it results in bleeding, can look awfully like one, to the doctor who is not familiar with divers.

The video linked above is an excellent resource. HERE is another article describing a variety of equalization techniques. It can be very helpful to practice these on land and see which one seems to work best for you, before taking that technique into the water. Decongestants are an option, but shouldn't be used until you are sure you have your technique down, because it's much safer to manage without them.

Ear drops will do nothing for your ability to equalize, nor will they treat barotrauma or otitis media, which is infection behind the eardrum.

 

[EricM.]

I have a hard time equalizing my ears, and have from day one. The worst part is that for weeks afterwords I get the popping while swallowing, and my ears stay clogged for days. I have found that using some sinus formula mucinex or its generic equivalent seems to help a bit. Nothing seems to do much, and the ENT doctor was a waste of co-pay, and time. I chalk it up to the price I have to pay to dive. If anyone has any helpful advice for getting the snot out from behind the eardrums, please pass it on.

 

[DandyDon]

I have a hard time equalizing my ears, and have from day one. The worst part is that for weeks afterwords I get the popping while swallowing, and my ears stay clogged for days. I have found that using some sinus formula mucinex or its generic equivalent seems to help a bit. Nothing seems to do much, and the ENT doctor was a waste of co-pay, and time. I chalk it up to the price I have to pay to dive. If anyone has any helpful advice for getting the snot out from behind the eardrums, please pass it on.

That's the most discussed problem on SB, I think. My home bud has a lot of difficulty the first few days of a dive trip and cannot do it at all without using pseudoephedrine and the methods in the video. He gets good at it the day before we come home.

Have you tried pseudoephedrine? The methods in the video? Do you equalize several times on the boat, then several more in the first 15 feet?

 

[Dhboner]

I'm not sure of the mechanics but years ago someone taught me to puff my cheeks out first then pinch my nose and gently blow and it works every time! These days I can equalize just by swallowing or yawning on the descent but every once in a while, if I am a little congested, I resort to puffing my cheeks up first and it works!

 

[DandyDon]

I'm not sure of the mechanics but years ago someone taught me to puff my cheeks out first then pinch my nose and gently blow and it works every time! These days I can equalize just by swallowing or yawning on the descent but every once in a while, if I am a little congested, I resort to puffing my cheeks up first and it works!

The cheek puffing is a new idea to me. I can see where it'd make equalizing softer.

 

[EricM.]

That's the most discussed problem on SB, I think. My home bud has a lot of difficulty the first few days of a dive trip and cannot do it at all without using pseudoephedrine and the methods in the video. He gets good at it the day before we come home.

Have you tried pseudoephedrine? The methods in the video? Do you equalize several times on the boat, then several more in the first 15 feet?

I just started using a generic mucinex with pseudoehpedrine in it. I get some temporary relief. The next time I go out I am going to try some of the other techniques you have suggested. I think it will just be a matter of conditioning. I can usualy get my ears to equalize with some patience, and by leveling off, but the clearing afterwords can take weeks. I am still trying to clear my middle ear from a dive trip over a month ago.