Recurring ear squeeze-nasal steroids + antihistamine + oral steroid

[Trace Wilson]

In a similar vein to the sinus squeeze thread, I've had issues for years clearing my ears on descent. I generally have to resort to pinching my nose and trying to blow my brain out through my ears. Most of the issue is my left ear (which i blew during dive training 30 yrs ago in high school), and very occasionally my right ear, to a much lesser degree.

On my last dive I experienced my first reverse ear squeeze. Fortunately it was a shallow dive, and it did clear slowly on ascent & safety stop, at least enough to get with out blowing the eardrum, but i called the rest of my dives for the day. When it happened i got a bit freaked. A friend of mine was on a dive trip many years ago and a diver got stuck at about 50 ft with a reverse ear squeeze. They ended up bringing her 5 tanks trying to ease her up, and finally had to grab her and bring her up “forcefully” when they ran out of spare tanks.

On many trips i wind up with fluid in my middle ear afterward. My Dr. generally gives me a supply of oral steroids to reduce the inflamation, and i’m good until the next dive trip. This last trip in, we discussed the situation, and he suggested using a nasal steroid beginning a week before the trip, and optionally an antihistamine as well. After the trip, if the ear is blocked, use the oral steroid for 4 days only, then come back id the ear doesn’t clear.

Just wondering if anyone has any other suggestions on ways to prevent the blockage initially, or other home remedies to clear the blockage after a trip. Additionally, recommendations on how to make vlearing my ears easier would be great too.

Thanks in advance...

 

[fmerkel]

Along with the Valsalva maneuver: look up, jut the chin out, tilt the affected ear up. All this stretches the Eustachian canal and helps facilitate clearing.
Practice. Lots of above water practice helps keep things stretched and improves muscle memory.
Suck on papaya enzyme before and between dives. It acts as a localized anti-inflammatory.

If you have allergies; start using saline nasal rinses. Lots of info on the net. I use the Neilmed. With acitve allergies you should be using a non-sedating anti-histamine well before the dive. Same with the nasal steroids.
Take Sudafed about an hour before the dive.

As a last resort/preventative take low dose oral steroids during dive trips. IMO it's better to take 5-10mg of Pred every day during a 1-2 week trip to hopefully prevent damage, than end up taking a whole lot more after a trip to try to repair the damage done. I've been doing this for years and it definitely helps without all the issues of high dose steroids.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Do you ever equalize on the surface? Can you equalize now as you sit at your computer, the way you would if you were on an airplane or a fast elevator?