Water in the ear but not really

[DandyDon]

Yes, that can work, but it can also sting pretty badly once swimmer's ear sets in. Sometimes you need an ear drop with antibiotics and steroids to get the inflammation to settle down.

Been there! I used to be casual about using the alky-veni mix on my ears, got infections - and the mix was painful then as well as too late, ended up in doc offices on the verge of tears. Last one I had kept me in bed for a couple of days. Now I use the virtually free mix a bit after every dive or shower on a dive trip.

I've read good reports on the ear dryer; just don't want yet another gadget to pack if I can avoid it.

 

[doctormike]

Yup.. it's pretty compact, though..

I had SUCH a horrible Swimmer's ear in Bonaire this summer... I had no ear dryer, no ear drops, and no one with me who could take a look or clean out my ear. So I got a bunch of those bendable bar straws, hooked them together, and made a long pipe that let me blow air into my own ear! It helped a little...

 

[gert7to3]

doctormike,

DAN has a nice little battery operated otoscope. If you tape a right angle prism over the eyepiece, you can check your own ear with a mirror. A front surface mirror works best, but be careful in there.

 

[DandyDon]

$1 bottle of 70% alcohol
$1 bottle of distilled white vinegar
$1 doll baby bottle
Mix new batch every month; apply after dives and shower; last for years; smile.

 

[eponym]

I'm curious how long to refrain from diving after otitis externa. My doc yesterday actually said two months, which seems extreme. I searched the forums but didn't find any discussion on this point, although perhaps some of you have pointers handy.

I developed very painful otitis ex. two weeks ago, at the end of a Hawaii liveaboard trip, and it cleared up nicely but now I've just finished a week of diving in British Columbia and my other ear's got it, ear canal swollen completely closed, again painful, doc has me on higher-octane meds and says to do vin/alc after every dive day, keep 'em dry, so I'll get the mini-blower too, I guess.

Got to decide now whether or not I can teach an open water class. It starts in twelve days.

-Bryan

 

[doctormike]

Unlike middle ear barotrauma, diving after otits externa (swimmer's ear) doesn't have the same risk of permanent injury (assuming that you don't get a canal squeeze - pretty rare).

You may risk causing the swimmer's ear to get worse again, or not to heal as quickly, but a good rule of thumb is that if you are feeling better, and you are sure that this is only an outer ear problem (e.g. no problems equalizing), then it is OK to dive.... probably best to be on the safe side and use the drying drops or a blower, though!

 

[h90]

Are you using alcohol-vinegar mix after diving to prevent Swimmers Ear infections?

Not interested in getting a physician to look...?

First of all I never go to a physician if I can avoid it, loool.
Being in Thailand, I guess I need to to 5 till one understand what I am taking about. The first 4 will tell: Don't dive if you get a problem from diving

 

[Papa_Bear]

We call it "Ear Beer" and use it all the time! Am I wrong or is swimmers ear a cold water problem for the most part? Tropical diving is not such a problem! Infection is common because in most of these areas the locals often raise their stock along the local rivers and the feces often gets washed into the water! Ear Beer after every dive!

 

[DandyDon]

First of all I never go to a physician if I can avoid it, loool.
Being in Thailand, I guess I need to to 5 till one understand what I am taking about. The first 4 will tell: Don't dive if you get a problem from diving

Well, your profile doesn't say where you are, or it doesn't show on your posts anyway - and I wouldn't know the local situation anyway, but Divers Alert Network should have referrals you could follow to Ear docs knowledgeable in diving there. We do try to stick to conservative and prudent suggestions here, and for medical needs - that means physicians, preferably those with scuba understanding.

That said, of us divers who avoid doctors unless we can avoid them, two general suggestions...
1-Equalize early, often, well, etc - see the video suggestion;
2-Use the alcohol-vinegar (4-6% often recommended) mix. Some say 50-50; I think Dr.Vikingo suggests 1/3 of each with 1/3 distilled water; I use 1/2-70% alcohol and 1/2 vinegar so it comes out close to that. The US Navy found that 5 minutes in each ear daily worked very well; I just apply briefly after every dive or shower on a dive trip and that seems to work for me. Before I got into that, I used to get the infections - horrible, painful ones.

We call it "Ear Beer" and use it all the time! Am I wrong or is swimmers ear a cold water problem for the most part? Tropical diving is not such a problem! Infection is common because in most of these areas the locals often raise their stock along the local rivers and the feces often gets washed into the water! Ear Beer after every dive!

I've never heard it being limited to cold water; it may be more common, but I have never heard that. My last infection was after diving the St.Lawrence late in the summer and the water was quite warm; I don't remember the details on the others.

Diving in water high in contaminants may well have their its problems; I am not knowledgeable about such but I'd certainly not want to dive in waters high in E.coli; DAN says that's not what causes Swimmers Ear/Otitis Externa tho...

Despite what most people believe, otitis externa is not caused by bacteria in the water: instead, it's triggered by the bacteria normally found in your external ear canal. Here's how these normally innocuous bacteria can become troublesome.

With frequent immersion, water swells the cells lining the ear canal. Eventually, these cells pull apart - far enough for the bacteria normally found on the surface of your ear canal to get underneath the skin, where they find a nice warm environment and start to multiply.

Next thing you know, your ear canal itches, is sore and becomes inflamed. If left untreated, the swelling can spread to the nearby lymph nodes and cause enough pain that moving your jaw becomes uncomfortable. At this point, the only treatment is antibiotics, and diving is definitely out.

DAN has much more on ear problems, of course - as do these forums.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Sorry I meant Surfer's Ear not swimmers:11: