Help, I'm prone to swimmers ear and can't use alcohol

[cspringer]

Hello,

I have always had a problem with Swimmers Ear ever since I was a kid and hasn't let up in adulthood. I did a confined dive in the pool and ended up with an ear infection. Not that big of a surprise to me. I went to the doctor and got this ear drop antibiotic and took that for 6 days and my ears were fine. I asked the doctor if there was something I could do to prevent this and he suggested Swim-EAR. I got the stuff and used it after I got through with another confined dive in the pool. I couldn't bear it. It hurt so bad I wanted to cry. It felt like someone poured molten lava in my ear and I couldn't get it out. The pain did subside about 5 minutes later but my ears weren't quite right and I got a pretty bad head ache soon after. After taking some Tylenol, by morning my ears were fine and headache gone. I've talked to a couple other fellow divers and they said that they use alcohol, which essentially is the same thing as Swim-Ear.

Does anyone have a solution for me? It appears that I have extremely sensitive ears.

 

[JenaLynn]

I have the same problem. I would be interested in seeing everyones answers. I have only gone out on my first two dives and my ears hurt so bad from infection. It is gone now and I am going on my third and forth dive this saturday.

 

[SparticleBrane]

50/50 alcohol and vinegar?

 

[imasinker]

CSPRINGER..
I have had ear problems all my life. Getting into diving i was very worried since I too suffered the pain of ear infections and pounding/ringing.
Alcohol is not a good thing to use when your ears are infected, raw and exposed tissue causes that burning and dries out the canal making it even more hard to dispense the fluids causing the infection. Swimmers ear drops are made to dry out the inner ear passage quickly but not help in removing infectious debries thus hardening the buildup and not allowing it to flow out and fight infection. Now I don't know the types of diving you do being warm or cold water, fresh or salt, but I can recommend a few things that have made my ear problems go away and may help you. I always use a hood as often as i can here in the Canadian great lakes and it helps to keep the water in the ear warm and not flushing in and out so much. I clean and use mild ear drops ( over the counter drug store) before and after diving, mild so your not over cleaning your ears wich in most cases people do alot. Carry some q tips to clean your ears after the dive removing as much water as you can and apply a few more drops. Some people use the pro plugs and have great success with them, again depending on the type of diving you do. Most of all I would suggest you go to see an ear nose and throat specialist if you continue to have these problems.

One question for you, do you have problems equalizing and do you here a pop when you equalize?



Hope this was helpful.

 

[deltaVPR]

I am a swimmer/water polo player and have been around pools my whole life. Whenver I have a problem with my ears I use a 50/50 vinegar alcohol mix. I am pretty sure the vinegar is to sterilize the alcohol to dry your ear up though suppose I dont have any proof of that. Did you ask your doctor why the alcohol hurt your ears? Perhaps a milder mix would be less intense? It always feels a bit funny but never painful for me.

 

[--tom--]

Are you sure the pain is from the alcohol? I react to the Boric Acid, the alcohol is okay. The alcohol is for drying, the acid is for the bugs that cause infections. So I do well with 50/50 vinegar/alcohol.

 

[C Chris]

See your ENT and have him/her get you a prescription for "Zoto-HC Drops" (or its generic equivalent). Use it prophylactically after diving to prevent infection. (It also is very effective in treating otitis media at any time). I carry this with me whenever I go to Honduras, and have helped save more than one diver's vacation after they got an infection on about their 3rd or 4th day. I constantly had otitis media until I started using this to prevent infections - 11 years now and no infections whatsoever.

 

[cspringer]

Thanks for all the responses. I do not have any problems equalizing and there are no pops. I notice that the water seems to get trapped more often when ever I am facing downwards. I just can't seem to get the water to come out if at any part of the dive I'm facing down. I'm going to check with my doctor to see if the 50/50 vinegar/alcohol mix might work better and I'll also inquire about the "Zoto-HC Drops" (or its generic equivalent). It might be wise to be mindful of facing downwards too.

 

[Web Monkey]

Hello,

I have always had a problem with Swimmers Ear ever since I was a kid and hasn't let up in adulthood. I did a confined dive in the pool and ended up with an ear infection. Not that big of a surprise to me. I went to the doctor and got this ear drop antibiotic and took that for 6 days and my ears were fine. I asked the doctor if there was something I could do to prevent this and he suggested Swim-EAR. I got the stuff and used it after I got through with another confined dive in the pool. I couldn't bear it. It hurt so bad I wanted to cry. It felt like someone poured

Go back and see the doc again. You probably have something going on in your ears that needs to be fixed.

If your ears are intact, the swimmer's ear drops shouldn't hurt any more than pouring it on your hand.

Terry

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

Also a good thing to remember...EARWAX! Our bodies create this great substance to protect them. If you tend to be a frequent Q-tip user, I would start reducing it's uses. Swab the outer canal only, not deep inside. What you might find is that you are stripping away your natural protection. I only use products to dry out water when I feel the water inside and can't get it to drain. You shouldn't use drying products every time you are in the water. It can cause overexcessive drying. Small cracks in these sensitive tissues can promote bacteria growth.

Clearing properly is essential for keeping the pressure issues from damaging the inner ear. You might have to do it throughout your dive. However, chronic ear infections need to be addressed with an ENT. There might be inherent issues that need professional attention.

I also wear a hood on all dives. A 5mil for cold water and a thin nylon one for warmer water. I like to protect my ears from coodies and those nasty little trigger fish!

Good luck!
Carolyn:shark2: