Vertigo and Inner Ear Problem

[Sunshine73]

Yesterday, while I was making my descent on my second dive at 10 feet my right ear was not equalizing. I was performing the Valsalva Maneuver every couple of feet so I did it a couple of times in a row when the equalization problem started at 10 feet. Within seconds my right ear sounded as if air was being blown into it, then I got really dizzy. I ascended up a couple of feet and everything stopped. I was able to equalize and continue on with my descent. The same thing happened on my third dive. During the dives I did not experience any other issues. I was diving fresh cold water with a hood on. This morning I feel as if there is fluid in my ear and each time I swallow or yawn I hear a cracking noise in my right ear. There is no pain and I can hear clearly out of the ear. Did I damage my middle ear during the descent? Should I seek medical attention ASAP?

 

[DivingCRNA]

I am not a doctor, and I do not play one on TV....

I have had similar occurrances. I went to the ER doc where I work, and to an ENT that specializes in ears and balance. I had a series of hearing tests (I have excellent hearing, no matter what my wife says!), pressure tests on my ears, and some vestibular function testing. Nothing said I had anything "serious" wrong.

Things to look for-a fistula between your outer and inner ear, an ear infection (I sometimes come back from dive trips with ear infections), or trapped fluid. I am not sure you have to run to the Dr. today, but I would go see an ENT doctor before you dive again. Go sooner if you have pain or hearing loss.

I hope this helps.

Yesterday, while I was making my descent on my second dive at 10 feet my right ear was not equalizing. I was performing the Valsalva Maneuver every couple of feet so I did it a couple of times in a row when the equalization problem started at 10 feet. Within seconds my right ear sounded as if air was being blown into it, then I got really dizzy. I ascended up a couple of feet and everything stopped. I was able to equalize and continue on with my descent. The same thing happened on my third dive. During the dives I did not experience any other issues. I was diving fresh cold water with a hood on. This morning I feel as if there is fluid in my ear and each time I swallow or yawn I hear a cracking noise in my right ear. There is no pain and I can hear clearly out of the ear. Did I damage my middle ear during the descent? Should I seek medical attention ASAP?

 

[rawls]

I assume you didn't rupture your eardrum, but you could have a small hole in the eardrum and that's where the water could be coming in and getting into the middle ear thus causing the vertigo. Problem could be hood squeeze too. But it sounds to me like you may have a very small hole in the eardrum and I guess it's possible the hood could have led to it somehow. Get a doc to check it out. Even a ruptured eardrum will heal in about a week. That's not your biggest problem. Your biggest problem is a middle ear infection. If there is a leak then you are going to have contaminants and microrganisms in the middle ear. Takes alot longer to get a middle ear infection under control. So get to a doc asap...

 

[grumpymedic]

Sunshine, I too had problems equalizing my left ear. After my last dive I felt like I had water in my ear and could not get it out. I could hear crackling when I swallowed or cleared. I went to my Doc and she said that my eardrums were both intact,but that I probably caused some barotrauma to my sinus cavity. She gave me some ear drops for pain (I had very slight pain) and told me not to dive for a week to see if it cleared up. Well it has been about a week or so and it has slowly went away. I am no doctor but it sound like you have the same problems going on that I did. If it doesn't start feeling better within a week I would for sure go see a doctor. Good luck.

 

[Pony]

As the others, not a doctor but have had similar ear problems for the past year and a half of diving. My "crackling noise" usually clears after a couple of days, with no residual problems that I'm aware of. I usually experience an "un-equalization" of one of my ears on the way up; and boy can you feel dizzy/vertigo, not to mention to scare the *#$% out of you the first time. Make sure you don't "valsalva" to hard or long as this can have other very bad effects as well. If you are worried, reassurance from a professional can never hurt. Good luck.

 

[Mongrat]

Yeap I had a similar problem and was a little worried about it, So i went to an Ear Nose Throat doc. He checked me out and everything was fine, he said I could have had some very minor streching in my inner near. Anyhow, he gave me a Nasal Spray called Astelin (Sp?) which he said I should use a couple squirts before diving, and it will make it easier to clear my ears, havent tried it yet as im still a noob diver but it seems like it should help.

 

[james croft]

Could be a small hole. Often a hood will cause trouble clearing. To be on the safe side get it checked out. I got hit once with vertigo. Over time I experienced a hearing loss in one ear and vertigo. I was misdiagnosed with Menieres disease. turned out to be microbubbles in inner ear. As a side note I was told about a diver complaining of an ear problem on a wreck dive. The problem was quickly diagnosed by his buddies who supposedly saw smoke coming out of his ear while he was smoking a cigarette. I can't verify that, but it was funny visualizing it.

 

[erparamedic]

It is very important to be careful when doing the valsalva technique, as Pony mentioned... it can also have very undesirable effects.

Valsalva is used in emergency medicine to slow a racing heart... otherwise known as SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia). If you bear down too long, you are going to drastically reduce the rate at which your heart beats, and *could* potentially cause one to pass out. Wikipedia breaks down the physiology of this...

Here is what Wikipedia says:
A Valsalva maneuver performed against a closed glottis results in a drastic increase in pressure in the thoracic cavity, the airtight section of the torso that houses the lungs and heart. In normal exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, pushing up and into the thoracic cavity. This increases pressure in the cavity and forces the air out of the lungs. However, when the air cannot escape, as when the glottis is closed in a Valsalva maneuver, pressure simply continues to build inside the abdomen and thoracic cavity until the diaphragm relaxes or the air is allowed to escape. This reduces the amount of blood flow into the thoracic cavity, especially in the veins leading to the right atrium of the heart.

So... if you are having trouble clearing... don't valsalva harder... instead, you should ascend a little, clear, begin decending again (very slowly), and clear more often.... but not harder. And, by all means, see your doc if the current ear problems don't resolve in a day or two.

 

[Sunshine73]

All,

I saw the doctor today and I have some blood in my ear canal; however, nothing else was damaged. It will be healed up in 2-3 weeks. I am also going back for a follow-up to get the ok to dive again in 6 weeks. I need to slow down my descent and equalize properly. This is the first time I experienced equalization issues and the second and third time with the vertigo. The first time I experienced vertigo, I freaked out and got back on the boat. Its a really bad feeling being under the water and feeling as if you are spinning and falling. Thank you for all the support and advice.

 

[rawls]

All,

I saw the doctor today and I have some blood in my ear canal; however, nothing else was damaged. It will be healed up in 2-3 weeks. I am also going back for a follow-up to get the ok to dive again in 6 weeks. I need to slow down my descent and equalize properly. This is the first time I experienced equalization issues and the second and third time with the vertigo. The first time I experienced vertigo, I freaked out and got back on the boat. Its a really bad feeling being under the water and feeling as if you are spinning and falling. Thank you for all the support and advice.

Thanks for replying Sunshine and letting us know how things went. Good to know you saw a doc...Equalize gently and frequently...