Possible inner ear problems??

[EliteDetail]

It seems that when i dive ( 2 dives now) I have a hard time equalizing my ears after say 10 feet. Then to make that even worse off..when I ascend I get a little case of vertigo. From what I understand this may be a inner ear problem? does anyone know what causes this or what I can do to prevent this problem? will the proear 2000 mask help me at all with the vertigo? I hear that vertigo is caused my water entering the inner ear canal and either being to cold or having a diffrent temp on the left ear as apposed to the right...is this correct? any help is greatly appreciated! Also if anyone knows a good ENT specialist in the orange county, ca area I could possible see for an exam and also if anyone knows what it may cost to have looked at ( I dont have insurance) thanks once again.

Jay

 

[GoBlue!]

Regarding your problem with descent, the whole key is equalizing OFTEN. Start at the surface before your head even submerges, and literally equalize every 1-2 ft at first, as you seem to have some problems equalizing. If you are ever unsuccessful, go up a couple feet and retry. My poor wife ruptured her eardrum at 15 feet on her first dive after a few year hiatus from diving, as she didn't remember to equalize early & often.

As for your vertigo on ascent issue, it's not likely to be from water in the inner ear. The outer ear canal will be full of water when submerged, so that's not playing a role. The middle ear (which is the small air-filled space that connects to the throat via the Eustachian tube) SHOULD be air-filled unless you've ruptured your eardrum. The inner ear is also separated from the middle ear by the round & oval windows, which are very thin membranes that also should be intact.

Causes of vertigo while diving can be (1) ruptured ear-drum (causing colder water to enter one middle ear but not the other, stimulating the inner ear on one side), (2) rupture of the round or oval window, (3) unequal middle-ear pressure, (4) decompression sickness, (5) motion sickness (surge, boats, etc.). By your description of difficulty w/ equalization on descent, my guess is that you also have problems equalizing on ASCENT, and each of your ears is equalizing at different rates. Therefore you are left with a difference in pressure between your two middle ear cavities, and this is sensed by your inner ear causing vertigo. To correct this, simply descend a bit & ascend more slowly, moving your jaw a bit to help the expanding air escape easily from your middle ears via the Eustachian tube.

You'd know it if you ruptured an eardrum or the round/oval window.

Jim

 

[EliteDetail]

Jim, thanks for the reply.
Glad to know I havent rupture an ear drum or anything serious. When i descend i attempt to equalize from the surface and about every 2 feet, it seems that it takes me a lonnnnggg time to make the pain go away, i almost feel myself trying to hard to equalize. once i do get equalized then im fine while swimming around under at say 30 feet (never been deeper then that yet) on my way up i just swallow and i can feel my ears "popping" kinda like when im on an airplane or coming down from 8-10,000 feet in the mountains to sea level. when im about 10 feet from surface on both the dives i have taken i have got this vertigo feeling where i was pretty dizzy and dont realize how close to surface i was. when i was diving yesterday we wer eonly in 15 feet of water swimming around, i got dizzy and nex thing i know my head popped up out of water. I do suffer from mild sea sickness when i go on boats in the open ocean but im not sure how that would play a roll im calm non surging water like a pool or protected harbor which is the only places i have dove so far. Even today I feel as if i have water trapped in my ears. I had my normal doctor take a look at my ears and she says they look fine and she doesnt see any problems with them, however i still have a clogged ear sensation...any clue why o rwhat I need to do to fix this (ear drops havent worked) thanks again guys..this site is great!

 

[JohnVranesevich]

Greetings:

I had similar problems my first few times diving too.

I went to an ENT, who cleared some wax out of my ears. Ever since, i've had ZERO problems.

He also recommended to just practice equalizing a couple of times a day, to help keep the 'ol tubes open and free flowing.

It seems to make sense that everyone that first gets into scuba should visit an ENT for good measure (my instructor actually recommended it to me before I ever got into the water...should have listened, would have saved myself a few troublesome dives).

 

[EliteDetail]

John,
That was just your outter ear canala that had wax removed right? I went to my normal doc and she took a look and said i had no wax build up or any problems that she could see however im told she cant examine the inner canal and that it takes a specilist in the ENT field to check my inner ears.

 

[hambleto]

Best of luck with the ear and I hope your problems will go away with time. As far as a good ENT, have you contacted dan? Even if you are not a member they will give you a referal for a ENT familiar with diving. You can go to http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/contact/email.asp to send them an e-mail.
Ben

 

[GoBlue!]

EliteDetail once bubbled...
When i descend i attempt to equalize from the surface and about every 2 feet, it seems that it takes me a lonnnnggg time to make the pain go away, i almost feel myself trying to hard to equalize.

Sounds like you need to equalize earlier & more often. You shouldn't develop pain only descending 2 feet of water unless you did not fully equalize at the shallower depth. The deeper you go, the more difficult it's going to be to equalize. As suggested by John's ENT, it would be a good thing to practice equalization on land...gently...several times/day to get things "loosened up" if you will. My wife found it very tough to equalize initially, and she gets her ears "warmed up" starting about a week prior to our dive trips. She does much better now.

Remember that it should NOT take force to equalize. In fact, if you're finding yourself using significant force, you're putting yourself at a good deal of risk of rupturing an eardrum (seen it a few times in the last couple years, actually) which will put quite a damper on your diving season.

...on my way up i just swallow and i can feel my ears "popping" kinda like when im on an airplane or coming down from 8-10,000 feet in the mountains to sea level. when im about 10 feet from surface on both the dives i have taken i have got this vertigo feeling where i was pretty dizzy and dont realize how close to surface i was.

So it sounds like you're equalizing to some extent, but I bet you're just equalizing very slowly & not equally between the two sides. Go VERY slowly to the surface.

Even today I feel as if i have water trapped in my ears. I had my normal doctor take a look at my ears and she says they look fine and she doesnt see any problems with them, however i still have a clogged ear sensation...

You're Eustachian tubes aren't happy, I bet. You could very well have some fluid in your middle ear (not from the sea, but from negative pressure in your middle ear from inadequate equalization that has "sucked" some fluid from your tissues into that space) that's not draining well because your Eustachian tubes are swollen/narrow/etc. Your doc should've seen a perforated eardrum, which is another cause of persistent clogged ear feeling after a dive with difficult equalization.

If you don't have any medical contraindications, you may want to put yourself on Sudafed for a few days to test and see if a decongestant helps open up your Eustachian tubes a bit & makes it easier for you to equalize. If you have seasonal allergies, you may want to try an oral and/or nasal antihistamine (your primary doc can easily recommend one of the many). Since this sounds like a chronic problem for you (i.e., no concurrent cold, etc.) I would not advocate Afrin, as you could get yourself hooked on the stuff & cause far greater problems down the road.

Best of luck,
Jim

Does not constitute medical advice nor a doctor-patient relationship. Discuss all health concerns with your physician.

 

[EliteDetail]

Jim thank you so much buddy, i think you hit the nail on the head, I have a serious fluid fill in my ears on both sides after about 3 weeks from my dive! something doesnt seem right. My ears dont hurt me now but when i descend they have a piercing pain in them when i try to equalize. and yes i think i may be trying to hard to equalize my ears because its soo annoying when my g/f and others are down at 30 feet when im at 10 feet trying to clear my ears. anyway im going to see an ent this week hopefully b4 my final dive for my cert. thanks to all who put in their 2 cents.

 

[GoBlue!]

EliteDetail once bubbled...
Jim thank you so much buddy, i think you hit the nail on the head, I have a serious fluid fill in my ears on both sides after about 3 weeks from my dive! something doesnt seem right. My ears dont hurt me now but when i descend they have a piercing pain in them when i try to equalize.

Definitely should see an ENT. You're doing the right thing. I'd highly recommend an ENT that's familiar with diving. My wife saw an ENT after perforating an eardrum & first saw a non-diving-familiar ENT who told her she'd likely never be able to dive again. She then saw an ENT at our local academic center who is an active diver & interested in dive medicine, and she got very different advice. She's been back to diving for several years now & loving it, without any recurrent problems with equalization.

Jim

 

[EliteDetail]

off to the ENT I go. i have an appointment tuesday to see if theres any problems. I also went ahead and ordered the proear 2000 mask to see if maybe water in my ear canals is causing some issues...wish me luck! Ive only been underwater scuba diving 3 times and I LOVE IT! i would hate to have to end or even limit my scuba experiances because of my damn ears.