Odd Ear Issue

[ermaclob]

So im going to head to the doctor in a day or 2 to see whats up with my ear but i was wondering if anyones had something like this before.

My right ear pretty much feels like if its under pressure from the out side. similar to going down maybe 5 feet with out equalizing. When i do try to equalize my left ear acts as it should and pops but the left instead produces a slight hissing sound as if it where filling with air then it pops. now for this instate my ear feels ok but the moment i release my nose and the pressure the discomfort slowly continuous about 3 to 5 seconds later. the ear is essentially not holding pressure. i was thinking perhaps that the eustachian tube was open or leaking air out.

i havent been able to find much info on similar symptoms most web sites refer to middle ear infection and sinus issues when it comes to ear problems but my symptoms dont seems to match :/

 

[lowviz]

Being the furthest thing from a medical professional, I'm perfectly suited to answer your question on the internet.

You may find that it is a microperforation of your eardrum, the fullness suggests (to me) an infection if you did not traumatize that ear while diving.

 

[tbone1004]

diving induced or just in general? This is why we all should have DAN memberships because you can call them and they are surprisingly accurate about diagnosing over the phone.
That being said, lowviz has one possibility, the other is minor barotrauma to the inner ear. Eustachian tube got swollen from being irritated for whatever reason which will cause the "full" feeling, and the hissing is the greatly reduced air passage having a pressure differential.

Start with some nsaids to see if that helps relieve it, and if it does, great. If not, inner ear infection, Dr. time

 

[sphyrnidus]

Or try opening up the tube with I.e. flushing your nose with Saline 0.9% use 5 ml per side or use xylometazoline 3-4 times a day (no longen than a wek)Most often due to a cold the Eustachian tubes gets wollen and do not work properly.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

With Tbone1004, I recommend a DAN membership and call to them.
DIvemasterDennis

 

[industrious95]

First of all, definitely consider the DAN membership. I don't think you need to be a member to get the medical advice, but for $35 a year, your membership goes a long way to supporting the dive medical community. And the dive insurance is a value you can't beat.

I've had "ear clogs" several times over the years. Once was from too much wax getting pushed into the canal from diving. After 3 or 4 days of putting up with it, I took a trip to the family doctor and he scrapped them out. Not that unpleasant, although certainly nothing I'd like to repeat.

Usually, however, in my case, it's sinus / Eustachian tubes affected by allergies or a cold that hadn't cleared up as much as I had hoped.

Actually, had it yesterday too. I was fine on the boat after 3 dives to 80 feet, but when I got home and took the elevator up the my apartment on the 15th floor, ears clogged up again. I tried valsalva but didn't help. Now, 18 hours later, it's almost completely cleared up. I would have taken a benadryl to try to reduce swelling, but I prefer not taking drugs.

 

[swimmingsheep]

So im going to head to the doctor in a day or 2 to see whats up with my ear but i was wondering if anyones had something like this before.

My right ear pretty much feels like if its under pressure from the out side. similar to going down maybe 5 feet with out equalizing. When i do try to equalize my left ear acts as it should and pops but the left instead produces a slight hissing sound as if it where filling with air then it pops. now for this instate my ear feels ok but the moment i release my nose and the pressure the discomfort slowly continuous about 3 to 5 seconds later. the ear is essentially not holding pressure. i was thinking perhaps that the eustachian tube was open or leaking air out.

i havent been able to find much info on similar symptoms most web sites refer to middle ear infection and sinus issues when it comes to ear problems but my symptoms dont seems to match :/

I had the same thing after I ruptured my eardrum. Get it checked by an ENT and stop trying to equalize.

 

[TSandM]

It's not clear what is going on, and I agree that an exam by a physician seems in order.

In general, with a drum perforation, you are less likely to have the sequence you describe, of relieving the symptoms to have them slowly recur. Why? Because the middle ear can't generate any kind of a vacuum with the drum perforated. The hissing you hear may be air moving through a very narrowed Eustachian tube to relieve the pressure, which then recurs as the air in the middle ear is absorbed, without being able to open the tube to replenish it. Or it could be a small perforation, although the sequence of symptoms seems very odd.

At any rate, an exam seems in order, since a perforation mandates staying out of the water for a while, whereas simple barotrauma would permit diving as soon as the symptoms resolve.

 

[blanik]

a tip from an ENT doctor, take a small clean drop bottle, fill it with 50% sterile water and 50% white vinegar, a couple of drops in each ear after each dives (or if feeling jammed) will prevent ear infection ;-)

 

[TSandM]

Sigh.

Drops, placed in the external ear canal, only prevent otitis externa, which is infection of that canal. They have no effect at all on barotrauma. Absent significant ear pain, it is highly unlikely that the OPs muffled hearing is due to sufficient swelling in the external canal to prevent sound waves from presenting to the drum. And there is no way to vary the pressure in the external canal by swallowing or Valsalva maneuver.

There is a TON of confusion out there about ear anatomy and pathology in divers. But DAN has a superb video on the diver's ear, which is accessible to non-members, and Doc's Diving Medicine has an excellent 45 minute video on the same subject (I even learned something from watching it!). I wish all divers would avail themselves of those resources, so that they could understand better what is going on with their own ears, and how to decide what to tell people who ask ear-related questions on line.