Had left ear drained

[flyguy]

Well after waiting about 3 weeks, I was finally referred to and got in to see an ENT doctor.

She confirmed from my original doctor's appointment that I had fluid in my left ear and said that I could wait for it to go away (which could be a few more days, but probably longer, or possibly as long as many months) or she would freeze the ear drum, puncture a small hole and drain the fluid.

She said the ear drum should be fully healed in 2 weeks but for some people is as little as a few days.

I'm going on vacation in a month to Cozumel and wanted to be sure this was taken care of before then so I opted to have my ear drained.

The whole process took less than 10 minutes and didn't really hurt. Just a quick sting when the ear drum was actually frozen. A half hour later when the anesthetic wore off, I fell a little pain but completely tolerable. 4 hours later my ear felt good as new.

I just have to keep it dry for the next little while.... which mean no diving

 

[abnjm]

Can I ask what your symptoms were prior to getting the ear drained? I'm experiencing some issues with my ears as well. My Dr. put me on antihistamines and antibiotics for a week, but I still get a feeling of water in my ear from time to time. I'm heading to Cozumel Oct 18th, and I thought the healing process was longer than 2 weeks, so I didn't want to do anything until I get back.

 

[flyguy]

I had fluid in my left ear for 2 weeks and was using decongestants, anti-histamines etc to see if I could get it cleared up. It did not. My throat started to hurt on the left hand side now too..... I never did get a straight answer if it is directly related to my ear.

My doctor put me on an antibody ciprofloxacin just to make sure the fluid didn’t turn infectious. He thought the problem was going to go away before I got to see the ENT doctor but it didn't, it stayed the same and got no better.

I got my ear drained 2 days ago, and this is the first day that I could actually 'equalize' that ear. Obviously it didn't equalize because there still a small hole, but I could at least hear the air go through.

My ENT doc said flying would be no problem but diving is definitely a no-no until healed. I have to keep my left ear dry by putting a cotton ball covered in vasaline when taking a shower. I just didn't want the problem to stick around and then not be able to do any diving on my vacation.

Good luck, where are you staying on Cozumel?

 

[abnjm]

Thanks for the info. I've stayed out of the water for the last three weeks, and I seem to be clearing up. From what you described, I may have had the same thing.

This is my third time to Cozumel, and we'll be staying at Brisas and diving with Dive Paradise for the third time. I guess I'm in a rut, but the hotel is clean, the dive operator is pretty good, and Brisas' all inclusive is a nice package. The diving is a nice change from Dry suit, Double 104's and 45F water!

When are you heading down, and where are you staying?