Continued Ear Issues When Diving

[appletini02]

My husband and I have been diving for years and I have never had an easy time with my ears but the last cruise we took, I had an awful time! :mad: I had skip a dive b/c i couldn't clear them and then when I finally did on the next one, the right one hurt for 2 weeks!! Had to skip the next dives too b/c of it!

Any suggestions???

[joediver]

Haven't tried them but here's a link to a mask that has claims of helping your situation. http://www.scubatoys.com/store/masks/proear.asp I've dealt with Larry at this dive shop many times and he has a great reputation for not making people keep things they are not satisfied with. I'd give him a call and talk to him about your problem.

[w&k]

Have you had some sinus issues on land? Maybe a Dr. visit might be in order if you have a sinus infection or other problem.

 

Did you fly to your cruise? Planes can really mess with your ears.

 

Are you clearing as soon as you start to descend?

 

Many times, I have had to use the 'Hail Mary' approach. Get the ears open at the surface, then keep blowing to hold them open while swimming for the bottom at top speed.

 

If you have an old-style straight Chiropractor around, they can open your ears as well. We used to have a guy in town that would grab ahold of the bottom of the ear and earlobe, smack his fist with the other hand, and your ears would pop for instant relief.

 

Otherwise, maybe try 12-hour Contac or Sudafed (the real stuff you have to ask for).

 

Hope your ears get better soon so you can get back in the water!

 

Wendy

[MaraGirl]

My husband and I have been diving for years and I have never had an easy time with my ears but the last cruise we took, I had an awful time! :mad: I had skip a dive b/c i couldn't clear them and then when I finally did on the next one, the right one hurt for 2 weeks!! Had to skip the next dives too b/c of it!

Any suggestions???

 

I have to suggest that you see a doctor who specializes in dive medicine, especially given that your ear hurt for two weeks after the last dive.

 

Since you have never had an easy time with your ears while diving, you may have a naturally high fluid level. Also, the fluid level in our ears changes with the season, it is higher in wintertime than in summer time. My oldest has this and while he is still too young to dive, his doctor recommends Sudafed, with the caveat of that, if it lasts more than two days, then it's time to have it checked by the doctor.

[excalwop]

Get those ears checked out.

Had ear damage in 1970 while in Nam. Did nothing about it until to late to do anything about it. Now I'am a ex diver who can"t go below 20ft or stay down more than 15 minutes.So now only snorkel.

SO GET THOSE EARS CHECKED NOW

Paul

[appletini02]

THanks to all for the suggestions. I had septoplasty in 1999 (correction for deviated septum in the nose) and that was supposed to help and did for about 2 trips but not since. I think I may go see and ENT that dives or like one of you suggested, someone who does dive medicine. (didn't really know there was such a thing)

Thanks to all!! Happy cruising!:)

[cruzegirl]

All I can say is, "please go to an ENT Dr. for evaluation".... I had some problems after diving of hearing the ocean for a couple of weeks. Ended up a have a narrow eustachian tube... No problem, never hurt but explained this sound I heard.. I now know how to clear well and use claritin before every dive..

Most importantly as an example is a friend of mine who tried to get certified.. He's athletic, snorkels, free dives but had a problem with clearing and hurt his ears.. Had some blood on his right ear.. Went to the Dr., got treated and a few months later tried again with Dr. ok....First dive got down with min. discomfort... When back on the boat, some mild discomfort but nothing major.. On 2nd dive starting have pain at about 20feet.. Looked at his instructor and was immediately sent to the surface... He had blood coming out his nose into his mask and when on the surface, had blood coming out his right ear... Severe baro trauma to the right ear and blew out his eardrum.... He has no hearing now in the right ear.... What a shame....

So, please, please go to the Dr..... Diving is great but not worth your ears.. Get it checked and then have some great diving.....

[captainron]

Hi,

A previous post indicated several issues that can affect equalization of pressure in the inner ear.

 

As mentioned flying is one of them. Airliner cabins are generally pressurized to about 5500-7000 feet, and you will notice the difference as you are descending to your arrival airport. Just because you can equalize (by yawning, val salva etc) on i plane doesn't mean you can do so necessarily underwater.

 

The pressure exerted by water is much greater than that of air, as is evidenced when you go through the 1 atmosphere level at 8-10 feet and then the next at 30ft+. The military recommends that their personnel (divers, Search and Rescue Techs etc) do not dive within 48, ideally 72 hours after stepping off a plane.

 

I have used a nasal spray to clear my sinuses prior to a dive which I found helped a bit, however your ears sound as if the problem's bordering on chronic. I echo the sentiments of other divers to see a dive medecine specialist in your area to determine if the problem can be rectified.

 

SO, DON"T PROCRASTINATE, DO IT NOW before the problem gets worse. Your hearing and sinuses are too valuable to have you delay getting appropriate medical attention.

 

I sincerely hope that you can get the problem rectified, surgically otherwise, as I can tell this is something you really enjoy doing. Best of luck and hope you get back to blowing bubbles soon.

 

Ciao for now!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[billeelou]

every 4 hours, evry day you plan on diving...equalize equalize equalize....

 

I had trouble on my 2nd dive last week only because i did not take my nose spray and sudafed//// but i agree, if you have a dive Dr. that specializes in Diving, see them First!!!

[Woodsmaster]

I know divers who take medications to "clear their ears" before they dive. With only one exception, they have had no trouble. However the one who did was miserable. She kept trying to surface and could not. She went down with "clear ears", but either the meds wore off or she had more problems than she thought.

 

Her partner was a dive instructor and they continuously tried to go down a little and clear then tried to come up. The pain was intense and severe. Another diver saw what was going on and we rigged a drop tank for them to keep using as she tried to work the problem out. She could get within a few feet of the surface, but the pain would become unbearable and she would have to drop down five or so feet and try to clear again. She eventually made it to the top without any serious or permanent ear damage. She won't dive now unless her ears are "naturally clear".

 

You may want to go to http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/ and see what DAN has to suggest as well. If you are a member, pick up the phone and call them. They may be able to suggest an ENT for you. In any event, get medical help and don't rely on meds to get you through your dives that your doctor has not cleared for you.

 

You may get along fine with them, but you may also be that woman above.

[scubaran]

Hi,

 

I recommend a few things as well, first off, as everyone said, get ye to an ear doctor. However, if they don't find problems, I had problems clearing my ears and here's the accumulated weath of knowledge people passed on to me since:

 

1) If you're medically ok with decongestants, take a 12 hour Sudafed about 2 hours before you dive. It shrinks the sinuses and gives the ear a bit more room to work with. (NOTE: IF YOU ARE USING NITROX, DON'T DO THIS, IT'S A NO-NO TO MIX THE TWO (check your training materials on why, it's clearly documented)). Don't use the 4 hour brand, as someone said, it can wear off before the end of your dive.

2) About 2 days before you dive, start practicing clearing your ears. I do it about every hour or two that I'm awake. This stretches the eustachian tubes and muscles and makes it much easier to pop them than if the first time is on your dive.

3) Don't get in the habit of blowing too hard. You can rupture your eardrum or other problems by forcing too much pressure into your ear. If it won't pop the first time, keep trying, don't try harder.

4) Start clearing your ears at the surface and every few "inches" down the first 3 feet when most of the pressure occurs.

5) Let your buddy know you have problems with popping your ears in advance of getting in the water. If they know, they can wait mid-water for you and may change their dive profile to a more gradual decent. I also tell my dive buddy that I'll give the signal, point to my ear and give a hand wiggle as an indicator that my ear is not popping so they know not to get too far ahead of me and to give me some time before proceeding.

6) If you ears won't pop at 15ft. they most likely will definitely not pop at 20ft. Go up to around 1-2 ft. below the last time your ear popped. Sometimes just going up a bit will allow you to go down a lot.

7) Wear a hoodie. Sometimes the warmer water in the hoodie (I dive with a 3mm hoodie even in 80 degree water) will allow the ear to pop better than in cooler water (even as high as 75 degrees). Plus they keep the hair out of your eyes but don't make you hot or restrict your movements like a full hood.

8) Continue to clear your ears during the dive interval if you're doing more than one dive (or on the way back to the boat if you're not). Sometimes clearing your ears a couple times, or even just attempting to clear them, will free up something and they'll pop.

9) A little swim ear drops after a dive can keep all those ocean critters at bay and keep the eardrum from any minor irritants.

 

As you can see, I've researched this a lot. The good news, since I've started practicing these, I haven't had any problems clearing my ears, and baring any medical problems, hopefully they'll work for you.

 

Thanks,

Randall