Oopsie - MEBT

[JPham73]

Full disclosure - I have narrow ear canals and on my last dive this week in Cozumel, I felt a little weird with my left ear but after talking with my dive master, he told me to descend slowly and I should be ok. I felt I was equalized well and when we reached around 50 feet, we went through a swim-through and all hell broke loose as I turned sideways to avoid hitting the coral with my tank. Vertigo set in and I felt like I was spinning uncontrollably. Nausea set in and I had pain in my left ear. I couldn't get my bearings because I was spinning so badly. Sun/ sand, sun/ sand, sun/ sand.... it wouldn't stop. I remember him holding me at the safety stop and at some point they helped me get up on the boat. Later, the doctor confirmed a middle ear barotrauma.

I need to find an ENT here in Houston who isn't going to tell me to stop diving. Although this is the first time I've had this happen, I have had other ENT's say "if you have narrow ear canals, you need to find another hobby"... which I think is lazy medicine.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I know many divers who still dive with narrow ear canals. I did take sudafed the night before (which the doctor on Cozumel said was a mistake for some reason.)

I'm frustrated and I want this fixed. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. The vertigo is still an issue four days later and let me tell you flying home was not fun at all. The ear still feels very full of pressure and decons don't seem to be helping. He prescribed Mobic, another decongestant (not sudafed), and Levaquin to prevent infection.

I'm open to any/ all suggestions..... except for discontinuing diving. I just want to find a good ENT that has some knowledge about diving.

Thanks divers!

 

[KevinNM]

Call DAN. There have referral lists. They can help you whether you are a member or not. I know there is a diving ENT in Dallas, as he was the fallback if I couldn’t get in to see the one in Phoenix, not sure about Houston. There are a limited number of them across the country and mostly in the bigger cities.

 

[OTF]

Serious vertigo underwater sounds terrifying, I've never experienced it but have seen it happen to others. Glad your buddy was able to help you surface safely and avoid a worse accident after the injury.

As said above, Call Divers Alert Network. They will advise and help connect you to a doctor for free even if you don't have their insurance (which every diver should have anyway).

 

[stuartv]

That sucks. I'm no help on finding a suitable ENT, but I wish you the best of luck!

Disclaimer: I am NO doctor!

On the current ear problem. I had a bad earache a few years ago. Went to the doc and he I had fluid in my ear. He told me to take an antihistamine (like Benadryl) to dry it up. I did and that worked.

I was diving 2 weekends ago and started getting a bad ear ache a few days after that. It felt like fluid in my ear again. I got some Benadryl and took it for about 3 days or so. The ear ache went away. I dived yesterday and all was good.

Like I said. I'm no doctor, so take my experience for what it's worth.

 

[DandyDon]

That sounds like a horrible experience. Any ear clearing problems I've had were in the first 20 feet, and my home dive bud always had to slowly work thru the first 20, but after that - no issues. I'm surprised yours happened at 50.

BTW, save your receipts so you can file a claim on your DAN dive insurance. This should be covered as a diving injury.

I did take sudafed the night before

Just to clarify, was this the original Sudafed but under a different name from behind the pharmacist's counter containing Pseudoephedrine, which requires photo ID and your signature to buy in Texas, or non-regulated OTC sold as Sudafed but containing Phenyleprine? Common decongestant may be worthless, study finds

Pseudoephedrine has been difficult to find for years since the states started regulating it so much, killing sales and increasing labor. I get it in Wal-Act D at Walgreens and smuggle it into Mexico on my visits as it's not legal to have there. Additionally, I take it the night before and the morning of any dives.

(which the doctor on Cozumel said was a mistake for some reason.)

Surely you misunderstood.

He prescribed Mobic

A common med for arthritis pain.

another decongestant (not sudafed)

Whatever it was, if sold in Mexico, it's not Pseudoephedrine - which I have been taking for over 30 years. I think there was another decongestant that worked before it, but it was canceled for other reasons.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Do you have narrow ear canals, or narrow Eustachian tubes? It is entirely different, of course.
With narrow ear canals, water tends to remain trapped OUTSIDE the eardrum, causing irritation and infections.
With narrow Eustachian tubes, you have problems equalizing, and fluids tend to remain trapped inside the medium ear, that is INSIDE the eardrum.
My wife had narrow Eustachian tubes, and for the first two years diving for her was a pain, she had a number of barothraumas, and she seriously considered giving up.
Then we followed a course of Apnea (free diving). The instructor did teach us the Frenzel equalization method, and that was incredible. She had never any more problems, even when diving very quickly (in freediving you cannot go down slowly, as when breathing).
Afterwords she went back to scuba diving, where of course you cannot easily use the Frenzel method (Frenzel is done with the mouth closed), but there is a very similar method, called Marcante-Odaglia, which basically is the same as Frenzel, but done with the mouth open (with a regulator in it).
After learning the proper equalization method, my wife had never any other barothrauma. And instead, this method actually makes the tubes to open wide, and they did slowly enlarge, so she now has normally sized Eustachian tubes, which open easily.
So diving and equalizing with the proper method was the cure...

 

[Snoweman]

You might try these. Another diver (in Coz, I think) was raving about them. I've had a DM explain to me that they are voodoo, but didn't elaborate on it.

Doc's ProPlugs Vented Ear Plugs, Clear, With Leash

 

[hilljo88]

Sorry to hear. I'm not a doctor, and my comments may not apply to you but I've been told that I have "surfer's ear": bony protrusions constricting the ear canal. And some years ago I did have on land bouts of vertigo. But, knock on wood, I'm able to control my equilibrium with decongestants and have had no limitations on diving activity. Keys for me are to get ahead of it by taking decongestants in advance of symptoms, getting a good night's sleep, and minimizing foods with a lot of salt and/or spices. Alcohol in moderation, and none at all if I'm feeling iffy. Caffeine and exercise seem to help me. Other tricks I've learned that don't necessarily apply underwater are to focus on a distant object and somehow getting stability signals from my feet when standing. Good luck and don't give up on searching for a solution that will let you continue diving.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Full disclosure - I have narrow ear canals and on my last dive this week in Cozumel, I felt a little weird with my left ear but after talking with my dive master, he told me to descend slowly and I should be ok. I felt I was equalized well and when we reached around 50 feet, we went through a swim-through and all hell broke loose as I turned sideways to avoid hitting the coral with my tank. Vertigo set in and I felt like I was spinning uncontrollably. Nausea set in and I had pain in my left ear. I couldn't get my bearings because I was spinning so badly. Sun/ sand, sun/ sand, sun/ sand.... it wouldn't stop. I remember him holding me at the safety stop and at some point they helped me get up on the boat. Later, the doctor confirmed a middle ear barotrauma.

I need to find an ENT here in Houston who isn't going to tell me to stop diving. Although this is the first time I've had this happen, I have had other ENT's say "if you have narrow ear canals, you need to find another hobby"... which I think is lazy medicine.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I know many divers who still dive with narrow ear canals. I did take sudafed the night before (which the doctor on Cozumel said was a mistake for some reason.)

I'm frustrated and I want this fixed. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. The vertigo is still an issue four days later and let me tell you flying home was not fun at all. The ear still feels very full of pressure and decons don't seem to be helping. He prescribed Mobic, another decongestant (not sudafed), and Levaquin to prevent infection.

I'm open to any/ all suggestions..... except for discontinuing diving. I just want to find a good ENT that has some knowledge about diving.

Thanks divers!

@JPham73 ,

Persistent vertigo following a dive is concerning for inner ear barotrauma as well. I strongly recommend that you be evaluated by a competent ENT as soon as possible, ideally within the next 12 hours. This may mean going to your local emergency department. Meanwhile, I recommend you minimize your activity and especially avoid straining. I'm PMing you info on a local ENT group.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[JPham73]

That sounds like a horrible experience. Any ear clearing problems I've had were in the first 20 feet, and my home dive bud always had to slowly work thru the first 20, but after that - no issues. I'm surprised yours happened at 50.

BTW, save your receipts so you can file a claim on your DAN dive insurance. This should be covered as a diving injury.


Just to clarify, was this the original Sudafed but under a different name from behind the pharmacist's counter containing Pseudoephedrine, which requires photo ID and your signature to buy in Texas, or non-regulated OTC sold as Sudafed but containing Phenyleprine? Common decongestant may be worthless, study finds

It was Sudafed-D - where I had to show my photo ID. The doctor in Cozumel told me it was counterproductive to take it if I wasn't congested and said it was a waste of time and money? I've always taken it in the past and never had issues.

Pseudoephedrine has been difficult to find for years since the states started regulating it so much, killing sales and increasing labor. I get it in Wal-Act D at Walgreens and smuggle it into Mexico on my visits as it's not legal to have there. Additionally, I take it the night before and the morning of any dives.


Surely you misunderstood.


A common med for arthritis pain. He said the Mobic was for inflammation and pain. I thought it was weird too. I took two and it did nothing for pain.


Whatever it was, if sold in Mexico, it's not Pseudoephedrine - which I have been taking for over 30 years. I think there was another decongestant that worked before it, but it was canceled for other reasons.