what's wrong?!

[stizwv]

hello,

i recently did my open water checkout dives...
on one of the dives i went a little deeper than
i should have before i successfully did the
valsalva .... i felt a little pain ...

since then i have the feeling of water still
being in my ears.

it's been about 10 days...

i feel likes it is just now starting to go
away...

i went to an ENT and he said everything looked
fine...my hearing is fine, no infection, no
perforated ear drum, etc...

i feel like i constantly have to swallow and do
other things to equalize the pressure in my
ears/eustachian tubes....

it's not painful...and i can hear...but it's
REALLY ANNOYING...

any thoughts? ideas? advice?

i've used alchohol/vinegar/H202...
don't have excessive ear wax or a wax impaction...

...

any advice would be appreciated.

thanks

shaun

 

[Larry M]

I've been diving for many years and at times this has happened to me also ..it may feel like water but it's actually mucus forced up the eustachian tube into the inner ear when equilizing ... this cleared after a few days without any probloms ..hope this helps

 

[jamespitt]

hey shaun,
i hate to ask, but do your ears pop and crack every time u equalise yr ears by swallowing or something? LIKE I AM DOING RIGHT NOW. sounds like me problem, no pain or hearing impediment. i have to equalise manually going down the lift in my office.
get it sorted soon, cos my ears have been pop fizz cracking like a bad kelloggs ad for about 8 months now!!
its something to do with your eustachian tube been filled with fluid and it get stuck together and then releases which makes the popping noise.
i went to the doctor who told me i had an infection as well and gave me antibiotics which cleard the infection up but not the popping! its driving me crazy...
jim

 

[barb]

I understand how you feel.....
When I first did my open water I had that watery feeling in my ears every time I swallowed for about a week.
When my husband did his open water in Mexico the instructor suggested some drops called Soldrin Otico, hydrocortisone. It did the trick for him. He has allergies and is often stuffy after a dive. I recently tried the drops after I had difficulty equalizing during a dive. The drops certainly helped me or maybe my ears cleared on their own - I don't know for sure. I think the problem occurred in the first place because I was anxious/excited (first dive of the season) and did'nt equalize properly. Anyway we bought these drops in Mexico so I don't know if they're sold where you live - maybe under a different name.

Good Luck with your ears!!!

 

[BillP]

Howdy Shaun:

Seems to me I read where DAN says that middle ear barotrauma is the diver injury most often reported to them. It's particularly common in new divers or divers who dive with congestion. It is often described as a feeling of water in the ears. Of course you can actually get water in your ears while diving, but after 10 days and after having an ENT look in the ears and not see water you can usually rule that out as the cause of symptoms.

There are different degrees of ear barotrauma. It can be mild and self limiting with few findings on exam, or it can be severe with damage to balance control or permanent hearing loss. Prevention is important. Clear early and often, ascend at the first sign of discomfort until the feeling subsides and then don't descend until the ears clear, and don't dive with congestion. Once you have the injury there ain't a whole lot you can do about it. Some physicians will recommend decongestants trying to reduce swelling in the eustachian tube so the ears can clear. Antibiotics might be indicated when there are signs of secondary infection. Drops in the ear canal such as potions for swimmer's ear or steroid drops are of little or no benefit since the problem is on the other side of the eardrum where the drops can't (and shouldn't) reach. Once you have middle ear barotrauma you should not dive until the problem clears completely.

You can read a good horror story about a bad case of middle ear barotrauma on DAN's website at:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=19

There's other good info on their site too.

Scubadoc has a lot of good info on his site at:

http://www.scuba-doc.com/entprobs.html

HTH,

Bill

As always, the above information is intended for discussion purposes only and is not meant as specific medical advice for any individual.