Finally certified, some ear problems

[rrostie]

I finished my OW this past Sunday at Beaver Lake, AR. I had some dificulties with my ears though. I couldn't get my left ear to equalize good the first day, and my ears were stuffed after.
I was afraid to dive the second day, but I wanted to get it done, so I dove anyways and I'm glad I did. I had no problems equalizing as I learned to descend slower and had a more enjoyable time underwater. I still had a little problem equalizing when I went up though, but it helped if I went up as slow as possible. We were just shore diving, and I bet I would have had an easier time if I swam along the bottom to the shore instead of going straight up, but I didn't get a chance to try.
It's been a couple days now and my left ear feels very stuffed up in the morning till after I take a decongestant. I had to take another one tonight as my ear was starting to bother me again after taking a nap. At least taking a pill gives me some relief. I will look into irrigating my sinuses before I go diving again.
The only problem I had diving was descending, and I suspect it was because I was overweighted. It took me longer than everyone else to start to descend when I deflated my BC and then I sank pretty fast, though I think I controlled my descent better the last couple dives I did. I didn't want to descend and ascend more than I had to though the way my ears were having problems (though they didn't hurt underwater on the second day.)
I also did part of the peak boyancy specialty after my fourth check out dive and had no problems swiming through hoops on the bottom.

 

[Chris66]

See my most recent post - same issue. It is quite possible that you might have the same thing that I had - a little blood in the middle ear - I had my buddy - an ENT doc have a look - ofcourse he castigated me for not equalizing better but hopefully I will learn from my mistakes

 

[TSandM]

Sounds as though you have some barotrauma from insufficient or tardy equalization. You are not alone! It's a common new diver error, to wait too long to equalize, either because you don't realize what the sensation is that should trigger the action, or because you're too overloaded to manage everything at once.

If the symptoms fairly promptly resolve, you're probably fine.

If you get out a week or more and the ear is still feeling "full" and your hearing is decreased, you should probably not dive, and see an ENT doc.

If you resolve and do more diving, try to be more aware of the sensation in your ears, and equalize earlier and more thoroughly.

 

[rrostie]

I am not too worried about it, since the decongestant clears up the symtoms, and I had no problems equalizing while decending on the second day. I will probably try to see my doctor this week.
I should practice the throat-bobbing maneuver with a snorkel in my mouth. I agree it was caused by task overloading a bit.

 

[scratchmyback]

I too have challenges clearing my ears. I'm unable to descend horizontally or by diving down, I need to be vertical for now because of my ears. So I get myself into a pattern where every time I breathe, I clear my ears. Otherwise I can forget to do it and then I have to ascend back up a bit. It's annoying as hell and I feel like such a newbie but for now it's the only way I can do it.

It seems for everyone who has a problem clearing their ears, there are several ways to go about doing it. You just have to keep trying to find what works for you.

 

[jmsurrette]

After my certification my ears were terrible!! To the point that the ENT doctor wanted to put in tubes. And me at 46 years old.!! No way for this Mississippi boy.!! I want to dive.!! I figured that it was a problem caused by the bacteria in the local pool where we practiced (it was nasty) and the amount of time that I had spent in the water over the last few weeks (quite a lot). Turns out that nasonex, asprin, and a 20 day birrage of antibiotics cleared everything up. Maybe you will clear up soon too.

 

[sungod357]

Definitelty sounds like you should at least have an ent have a look. Like tsandm said sounds like not being able to clear the pressure soon enough. I start clearing my ears at two feet and dont stop till at depth.

During a cavern dive at ginnie springs, my dive buddy found a small air pocket in a vent about three feet while and two and a half high. So I stuck my head in to have a peek. I kept the reg in my mouth knowing that it was mostly dead air and co2 in that pocket, there was some cool rock formations, but when I ducked my head back in the water ( we were at 45 ft) the water in my left ear had drained out and the pressure hit me like a ton of bricks. I got so dizzy I nearly vomited in my reg. I signaled problem/ears/accend and we ended the dive right then. It cleared at 10 ft but I was still very dizzy. It went away about twenty min later. I had negelected to use any kind of water removal drops afterward.

In three days my left ear had filled up and began to hurt.. I hit it with alcohol and peroxide mix and it healed in two days. In the mean time the right ear began to hurt and do not respond to four days of the same treatment. I went in to my doc and got some drops and some antibiotics. I ended up at the ER at 4 am two days later cause the pain had spread over the right side of my head. All could hear was my pulse which sounded like a huey coming in low. It pain throbbed with my pulse and got so bad I couldn't sleep. Went home with more ear drops and a script for loritab 10mgs each. BAD DAY. Now I never dive without my ear dry drops. they go in as soon as i'm back in the truck on the way home, and maby a couple times more later that night.

Good luck

 

[rrostie]

My ears are slowly getting better. I got my regular doctor to give me a prescription for antibiotics but I couldn't get in to see an ENT. My wife has an appointment to see one and she couldn't get an appointment till November.
By ear dry drops I assume you mean swimmers ear. I will buy a bottle before my next dive. I will also try some Doc's earplugs after reading the recent thread about them.
I was hoping I could go to Table Rock lake this weekend, but maybe next weekend...
I haven't gotten my C-card yet, so I suppose the only place I can rent equipment is from the LDS that certified me? (It would be easier to rent from the place at Table Rock lake.)