First Time drive and my Ears!

[paobrien]

I had my first drive experience last night, and my ears still don't feel right. 24 yrs ago my left ear ruptured after ear infection. I thought after all this time, I would be able to dive, now I am thinking it not such a good ideal and I am sad to think how much I could enjoy diving. I just feel I am prone to middle ear infection. I used swimmers ear after class to prevent ear infection and dry ear canals. I don't have a cold or allergies. Could the scuba earplugs work? or Any other suggestions...I take my next class tomorrow, I don't want to withdraw from diving class. I know I am still learning how to equalize, I am told it should be that hard. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

I so want to dive!

Pam

 

[Bubbletrubble]

There's a big difference between having an outer ear infection (otitis externa a.k.a. Swimmer's ear) and experiencing middle ear barotrauma.

Some people may recommend that you try Doc's ProPlugs. I would recommend working on your equalization technique first.

You're going to need to educate yourself on ear anatomy and all of the different ear equalization techniques. Try them all and figure out which one is right for you. My favorite technique is called the Roydhouse Maneuver. Check out Dr. Kay's website for all of this info. The weblink is in my signature.

If your ears are currently feeling stuffy and your hearing is muffled/diminished, don't go diving again until everything goes back to normal. If the condition seems to be getting worse or you're having any other troubling symptoms (fever, discharge, etc.), see a physician for diagnosis and treatment. Assuming that you have a mild case of middle ear barotrauma, as you progress in your training, you'll learn to equalize early and often to help avoid these kinds of issues in the future.

Good luck.

 

[WetBoy101]

I'm confused! Did you drive to a high elevation and had ear trouble so you are afraid that diving will cause more problems?

 

[drdaddy]

I had my first drive experience last night, and my ears still don't feel right. 24 yrs ago my left ear ruptured after ear infection. I thought after all this time, I would be able to dive, now I am thinking it not such a good ideal and I am sad to think how much I could enjoy diving. I just feel I am prone to middle ear infection. I used swimmers ear after class to prevent ear infection and dry ear canals. I don't have a cold or allergies. Could the scuba earplugs work? or Any other suggestions...I take my next class tomorrow, I don't want to withdraw from diving class. I know I am still learning how to equalize, I am told it should be that hard. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

I so want to dive!

Pam

Pam,
Please don't give up. Do what BubbleTrubble just said and go to Dr.Kay's website. Almost everybody can overcome the problem of equalizing ears. Yes, you may be the 1 in 10 million exception, but probably not. BUT, take it easy and never force yourself to deeper if it is hurting your ears - come up a little and equalize and then do down slowly/gently - equalizing as you go. You need some gentle coaching - hopefully one of your instructors and/or divemasters can help. Sometimes, being 59 years old, I have to go down slower than some younger folk, but I always make it down. Again - go to Dr.Kay's website!

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

 

[a22shady]

As others have stated proper equalization is probably one of the most difficult things to learn. I too as well as many, many other divers had/have issues during training and first couple of dives. Biggest thing to remeber is take your time do not force anything, You will here the term equalize early and often. One thing that helped me greatly once I relized that I was not actually pushing hard enough (I spoke with Dr. Kay via Phone call) who had thought from conversation I was just not using enough force as the books/instructor said to blow lightly/gently but that was not givin enough pressure to equalizr. At the same time you don't do it so your red in the face either.

But once your able to do it you should actually equalize just before your head/ears go under and then every couple feet or every foot if need to. I would highly recomend you watch this video it is very informative. I would not give up so quickly.

Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page

 

[WetBoy101]

I'm guessing by the lack of response that the OP just mis-spelled dive (twice) and didn't mean to type drive (twice). The reason for my first post was my experience of living in the mountains of Colorado and driving (and dirt biking) up and down you get various ear discomfort. And after putting in over 60 dives in the past few months and finding similar squeeze and reverse squeeze, I thought it might be a more simple solution. Just trying to find out more about the actual symptoms, discomfort etc...

 

[jupitermermaid]

I can sooooo relate to your symptoms! I thought I would have to give up diving because of frequesnt ear infections, water being retained in the ear, and loss of hearing for several days after diving. I first tried to determine the answer to the problem by going to an ENT. He gave me drops for my ears and said if it doesn't work, give up diving, but at least give it a chance. I then ordered a special mask that had tubes attached to help equalizing the ears a better chance and kept water out of my ears. Then I tried Doc's Pro Plugs along with the the mask. After many dives, the strap broke on my mask and I had to borrow a "regualr" mask. I was able to dive with no problem; after 4 years of diving, my ears are better than they were before I began diving. I can't say that diving alone corrected my problems (I still have problems with hearing), but I don't have as many ear infections as I used to have. Just my two cents worth. I hope you are able to work things out so that you can continue diving without problems.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

@paobrien: The eardrum (tympanic membrane) separates the outer ear from the middle ear. The Swimmer's Ear Drops that you applied to your ear canal would really just prevent outer ear infection. A common sign of an outer ear infection is ear itchiness or ear pain when you tug on your ear lobe a little. This is all just an FYI. Based on your post, I actually think that you have a mild case of middle ear barotrauma (MEB).

Try autoinflating the middle ear space by using a pinched-nose Valsalva maneuver. If there's too much inflammation inside, you might not be able to equalize. This is a sign you should NOT dive!

If you have MEB, there are a couple of things you can do to try to get some relief -- OTC systemic decongestants (Sudafed) or OTC nasal decongestants (Afrin/oxymetazoline; no more than 3 days of this to avoid rebound congestion).

A physician would be able to prescribe corticosteroid meds to help relieve some of the inflammation. Antibiotics might be prescribed if there's fluid in the middle ear and infection is a possibility. FWIW, eardrops shouldn't be used if the eardrum is ruptured.

You mentioned a previous eardrum rupture 24 years ago. Eardrum rupture is certainly a possibility in cases of MEB. A physician will use an otoscope to visualize the eardrum to check its integrity and appearance.

Pam, please be sure to talk to your instructor about your ear situation prior to your next class. If your ears aren't feeling right, you really shouldn't be diving. It's possible for even shallow scuba dives conducted in a pool to make your ear situation worse. I'm sure that your instructor will understand and be willing to accommodate a change in schedule.

Safety first.

 

[paobrien]

Thank you for all your responses...I did view Dr. Kay video, and I don't have a cold, heavy congestion, early spring in the Midwest...if though I don't normally suffer from allergies. Sudafed has cleared my stuffy feeling nose and I have been able to pressure/equalize on land. I don't want to give up to soon. Thank you all for your encouragemen! Pam