dnk48881
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Isn't There A Home Remedy For Water In Your Ear
Home Remedy For Water In Ear
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cinder4320
Contributor
I've heard half alcohol and half white vinegar. Mix it in a little bottle beforehand.
Miranda
Miranda
WaterWayne
Guest
Here's a pretty good thread from the Diving Medicine forum:
http://www.scubaboard.com/search.php?searchid=2637366
As for me, I mixed 9:1 alcohol and glycerine. The little, pointed bottle (Dry Ear?) available without prescription in pharmacies uses 95% alcohol, 5% glycerine. That cost me about five bucks for half-a-dozen applications, so I bought glycerine myself and have been mixing it on my own. Oddly, at my pharmacy I had to ask for glycerine from behind the counter, although it's not by prescription. The principle is that the alcohol displaces the water, then evaporates quickly. The glycerine prevents drying from the alcohol, which would lead to itchiness in the ear. These mixes are for water in the ear, not swimmer's ear, which you probably know is an infection.
In that referenced thread, other folks had suggestions and other treatments such as a wick (essentially a long twist of paper or cloth) inserted by a medical professional and left in place for a few days.
Ultimately, though, I use decongestants to dry everything out, and put up with the sloshy feeling for a week or more. It seems that I have uneven ear canals, as one side is more angled than the other, and therefore nothing evaporates quickly out of there. That's more common than I realized, as per that thread. The alcohol/glycerin mixture helps, but doesn't cure.
Good luck, and you have my sympathy -- that's a maddening feeling, especially if your hearing is affected, as mine always is.
--Wayne
http://www.scubaboard.com/search.php?searchid=2637366
As for me, I mixed 9:1 alcohol and glycerine. The little, pointed bottle (Dry Ear?) available without prescription in pharmacies uses 95% alcohol, 5% glycerine. That cost me about five bucks for half-a-dozen applications, so I bought glycerine myself and have been mixing it on my own. Oddly, at my pharmacy I had to ask for glycerine from behind the counter, although it's not by prescription. The principle is that the alcohol displaces the water, then evaporates quickly. The glycerine prevents drying from the alcohol, which would lead to itchiness in the ear. These mixes are for water in the ear, not swimmer's ear, which you probably know is an infection.
In that referenced thread, other folks had suggestions and other treatments such as a wick (essentially a long twist of paper or cloth) inserted by a medical professional and left in place for a few days.
Ultimately, though, I use decongestants to dry everything out, and put up with the sloshy feeling for a week or more. It seems that I have uneven ear canals, as one side is more angled than the other, and therefore nothing evaporates quickly out of there. That's more common than I realized, as per that thread. The alcohol/glycerin mixture helps, but doesn't cure.
Good luck, and you have my sympathy -- that's a maddening feeling, especially if your hearing is affected, as mine always is.
--Wayne
Charlie99
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Chip104's suggestion of putting in more water, then shaking it all out works most of the time for me.
If that doesn't, then there is a commercial solution call Swim-Ear and a similar one IIRC AquaDry (sp?). They are both something like 95% isopropyl alcohol + 5% anahydrous glycerin. The homebrew equivalent is just straight 95% isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol, which is normally 70% isopropyl alcohol. These products are dumped in the air, then emptied back out just a few seconds or 20 seconds later.
The 50/50 alcohol and vinegar mixture is meant to be left in the ear for 5 minutes or so. It isn't meant to just get out water, but instead to leave the ear tissue slightly acidic to keep bacteria from growing.
If you are trapping water in your ear, the problem may be excess earwax. The solution for that is a commercial preparation such as Debrox. This is something that should be taken care of before diving. Debrox doesn't help much once you get water stuck in there.
If that doesn't, then there is a commercial solution call Swim-Ear and a similar one IIRC AquaDry (sp?). They are both something like 95% isopropyl alcohol + 5% anahydrous glycerin. The homebrew equivalent is just straight 95% isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol, which is normally 70% isopropyl alcohol. These products are dumped in the air, then emptied back out just a few seconds or 20 seconds later.
The 50/50 alcohol and vinegar mixture is meant to be left in the ear for 5 minutes or so. It isn't meant to just get out water, but instead to leave the ear tissue slightly acidic to keep bacteria from growing.
If you are trapping water in your ear, the problem may be excess earwax. The solution for that is a commercial preparation such as Debrox. This is something that should be taken care of before diving. Debrox doesn't help much once you get water stuck in there.
One thing I've done is to take a piece of toilet paper or tissue (you want something really soft) and roll up a corner to make a little fine 'rat-tail' out of it. I then take that is carfully insert it just a little bit. Note you are not drilling for brain fluid here, you just want to get in contact with the water and let wicking action take care of the rest.
I don't recommend it, and I'm sure the medical people online will remind us that you should never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow. We have been warned by the Surgeon General that doing this will cause hemorrhoids and spontaneous human combustion, so do not do this. You will die.
But that's what I do.
How's that for a disclaimer.
I don't recommend it, and I'm sure the medical people online will remind us that you should never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow. We have been warned by the Surgeon General that doing this will cause hemorrhoids and spontaneous human combustion, so do not do this. You will die.
But that's what I do.
How's that for a disclaimer.
k8brandt
Contributor
My sweetie mixes up the homade stuff of 1 part white vingar, 1 part sterile water and 2 parts isopropal alchohol. Works great and feels good after a dive. Best of all it's cheep and won't cause hemorrhoids or spontaneous combustion.
OP
dnk48881
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thank you all for the input alcohol worked but i also pushed fluid up behind the ear drum so my doc's advice is the decongestant every 4 hrs and antihistimine at bed time until i spit dust . its working thank you again
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