help with equalizing

[NoseDive]

I had this problem, and haven't resolved it... But what I can say, is that you need to be careful. I spent 15 or 20 minutes trying to get my ears to clear two weeks ago at about 15 feet and couldn't. I kept trying even though I could tell nothing was changing. As a result I am just now starting to be able to hear normally out of my right ear.

Just know that if you have this problem, there are times you WILL have to give up. It sucks, but its for your safety.

That's just the little I can offer here.

 

[BabyDuck]

equalize early & often. before getting in the water, on the surface, and with every breath going down. i use valsalva, and use it hard enough to feel like i'm blowing my nose every time. yes, i have snot in my mask at the end of every dive... but i have clear ears!

 

[gmrviper]

Well so i took a bit of everyone's advice and got certified yesterday! Im very happy. At the start of the year i was scared to be in the water now i feel very comfy. I hope with each dive I learn something that will help me.

Not sure what i did to make the difference. But i made it down to 40ft. I will say it took me a while, but i got there on two different dives. I may have done too many things to actually know what helped me but i figured i was gonna try everything. I ate apples the week before and on the day of the dive. Had a sudafed and also got some saline nose spray that i have been using. I tried different equalization techniques and eventually i got down. Sometimes i swallowed and it helped sometimes i blew, sometimes i just moved my jaw. Looking up seemed to help too.

Anyway thanks so much for all the help!

 

[Nfs_127]

Anyone else have days where it's very easy to equalize but on other days it's extremly difficult?

I'm guessing it's probably allergies so I'll sudafed and see if that elimates the problem.

 

[CamG]

Greetings gmrviper and congratulations on your certification! When you have to commit and determine to conquer an issue such as this the reward is awesome!

I want to make one thing very clear and that is if you or anyone else is using sudifed pre-dive be very careful to drink lots of water! It would be very wise to talk to D.A.N. "Divers Alert Network" before using any drug or spray to understand the effects upon your physiology. Dehydration is a major hazard when mixing allergy and sinus drugs.
This is not to be taken lightly and best to seek a ENT's guidance who understand the effects of certain meds while diving.

The reason for my advice is that I had major issues with my ears as a new diver! I tried to use my GP doctor but really did not help and ended up worse off. I was lucky to not get bent all the crap I was taking! When I got to the ENT he straightened me out right away! He made it very clear that diving was achievable for me but I had to be proactive and follow the regiment he scripted. Two weeks later I was diving no problem and short of a few allergy flair ups and H1N1 I have been diving ever since.
All seasons and all weather. The H1N1 stuff knocked me out of the water for a month and half! No joke it sucked really bad!

Bottom line is keep practicing, seek proper guidance, and if you can not clear DO NOT DIVE! There will be other days when you can. Never force it! Just be proactive and safe your diving will be awesome! Good luck.

CamG Keep diving....Keep training....Keep learning!

 

[gmrviper]

Thanks Cam. It weird that you brought that up. Im realizing im not drinking enough water. I have some back issues and they seem to be related to a dehydration problem. So i am keeping myself hydrated. Good advice and i do appreciate it.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Great to hear things are getting better for you.. that is often the case. The more often you do anything the better it gets.

It is quite common for new divers to have "issues" with their equalization. There is so much to master and the newness of the sensations in ears and lungs can create tension and stress. It is hard to know what is "normal" and what is not. That tension in itself can increase the difficulty with our ears.

I know some people really have a thing about Chiropractors but if you have neck troubles that can effect your ears as well. The ENT specialist I saw a few months ago mentioned this which surprised me coming from an ENT... I have found the Chiro has helped me on occasion!

I too would like to urge caution when it comes to Sudafed and other medications that may cause dehydration and increase risks of DCS. You can also get a rebound effect from some nasal sprays so once again caution is advised.

I will confess I used sudafed in the early days of my diving and was surprised when I "weaned myself off it" It turned out I did not really need it but I had convinced myself I did. I think it had become a bit of a "crutch"

IMHO the best approach is to go slowly.. use the non medicated tricks mentioned, relax and enjoy your dive..... the more you focus on it the bigger the problem becomes! Equalise before you submerge and often as you descend and you will find what works for you.

 

[silvernotch]

You really should be equalizing before you feel any type of discomfort in your ear. if you're going down 10 feet and your ears are hurting, you def need to equalize earlier and maybe descend slower. I have a lot of ear problems and I equalize with every breath and I descend very slowly. I also wear the pro plugs and they seem to have helped some. if anything it really stops all that water from getting into your ears. I hate that sloshy feeling in my ears when I get out of the water.

 

[yosemite_sam]

You should equalize as soon as you go under and keep at it

 

[Scuba.com]

Here's a piece of advice I was first given by my Course Director in my IDC some years ago after having a similar blockage that prevented me from completing a fun dive after our IE. Keep in mind that your Eustachian tube and the area inside your ear that you are trying to equalize the pressure in, is tissue. Just as we'd no sooner hop up from our computers right this moment and run a 100 meter sprint and expect our body to perform without some sort of negative and probably painful reaction, we shouldn't expect our ears to suddenly be subjected to this forced pressure and pressure changes without some sort of similar resistance.

He advised me that in his experience, if I were to get into the habit of clearing my ears every hour or so through out the day prior to my diving, my ear canal would be a lot more accustomed to performing the task I'm asking it. Very similar to stretching before a workout or run. Medically, I cannot say whether that advice is sound for that particular part of the body, but I can attest to the fact that it was the last time I've experienced any ear blockage of any type in 17 years.

It's also advice I've passed on to my students and instructor candidates over the years, and to my sometimes foggy knowledge, I cannot think of a student I've ever had who has been forced to abort a training dive due to equalization problems.