I have had a problem with 1 ear that has fluid in the middle ear:depressed:. It started back in Aug. on a trip to NC. It does not cause any pain, I can still clear my ears, I have lost hearing and you can hear the fluid in the ear.
I had the exact same issue back in January 2008. I did my first dives ever around this time. I ended up with fluid trapped behind my ear drum, which I could hear when I moved my head around. It did not hurt at all, and I did not realize it until later but it was causing me some hearing loss.
I have been to the Dr to get treatment and am now going to an ear specialist. They have mentioned tubes but that will be the last resort and I still don't know if I will let them put them in since it has no ill effect other than I can't hear my wife
. The specialist was stumped because I am able to still clear my ears so the fluid should be able to drain through he Estation tubes, she has me on a steroid and hoping it will work.
The ENT specialist I saw also put me on a steroid (methylprednisolone), as well as an antibiotic (amoxicillin?), and nasal spray (nasonex I believe). I was also told to do the valsalva periodically throughout the day. 1 week into this routine, I woke up one morning, took all the meds, and began doing the valsalva. Within a few minutes, a warm, yellowish fluid leaked from my ear. 1 week later, the same exact thing happened.
The mistake I think I may have made was thinking that because I could no longer hear the water in my ear, and because I noticed I could suddenly hear better, I believed that I was "cured". As such, I did not schedule a follow up appointment with my doctor. My advice, which is really more common sense than anything, is to make sure you follow up with your doctor until he/she says you're fine. If/when the fluid finally does drain, that does not necessarily mean that you are free and clear of ear infections or other issues.
I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what my outcome might be for it? I have a lot of diving planned and I hope this will clear up.
I can't comment on the outcome, because I had to see an ENT earlier today who said I had an ear infection, and they'll need to irrigate my ear tonight. This was after doing about 20 dives last month with fluid leaking out of my ear frequently afterwards when doing the valsalva (anywhere from immediately afterwards to a few weeks afterwards). Unfortunately I believed the fluid to be a mixture of seawater and wax due to its color, but that is not the case.
Moral of the story: get treated as soon as possible, and let any final decisions come from the ENT (again, common sense)
P.S. If anyone is in Cozumel and runs into such an issue, I went to the hyperbaric chamber / medical facility on 30 today and was able to see an ear doctor immediately (vice having to wait a week to see Dr. Negron at San Miguel medical clinic). I will have to go back tonight as well. Getting treated today instead of having to wait a week was a very nice surprise.
Please do keep us posted Gamehunter. I am very curious to know how your problem turns out, and if it turns up again. Hopefully within a few weeks I'll be able to update this thread, stating that I've done 20 more dives since the irrigation and had no issues. Time will tell. Best of luck to you!
