Need Help For Ear Problems

[BigFame]

i am glad to have found this thread. Had my first day of OW dives today and had the exact same issue. Had some struggles to get to 35 feet for first dive but got there. Was trying valsalva to no avail then added a swallow but with dry air was having some issues actually swallowing. Anyway got down 35 feet for first dive but with some discomfort and some ascending and redescending. THen second dive had issues at 20 feet, couldn't get my left ear to equalize and whenever I would plug nose to try and get it my mask would instantly flood, dealing with a little pain in my ear, a leaking mask, and the 50 degree water was enough that after clearing my mask for like the 5th time the instructor asked if I wanted to surface and I said yes. When we got up topside to talk about it I spit and there was a little blood in my spit so he said I was done for the day. Been very upset about the issue all day and I am a bit happy to see I am not the only one to have this issue (specifically having equalized once and then not on the next dive). Since I haven't corrected my issue I can't give much in the way of advice, but I would link you to THIS which I found to be helpful in terms of understanding what it is I am trying to do with my ears, and I hope to have more success in the water tomorrow. Good luck to your son.

 

[dk2943]

I had major trouble clearing my ears at first. I had always had trouble with my sinuses. It was so bad that I thought I would not get to be a diver. I contacted DAN and they referred me to an ENT who was familiar with diving. He checked me out, told me I was fine and recommended that I use Afrin before I dive. Immediate results! Now, whenever I dive, I use Afrin the night before and the day of and I never have any problems

 

[emttim]

I had major trouble clearing my ears at first. I had always had trouble with my sinuses. It was so bad that I thought I would not get to be a diver. I contacted DAN and they referred me to an ENT who was familiar with diving. He checked me out, told me I was fine and recommended that I use Afrin before I dive. Immediate results! Now, whenever I dive, I use Afrin the night before and the day of and I never have any problems

Hey Dk, out of curiosity what is Afrin?

 

[don Francisco]

Mom - You son probably doesn't have any medical or biological problem, so you can skip the ENT and take him to a fast food joint for a dive physics lesson instead.

Buy him a thick shake, (you can skip the buger and fries this trip, but if you can find an old fashioned paper straw, so much the better). Now ask him to drink the shake quickly through the straw. If he tries to drink too quickly the straw collapses because of the higher air pressure on the outside. The trick is to drink by sucking on the straw gently, but not hard enough to collapse it.

It's the same with his ears. At small pressure differences air flows nicely up the eustachian tubes, but as the difference gets too great it collapses the tubes. Ears need to be equalized while the pressure difference is below that threshold.

The problem your son has is common with new divers who descend too far before equalizing, and then resort to brute force when gentler methods don't work. He needs to equalize faster, or simply descend slower so his ears can keep up. Also if he feels any pressure, or can't equalize easily he needs to ascend 3-5 feet until he can equalize then resume his descent.

The reason the second dive went badly, is the swelling from the barotauma of the first dive further closed the tubes. It's sort of like biting your cheek. You can go for years without a problem, but once you accidentally bite your cheek, it swells slightly, and you end up biting it again and again. (or at least I do)

To give you both perspective on how often to equalize, compare diving other real world situations, say an elevator ride in a tall building. On a typical 50 story descent most folks feel some ear pressure and equalize it by swallowing once or twice in those 20-30 seconds. That compares to the pressure change of a dive to 6 inches. If you've flown recently you probably remember the ear pops and swallows as the plane descended the last 20 minutes on final approach, those last 8,000 feet of altitude change are about equal to a dive to 8 feet.

Pressure changes about 1,000 times faster in water than air, so you need to give your system a chance to keep up.

 

[bleeb]

To give you both perspective on how often to equalize, compare diving other real world situations, say an elevator ride in a tall building. On a typical 50 story descent most folks feel some ear pressure and equalize it by swallowing once or twice in those 20-30 seconds. That compares to the pressure change of a dive to 6 inches. If you've flown recently you probably remember the ear pops and swallows as the plane descended the last 20 minutes on final approach, those last 8,000 feet of altitude change are about equal to a dive to 8 feet.

Pressure changes about 1,000 times faster in water than air, so you need to give your system a chance to keep up.

Beautiful! Been meaning to go and work out the exact values for a while. Thanks.

I think that for many new divers, it'd be more helpful to quantify it like this, rather than just say "often", which seems to be how it gets presented 99+% of the time, even during extended discussions here on SB.

 

[dk2943]

Hey Dk, out of curiosity what is Afrin?

Afrin is an over the counter nasal spray that you can find in most drug stores near the cold medicines.

 

[tctmd]

I had major trouble clearing my ears at first. I had always had trouble with my sinuses. It was so bad that I thought I would not get to be a diver. I contacted DAN and they referred me to an ENT who was familiar with diving. He checked me out, told me I was fine and recommended that I use Afrin before I dive. Immediate results! Now, whenever I dive, I use Afrin the night before and the day of and I never have any problems

Contacting DAN for an ENT referral was a great idea, DK. My boyfriend is a new diver but has been experiencing a lot of ear problems since the beginning. He got Open Water certification earlier this year and ended up with muffled hearing and an ear that leaked fluid every time he did a Valsalva. Needless to say he probably developed a tiny perforation, which healed itself by the time we returned from Nicaragua and he was able to be seen by a doctor (the doctor on Little Corn Island didn't have a working otoscope).

The Diver's ear under pressure video is good! I'm a physician but am not an ENT. This video gives a good description of anatomy/physiology but is delivered at a level good for most laypeople (non-medical people). I'll definitely share it with him.

For the information of others, Afrin (oxymetazoline) is an alpha agonist medication that causes vasoconstriction of small arterial blood vessels, thus relieving nasal (and Eustachian tube) congestion or swelling. The onset is 5-10 minutes and it lasts 4-6 hours. Be aware that repeated use can cause rebound nasal congestion. Do not use more than 2-3 sprays twice daily and do not exceed more than 3 days. Again, I am NOT an ENT and this is not my area of specialty, but on a recent trip when I had problems equalizing after a URI, one of my colleagues gave me a (fresh) bottle of Afrin and told me to tilt my head all the way back and squirt the liquid right in then let it slosh around a bit. It did the trick. I only use it if I have problems, not routinely, but I always keep a couple bottles in my dive bag in case I or someone else has problems such as this.

Sorry to get so nerdy with this post. I'm going to start another post specifically inquiring about Docs Proplugs.

Good luck with your son's ears! For what it's worth, I'd recommend alternative approaches to ear equalization before using medications or earplugs. Consultation with an ENT specializing in diving issues is also a good idea to make sure there isn't any underlying anatomic abnormality.

T.

 

[mclovin]

I too had similar problems, my ENT suggested very slow decents and equalizing early and often. This might be an interesting option as well, google the Proear2000 mask.

 

[DiverDave21]

I am a recently certified diver also, and had similar problems equalizing. I was told to go visit my ENT specialist and he recommended taking sudafed p.e. to dry up and clear the necessary passage ways for equalizing. I take one before i go to bed and when i wake up in the mornin before my dives and i havent had problems equalizing since.

 

[DPP Santa Cruz]

Think of the long term consequences of taking drugs, avoid taking non-natural fixes like Sudafed and Afrin.

Vented Doc's Proplugs are made for diving. Check your PADI manual. The Proplugs are non-invasive, hypoallergenic, and latex free. They will help you equalize more efficiently, and help protect against ear infections.

Thank you for your interest. If you wish to talk further, please give us a call.

Cheers.

Doc's

800-521-2982