Although I cannot make a diagnosis from 6000 miles away, it sounds as though the doctor you saw is not very familiar with diving and ear problems related to diving.
When you can't equalize, you do mechanical, pressure-related injury to the structures of the middle (or even inner) ear. This is called "barotrauma". The cause is delayed or inadequate pressure equalization between the ambient pressure and the air space in the middle ear. Symptoms can be pain, a feeling of fullness, muffled hearing, and crackling or popping sounds when moving the jaw, and often an inability to pressure the ear further. The appearance of the eardrum can be quite red from capillary hemorrhage, but this is not inflammation like we see in middle ear infections. (Dr. Kay's video makes this very clear.) There is no specific treatment for barotrauma, although systemic decongestants and antiinflammatory medication are used. The best thing is prevention.
AFTER barotrauma, with fluid and blood in the middle ear, it is possible to get a middle ear infection (otitis media). This will generally present with a conversion of the fullness/muffled hearing symptoms to frank ear pain, and sometimes fever. If the infection progresses, you may have drum perforation and drainage from the ear. This is treated with oral antibiotics. Drops are ineffective against otitis media.
Some people have problems with skin breakdown in the outer ear canal (the part you can stick a Q-tip into). This skin, when persistently wet, gets too soft and no longer serves as a good barrier to bacteria. An infection of the outer canal ensues. This is the so-called "swimmer's ear". Symptoms are pain when the outer ear is moved, and swelling of the canal, which is often bad enough to be seen without any instruments at all. THIS infection is treated with antibiotic drops, and sometimes requires the placement of a wick to get them into the swollen passage.
When someone is prescribed drops AND oral antibiotics, what that says to me is that the doctor was not sure WHAT she was seeing, and decided to cover both -- and the highest probability in that case is that it was pure barotrauma, and required no antibiotics at all.
When you can't equalize, you do mechanical, pressure-related injury to the structures of the middle (or even inner) ear. This is called "barotrauma". The cause is delayed or inadequate pressure equalization between the ambient pressure and the air space in the middle ear. Symptoms can be pain, a feeling of fullness, muffled hearing, and crackling or popping sounds when moving the jaw, and often an inability to pressure the ear further. The appearance of the eardrum can be quite red from capillary hemorrhage, but this is not inflammation like we see in middle ear infections. (Dr. Kay's video makes this very clear.) There is no specific treatment for barotrauma, although systemic decongestants and antiinflammatory medication are used. The best thing is prevention.
AFTER barotrauma, with fluid and blood in the middle ear, it is possible to get a middle ear infection (otitis media). This will generally present with a conversion of the fullness/muffled hearing symptoms to frank ear pain, and sometimes fever. If the infection progresses, you may have drum perforation and drainage from the ear. This is treated with oral antibiotics. Drops are ineffective against otitis media.
Some people have problems with skin breakdown in the outer ear canal (the part you can stick a Q-tip into). This skin, when persistently wet, gets too soft and no longer serves as a good barrier to bacteria. An infection of the outer canal ensues. This is the so-called "swimmer's ear". Symptoms are pain when the outer ear is moved, and swelling of the canal, which is often bad enough to be seen without any instruments at all. THIS infection is treated with antibiotic drops, and sometimes requires the placement of a wick to get them into the swollen passage.
When someone is prescribed drops AND oral antibiotics, what that says to me is that the doctor was not sure WHAT she was seeing, and decided to cover both -- and the highest probability in that case is that it was pure barotrauma, and required no antibiotics at all.
