Diving - Earache remedies?

[Searcaigh]

Quick question for you.... were you driving much and were you the driver or the passenger?

I've never heard this addressed on the message board before, but when I moved to Hawaii I used to get left side ear infections all the time the first few months. The first night it got hot and stuffy at our house I turned on the overhead ceiling fan straight above my head, slept on my left side and got an ear infection in my right ear for the first time within a day or two.

That got me to thinking. I drove about a half hour a day shortly after diving quite frequently, with the window down. The ear that was getting infected was always the one that had direct wind into it. Pro plugs, even the pro ear masks that came out in 2000 or so, were primarily about keeping the water exchange down, and to keep the innards from cooling off to some extent, in your ears to prevent infections.
I rolled up the car window, turned on the AC, and haven't had a left side only ear infection in 11 years since. Could be pure coincidence, but going from frequent to zero at the time I rolled up the window has me wondering. I mentioned that to a buddy of mine that also was getting primarily left side ear problems, asked him if he drove with the window down and he said yes... don't know if he ever tried the AC thing or not to know if it helped. I do also now use a 60/40 vinegar to acohol mix when diving a lot, even after showers when I'm diving a lot, to help keep the problems down.

I have just finished my dive trip in Aqaba with an ear infection. Drove from Amman to Aqaba with the window down, and I am assuming this is the main reason probably along with the use of the ceiling fan as I am not using AC in the room. Real bugger and lesson learned.

I usually try to dry out my ears with tissue immediately after diving but will be taking more serious measures from now on and use swimmers ear.

 

[TSandM]

kevl, if you have an earache hours after diving, it is almost certainly due to barotrauma. This may be due to delayed equalization, or overly vigorous equalization. But it is almost certain that your ear pain has nothing to do with the external ear infections which are treated with drops. These both take time to set in, and do not resolve immediately after one treatment.

There is a TREMENDOUS amount of confusion among divers about ear issues. Much rather dubious advice is dispensed by people who are well-meaning, but really don't understand ear anatomy, or the pathophysiology of external or internal ear issues. A better strategy is to watch the diver's ear video on THIS page (warning, it is long) which is done by a professional and is extremely educational.