Open Water Cert... Ears still havent popped.

[royfokker]

I did my padi open water cert dives this weekend and logged about 110 min diving, never going beyond 45 ft. My last dive was on sunday so its been a couple days and my ears still havent fully popped. Is that something I should be concerned about? Any suggestions how to pop then?

 

[Quero]

You may have injured your ears a little bit. Did you feel pain or encounter difficulty while trying to equalize during your dives? If it's only a bit of a full feeling and muffled hearing, that is caused by fluid buildup in the tissues of the middle ear, usually due to improper equalization, and it generally goes away on its own when the swelling goes down. So usually you just have to wait a while since you can't really do anything to "pop" them. If you've got pain, though, or other worrying symptoms, it can't hurt to go have your ears checked by a medical professional.

 

[royfokker]

thanks... yeah i dont have any pain. they just still havent fully cleared. this happened when i did my pool dives as well.

 

[Divejones]

salt water gargle should help, however, depending on the severity, i suggest show it to a ENT Dr, also read the yellow band right on top

 

[Quero]

thanks... yeah i dont have any pain. they just still havent fully cleared. this happened when i did my pool dives as well.

You didn't say whether you did your pool and open water sessions one after the other, but if you hurt your ears and then keep diving, they get worse and it will take longer for them to heal up.

If it's a recurring problem, you should definitely get an evaluation. Also, you might find the information in this website helpful in understanding what goes on in the ears due to pressure changes and how to deal with it. Prevention of Middle Ear Barotrauma

 

[stairman]

Thousands of people cant dive because they cant equalize. You shouldnt force them to clear and you should equalize on descent often before you feel the need to in many cases. I equalize after each breath taken in before exhaling while dropping down. Remember your earbeer afterwards, 1/2 vinegar 1/2 alcohol. Practice equalizing daily even when not diving. Sinus conditions can make this impossible in which case diving below 12 ft wouldnt be wise. Any other problems Id have a doc look in to see whats happenin.

 

[royfokker]

whats ear beer? no i did my pool dives a couple months ago.

Thousands of people cant dive because they cant equalize. You shouldnt force them to clear and you should equalize on descent often before you feel the need to in many cases. I equalize after each breath taken in before exhaling while dropping down. Remember your earbeer afterwards, 1/2 vinegar 1/2 alcohol. Practice equalizing daily even when not diving. Sinus conditions can make this impossible in which case diving below 12 ft wouldnt be wise. Any other problems Id have a doc look in to see whats happenin.

 

[TSandM]

royfokker, "ear beer" is a solution that is instilled into the outer ear canal, to prevent "swimmer's ear".

The whole topic of ear problems confuses an awful lot of people. HERE is an essay I wrote some time back, trying to clarify the issues.

In general, a feeling of fullness and muffled hearing is the result of inadequate equalization -- either left too late, or incomplete. The relative vacuum that ensues in the middle ear sucks fluid out of the surrounding tissues, and may even break small blood vessels. Once the middle ear is full of fluid, transduction of sound is impeded and muffled hearing is the result. Unfortunately, there is no way to hurry the resolution of this. Some people (and some ENT docs) use oral decongestants like Sudafed, antiinflammatories like ibuprofen, or mechanical treatments like chewing gum, but the bottom line is that the fluid has to reabsorb, and that takes time.

Once your ears have completely healed and you go to dive again, pay very close attention to equalizing BEFORE you feel any discomfort at all. Some people find that pre-pressurizing their ears on the surface, even before they begin to descend, can help jumpstart the process.

If you have any pain at all, or if the muffled hearing persists past a couple of days, it would be worth getting an exam from a diving-savvy physician.

 

[Quero]

Everything she said ^^^

"Ear beer" is just home-made ear drops to prevent swimmer's ear. It won't help the problem you've got, which sounds like it's more likely an injury to the middle ear. Swimmer's ear is an infection of the outer ear canal. Barotrauma happens behind the ear drum in the middle ear where sea water (and ear beer) don't enter, so no amount of ear beer is going to fix or even prevent a middle ear barotrauma injury.

Since it seems to be a recurring problem, you should go get your ears and nose checked out by an ENT since you might have some physiological issue like a deviated septum, congestion from allergies, nasal polyps or something else that's interfering with your ability to clear your ears effectively. You might also be having some technique issues going on so that you're not quite managing the equalization, which is why I gave you that link to read through.

 

[royfokker]

TSandM how do you pre-pressurize your ears?