Serous Otitis Media -- Causing a lot of ear infections

[Fogest]

Did you go diving? How did it work out if you did?

It worked out fine. I have no idea if I got an ear infection again from it as I am still on antibiotics as I was suppose to take them for 10 days. I am going up to Tobermory this weekend so I'll have 3 more days of diving this long weekend.

We will see how that goes as the antibiotics will be running out by that time.

 

[fmerkel]

Antibiotics won't directly help you clear or prevent barotrauma. OTOH, if your ears and Eustachian Canal are all mess up because of barotrauma+infection and they clear up that dysfunction so you can clear properly, then they can certainly make a difference.

Did you change your clearing method and style at all?

 

[Fogest]

Antibiotics won't directly help you clear or prevent barotrauma. OTOH, if your ears and Eustachian Canal are all mess up because of barotrauma+infection and they clear up that dysfunction so you can clear properly, then they can certainly make a difference.

Did you change your clearing method and style at all?

I am saying that the antibiotics seemed to help clear the ear infection and since I am still on the antibiotics it may have just continued to help because I was already on them. It is really all me just speculating. There are a lot of guesses being made here. The first big assumption is that the antibiotics are doing anything for me. They may not even being resolving anything, and maybe this time during diving I just didn't get an infection.

I did not change my clearing method at all. Clearing my ears was definitely my focus of my dives, and I tried to make sure my ear clearing was a great focus so that I could make sure I was definitely "properly" clearing them in time. Again as the last case, I have no idea if that helped or not, and whether that helped prevent getting ear pain after the dive weekend.

Ultimately the only difference I see is that I am on antibiotics, other than that not much is different from the last time.

 

[eerrawgue]

Forest: Going through exact same thing. Memorial day weekend, I was teaching OW class at our quarry. Pushed too much through equalizing problems to get down to 23 feet because the students had driven an hour and a half to get there. Dumb on my part. A week later pain started. Diagnosed with infection. First round of antibiotics didn't work and on day 8 of antibiotics, my ear drum ruptured. I didn't even feel it, just realized that crap was coming out of my ear. At a Cubs game, no less, while in line for a hot dog. Skipped the hot dog. New round of antibiotics did not seem to work either but when I went back to ENT for third time she said the ear looked much better and ear drum was starting to heal. Now it's 2 weeks later. The whole time I have had pulsating tinitus, muffled hearing with fluid in middle ear and pain. Now the pain is very intermittent, but sharp for 1/2 a second each time. Also, my sinuses seem to be upset, but when I say that I sound like a hypochondriac. I go back to ENT in 4 weeks to evaluate the ear drum, test my hearing and plan next steps. All this with a trip to Cocos Island planned for September 15th paid for and nonrefundable (don't ask about trip insurance or I'll cry). My ENT cannot explain sharp pain and says the fluid may take months to drain. She and DAN docs believe there is plenty of time for ear drum to heal and for me to dive, but in the end, she says, "We won't know until you try". My story is being stupid and pushing too far. I know you are frustrated that you don't know how this happened. No answer for you except when you return to diving descend 10 times slower and equalize from face in water on. From my reading, the first 6 feet set the tone. Eustachian tubes don't recover from stress and don't reopen even after just 6 feet of forcing things.
DoctorMike: if you see this and have any words of wisdom, I'm all ears......

Rob

Hi Rob, I know it’s been almost a decade since you posted this and I’ve been searching around the web coz I had my eardrum burst too over the weekend while i was freediving. I really want to know how the healing process was for other divers and if maybe you can share your experiences about how your ears are doing now and how bad was your rupture. Thank you so much!

 

[peeweediver]

Hi Rob, I know it’s been almost a decade since you posted this and I’ve been searching around the web coz I had my eardrum burst too over the weekend while i was freediving. I really want to know how the healing process was for other divers and if maybe you can share your experiences about how your ears are doing now and how bad was your rupture. Thank you so much!

HI:
After about a month, all symptoms were gone. My ENT kept me out of the water for 4 months to ensure complete healing. I have been diving ever since with no recurrence or problems. Strangely, since then, that ear has never required clearing efforts beyond swallowing. I did lose a bit of hearing range. The injured ear reads slightly less on the higher frequencies than the non-injured ear.
The ENT called the rupture a pin hole. It healed over in a week but, as stated, the ENT wasn't confident in it for diving for 4 months. Having a good ENT who stated her goal was to get me back to diving and available DAN doctors to talk to really helped.
Good luck.
Rob