New to this forum. Anyone out there with inner ear problems

[Roy McKinney]

I'm New to this site but not to the water. I have'nt been able to dive in years because of an inner ear problem. I'm 52 now and the ocean still calls me. Just curious if anyone has found a way to over come this problem. I think not but one can always hope.

 

[bleeb]

Have a browse through the Dive Medicine section. Ear issues are frequently asked there. Your success would depend on the cause of your problems, but several doctors hang out over in Dive Medicine and they may be able to give you more detailed feedback.

Another thing you may also want to try is to have a look at this (long) video on clearing your ears.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Roy, Depends on what the issue is... ear clearing...not so much. Vertigo from having only one working inner ear... yup. Issues with sinus squeeze from time to time... yup.

I've found solutions to all of the above.

 

[DRsharky]

Like the above said, it depends what your problem is.
I had big problems with my ears few years ago, bought special ear plugs that really helped, but ended up having surgery on both of them. After the first one I couldn't dive for 3 or 4 months, after the second one a year later I was in the water in 3 or 4 weeks. And haven't had problems since then (knock on the wood). But not all the problems are the same. Find a good ear specialist that knows about diving too. I was lucky, my ear doctor's husband was a long time scuba diver.

 

[Roy McKinney]

It has been years since I last seen my doctor about this but the last time I did he said "stay out of the water" So much easier said than done. I,m thinking about a second opinion. I'm afraid that if he says the same thing then I'm finished. Then I'll just have to hang around agrivating all of you other divers.

 

[TSandM]

If you have any more precise information about the nature of the inner ear problem that you have, it's quite possible one of our member docs could give you some more precise answers. But, conditions do change over time, and advice as to diving can vary from one physician to another (sometimes depending on how much they know about diving), so if it has been a long time since your initial workup, it may well be worth seeing someone again.

DAN, Diver's Alert Network, is an organization which deals extensively with diver medical issues, and they can provide you with the names of diving-savvy physicians in your area, even if you are not a DAN member.