Ruptured Eardrum???

[Diver Dad]

My uncle told me hes giving up diving because of a ruptured eardrum. Is that something that can take you out of diving for-good?

 

[SteveAD]

One of the instructors who works for me has ruptured his eardrum at least twice. It is typically a six week dry spell while it heals and then back in the water.

 

[String]

Depends on the type of rupture, the mechanism of how it ruptured and so on.

Some are innocuous, some indicate more of a weakness and long term problem.

 

[spectrum]

Depends on the type of rupture, the mechanism of how it ruptured and so on.

Some are innocuous, some indicate more of a weakness and long term problem.

That's what I have heard too.

Generally for an injured diver it's a 6 week dry spell.

Others including my brother have pre dive problems that are simply contraindicative of diving.

Pete

 

[Diver Dad]

I do have a bit of a concern for myself something Im going to finally go see the family DR about, its with my left ear, its been bothering me sens summer, when I'm cleaning my ears the wax's in my right ear appears normal and in the left its dry flaky stuff?? a few months ago it seemed like there was water or something trapped in my eardrum if i moved the wrong way it would make a muffled sound? that went away but now sometimes when I'm chewing my food i can here a crackling sound in the same ear. anyone experience this?

 

[Bob Vincent]

Usually its weeks as stated many times above. After a short sit the diver should be ready to go. Unless the diver gets the hebbies scared out of him. Years ago in the early 80's, 2 friends and myself were taking a deep class at Bonne Terre Mine we were down around 90 ft when I seen my friend heading down and not moving as he passed me and my buddy as the group was asending he was desending. I caught up with him at about 110 I grabbed him and pulled him up to look in his eyes they were blank. At the hospital we found out he poped an ear drum and the cold water scambled his brains while his body was trying to warm the cold water in the ear. After that we couldn't get him back into diving. Such a shame. Do you know if he had such an experience?

 

[nymbus]

Diver Dad- I would really check in with a dr., or in the least give DAN a call and see what they have to say about it. Better safe than sorry, at least when it comes to something that might impact future diving.

Scary things can happen and when you add a bit of pain to it, (like the stuff that ear damage can do,) it can help people make the decision not to dive anymore. A ruptured eardrum can, (and generally does,) heal around 6 weeks. However, having had two of them, let me tell you it can HURT along the way.

Just as a thought- perhaps your uncle has other reasons that he would like to stop diving, and ear problems are something that no one can argue with... I'm certainly not saying that this is the case here, but I've known several people who felt like they were unsafe or uncomfortable with diving and said their ears hurt in order to avoid the questions and peer pressure that can sometimes be associated with the decision to end a diving career, or even just calling a single dive.
Just a thought.

 

[Flightlead]

I ruptured an eardrum in the mid-ninties making a very rapid 12,000' descent in an unpressurized cabin with a bad cold (stoopid). When I was on the ground I was in extreme pain. 5 mins later, a pop, relief from pain, and a little discharge. was prescribed some antibiotics as a prophylactic and was fine. didn't dive until a couple years after that and was worried there'd be a problem but if anything its the reverse.....that ear clears with no problem my other one blocks sometimes for no apparant reason (did this weekend at Keowee at 30' for example).

 

[TSandM]

If the eardrum doesn't heal, it's a contraindication to diving. A perforated drum permits seawater into the middle ear and is a significant risk for infection.

A healed perforation should not preclude diving.

Persisted popping or crackling after diving is suggestive of barotrauma.

 

[grassyknoll]

Early on I had issues with my ears-ruptured an erdrum once, I could feel it tear and then the pain, nausea and vertigo hit, the pain lasted only about an hour but it did take about 7-8 weeks to fully heal. Then last year I forced a dive:no when I couldn't get my right ear adequately equalized. After that dive it felt like I had water in the inner ear that wouldn't clear out. This was much worse than the rupture as I couldn't hear and it always felt like water in the ear. My physician took a look and determined that my inner ear was full of blood, the only way to remove it was a needle through the tympanic membrane to suck it out.

Neither of these has had any lasting implications for my diving but since then I have really made a point to be more aware of my equalization and I have had no more issues.