Muffled ear after cert dives

[fmerkel]

Good enough. Just be aware rusty divers, especially newbie rusty divers on vacation is one of the most common scenarios for ear injury and other scuba related 'trauma'. I've see as much as 30% of a group take themselves out with ear problems in the first couple days of diving. That triple sucks: you are injured, you don't get to dive, and you are having a medical problem away from home with all the potential complications that brings down on you (insurance, unknown physicians, unknown practices, unknown costs....etc.). Not fun, I assure you.

Make sure you have DAN insurance on a dive vacation. It's well worth the cheap price.

 

[Chris Fotache]

Since my wife doesn't dive, it wouldn't be a "dive vacation", but I'll take half a day (or 2 half days if allowed) for a 2 tank dive trip. I heard about the DAN insurance before, thanks for reminding, will definitely look into that before going. And yeah, I expect many people on a vacation trip to be not very experienced....

 

[Dan]

Don't go without DAN insurance. Last year I went to Indonesia. On the last day of diving, I was in the upper deck of an LOB trying to dry out my wetsuit. I fell to the lower deck on stairway & splitted my right knee cap into 2 pieces. Got the surgery done there in Jakarta. Then on my way home to Houston I needed to keep my right leg straight during those 24 hour flights. DAN put me in a business class seat costing them $5000 one way.

 

[Chris Fotache]

5th day update: My hearing in that ear is up to maybe 70% (I was almost completely deaf the first day), no pain so far, I"m sure it will be fine.

I also wrote this blog post about my whole certification experience:
Getting scuba diving certified at the Jersey Shore

 

[miikey87]

I did my ears in on my OW course. I couldn't hear out of my left ear properly (all muffled) for ~3-4 weeks or so. I had to sleep on the ear, it helped with draining, I could hear OK for a few hours after I got out but always felt like it was full of fluid. Joys of ear trauma. I have since learnt how to equalize better; less force, more often and before any discomfort is felt.

My ear is all good these days, but if either ear sticks, its always my left and always a good indication that I am about to get sick as well.

 

[Dan]

I did my ears in on my OW course. I couldn't hear out of my left ear properly (all muffled) for ~3-4 weeks or so. I had to sleep on the ear, it helped with draining, I could hear OK for a few hours after I got out but always felt like it was full of fluid. Joys of ear trauma. I have since learnt how to equalize better; less force, more often and before any discomfort is felt.

My ear is all good these days, but if either ear sticks, its always my left and always a good indication that I am about to get sick as well.

If the left inner ear is the problem, then you would need to sleep on the right side to let the fluid drain by gravity to your sinuses. In most cases as the swelling goes down, the fluid will be slowly absorpt by the the body.

 

[miikey87]

You are right @Dan_T, that makes sense as well, this reduced the muffle each morning.

 

[fmerkel]

If the left inner ear is the problem, then you would need to sleep on the right side to let the fluid drain by gravity to your sinuses. In most cases as the swelling goes down, the fluid will be slowly absorpt by the the body.

Physiologically, if it does 'drain' it would do so down your Eustachian Canal, which has nothing to do with your sinuses. Too bad it doesn't drain better, you could just lay on your side, do a clearing maneuver, and have the 'junk' drain away. Just doesn't work. Mostly it is removed by absorption, much like a bruise. The immune system deals with the debris.