Boaty McBoatface
Contributor
Your body is different than mine, but here is my experience.
As suggested, equalize often and before you submerge, yes, but also *don't equalize so hard.* Your body can generate way more equalizing pressure than you need. Blowing harder doesn't help and may aggravate this problem.
By way of encouragement, I'd offer that this is a common problem that may often get better, perhaps across only a handful of dives. You and I have a similar dive count. During my OW class my descents were terribly slow and sometimes painful. And afterwards, I had fluid trapped in my middle ear for a couple of weeks. (I eventually cleared it up with a combo of Flonase and behind-the-counter Sudafed.) Then I took a trip to Hawaii and after about a half dozen dives my body got accustomed to equalizing, and I could descend faster and with less pain. Less pain led me to blow less hard to equalize, and that helped prevent the problem in the first place. I did a dozen dives and got a little fluid in my ears the first few, but by the end of the week my ears were clear and staying that way. I was also blowing less hard and dropping 40-60 feet quickly and with no pain. Point is, I think this problem may be a rite of passage (or, more accurately, "not passage") for many new divers that may quickly get better for you, too, so don't get discouraged.
Another suggestion which may or may not be helpful in prevention, but it can't hurt: Swallow right before you do the Valsalva. You should be swallowing a lot, anyway, just to help clear, but saliva and mucous can accumulate in the back of the throat, especially when you have a mouthpiece in your mouth (salivary response). If you do the Valsalva with a bunch of goop right at the entrance orifice to your eustachian tubes you can impel that blockage into the tube - especially if you're blowing too hard. Swallow first, then immediately do the Valsalva.
It's probably best to get your current case cleared before diving a lot and working through this. From what I've read, swimmer's ear doesn't usually develop into a serious health matter so long as it doesn't make you dizzy and the fluid doesn't contain an infection. But if you have swelling and/or you're in pain now, you do have an infection, and you need a doctor, not Scubaboard.
Something not yet mentioned that might help you with your current problem is massaging the neck area behind and below the outer ear, in a generally downward direction to manually encourage the fluid to escape. "Manual lymph drainage" can also help. Look it up to see techniques, but the basic idea is to massage fluids away from the region and towards your lymph nodes where the fluid can be picked up by the body and get flushed out. By kneading fluids from all over you head and neck toward your lymph node (in your armpit) you create space for the ear fluid to migrate into. Maybe nothing; can't hurt; you can do it while watching TV.
Bests
As suggested, equalize often and before you submerge, yes, but also *don't equalize so hard.* Your body can generate way more equalizing pressure than you need. Blowing harder doesn't help and may aggravate this problem.
By way of encouragement, I'd offer that this is a common problem that may often get better, perhaps across only a handful of dives. You and I have a similar dive count. During my OW class my descents were terribly slow and sometimes painful. And afterwards, I had fluid trapped in my middle ear for a couple of weeks. (I eventually cleared it up with a combo of Flonase and behind-the-counter Sudafed.) Then I took a trip to Hawaii and after about a half dozen dives my body got accustomed to equalizing, and I could descend faster and with less pain. Less pain led me to blow less hard to equalize, and that helped prevent the problem in the first place. I did a dozen dives and got a little fluid in my ears the first few, but by the end of the week my ears were clear and staying that way. I was also blowing less hard and dropping 40-60 feet quickly and with no pain. Point is, I think this problem may be a rite of passage (or, more accurately, "not passage") for many new divers that may quickly get better for you, too, so don't get discouraged.
Another suggestion which may or may not be helpful in prevention, but it can't hurt: Swallow right before you do the Valsalva. You should be swallowing a lot, anyway, just to help clear, but saliva and mucous can accumulate in the back of the throat, especially when you have a mouthpiece in your mouth (salivary response). If you do the Valsalva with a bunch of goop right at the entrance orifice to your eustachian tubes you can impel that blockage into the tube - especially if you're blowing too hard. Swallow first, then immediately do the Valsalva.
It's probably best to get your current case cleared before diving a lot and working through this. From what I've read, swimmer's ear doesn't usually develop into a serious health matter so long as it doesn't make you dizzy and the fluid doesn't contain an infection. But if you have swelling and/or you're in pain now, you do have an infection, and you need a doctor, not Scubaboard.
Something not yet mentioned that might help you with your current problem is massaging the neck area behind and below the outer ear, in a generally downward direction to manually encourage the fluid to escape. "Manual lymph drainage" can also help. Look it up to see techniques, but the basic idea is to massage fluids away from the region and towards your lymph nodes where the fluid can be picked up by the body and get flushed out. By kneading fluids from all over you head and neck toward your lymph node (in your armpit) you create space for the ear fluid to migrate into. Maybe nothing; can't hurt; you can do it while watching TV.
Bests
