water in middle ear :(

[pggeek]

I went for my OW cert and had a clogged ear felling and some pain when touched about a day after. I went to the Dr right away because I like my hearing and he told me I had some water in my middle ear.

I did a searchand thei s never quite got the answered, but what did I do wrong, how does it get there. I realise the body most likely sent fluid, but is this a result of to much pressure on the drum in one direction meaning I did not equalise enough or to much? What triggers the fluid to be sent there?

 

[DocVikingo]

As yours is a medical inquiry rather than one "concerning the scientific aspects of decompression," the focus of the Ask Dr Decompression forum, I have taken the liberty of moving it to the Diving Medicine section. Dr Deco will still see it.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[TropicalDiver]

I got that during my OW certification dives too! Took about 2 weeks or so to resolve on decongestants and nonsteriodal nasal sprays. I just came up from a dive and felt like I had water that I couldn't shake out of my ear, despite numerous attempts and a conductive hearing loss due to the fluid there. I, too, went to a MD and he basically told me that my ear had become irrirated by numerous and probably too forceful clearing attempts and that area had filled up with fluid (plasma, I think) as a result. Further dives couldn't be done until the fluid was gone, because the fluid was pulling my eardrum IN towards my head and further pressure from the water would be a no-no.

After resolved, I asked what I had to do to ensure that it didn't EVER happen again as I was about to embark on a dive vacation. He gave me a script for a decongestant and told me that I could use OTC Affirin before and after every dive if I needed to...and that you couldn't over-dose on the Affirin (as directions say use only every 12 hrs), but to be careful not to use for too many successive days, because a tolerance and rebound effect could be developed. Now, I use the decongestant and one spray of Affirin before every dive and have never had a problem since!

THIS is what happened MY case, and may or not apply to your case...Good Luck!