Ear Trouble

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

sea_otter

Contributor
Messages
331
Reaction score
298
Location
Pacific Grove, CA
# of dives
500 - 999
This is a hard post to write, so please, be kind. With 20/20 hindsight, I realize that I could have made better decisions.

After six days of diving, I am sitting on the beach with a ruptured ear drum while my friends are underwater. I'm trying to figure out what went wrong, and how I can prevent it next time. Here's my long winded story.

This week was spent doing training work, with a lot of ups and downs in shallow water. Here's are my profiles.

I have had ear trouble in the past, and I took a month off diving in Nov-Dec due to an issue with a mis-aligned dental crown, resulting in TMJ and ear problems on my right side. The dentist fixed the bite, and I've spent a dozen days happily diving since then. I was confident that problem was resolved.

I had a first sign of trouble on Tuesday (day 4). I should mention that a lot of that morning was spent swimming around with no mask in potentially questionable "fresh" water. On dive 3, the last of the day, I encountered a minor issue equalizing. While not painful, I felt more of a "pop" than the usual gentle equalization. This surprised me, as I really had not noticed the depth change, swimming down a very gentle slope (dropped 5 feet over 15 min). I did have a small amount of fluid in my right middle ear after that dive, and I was worried that I would have to call the following day's dives.

XGHW71H.png


My ear was back to 100% when I woke up Wednesday, so I decided to dive. The day progressed with four wonderful and non-eventful dives (well, plenty of event, but all of them were intentional simulated failures. No ear problems).

My last day diving was Thursday, and I did have some trouble on the first dive. I was having a difficult time keeping my head in the right place during a lost line drill. I found myself clenching my regulator with a death grip while feeling around for the line blindfolded. My jaw was sore after this dive, and the TMJ worry returned. I took an anti-inflammatory after that dive, concerned that swelling might put pressure on my eustachian tubes and cause harm. I ate lunch and felt better, happy to do a second dive.

The second dive Thursday was uneventful, and I was happy to be able to repeat the lost line drill, this time with a clear head (and a comfortable mouth grip). I felt great that evening and was confident that I'd be able to complete my class the next day.

Unfortunately, I woke up Friday morning feeling a small amount of fluid in my right middle ear. I stopped diving, and I visited the doctor. She diagnosed me with a middle ear infection and gave me a prescription for antibiotics (oral and drops) and pain killers. She told me to take 3 days off diving.

Friday night, things got much worse. On Saturday morning, I woke up with my middle ear completely filled with fluid. I was unable to equalize (and certainly unwilling to try and push it) and my hearing was impacted. In pain, I called DAN's emergency line (who are absolutely amazing, wonderful, helpful people), and they referred me to another doctor at the hyperbaric chamber. He told me that the middle ear infection was likely a mis-diagnosis, and suspected the problem was due to barotrauma. He gave me a prescription for a nasal steroid inhaler, which I started taking while continuing the antibiotic course I had already started. He assured me that I should feel better within a day or so.

Today is Sunday. Last night I was in immense pain, and I woke up in the middle of the night having felt my eardrum rupture. I spoke with the doctor, am continuing medicines (excluding ear drops), and I see him again tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out how I can keep this from happening again. This isn't the first time I've had ear trouble, and I've now had two similar experiences resulting in ruptured ear drums (the first time my left ear, and now my right). The first experience was similar to this one.

So far, I've come up with:
  • Maybe plan a day off every 3-4 days, for ears, even where nitrogen loading doesn't require it. A day off following any minor hiccup is also probably a wise plan.
  • Look for a better ergonomic mouthpiece that does not hurt even if I'm clenching it (I do like the Apeks Comfobite, but they seem to be a bit hard to find outside the UK. I'll look harder. The Aqualung clone does not work for me.)
  • If I do have TMJ issues, call the next dive.
  • Stick to "gentler" equalization techniques like Frenzel. Currently I'll mix and match this and Valsalva. Maybe look into free diving training to get better at different techniques.
From a medical perspective, following the first symptoms, I might have been better off starting a steroid treatment a day earlier. I'm not sure if there was anything else that could have helped me there. From everything I've read about ear barotrauma and similar issues, I'd expect symptoms to get better after quitting diving. Mine have significantly worsened in the 3 days since my last dive. I suspect I have some kind of infection in addition to any trauma, but amoxicillin has not been helpful.

I'm sad, frustrated, and in pain. Can anyone offer any more advice?
 
Last edited:
Hi, @sea_otter. I am so so so sorry this is happening again. :( Do you use any “ear beer” post-dives? @WetPup swears by this and it may help, especially if things aren’t drying up and starts to fester. I know this happened last time in fresh water. There is a common element.

I don’t have any good advice outside of what you suggested — taking days off. However, I can recommend you the Sea Cure mouthpiece. It’s amazing and really easy to mold. I can come over and help you do this if you’d like! G and I swear by it and it has changed my experience with regulators immensely. No more jaw issues or fatigue.

Given your history, I highly suggest getting solid dive travel insurance that can cover you for some missed dives and pre-paid costs if this happens again. I know you have some big trips coming up and that would help take some of the burden off should it occur again. But let’s hope it doesn’t!

Please get well soon and keep us updated. Are you grounded until you heal? (Travel insurance would cover your extra stay’s costs, etc.) you may have some credit card coverage that may be able to help so look into that too! I know it doesn’t fix or prevent but it helps soften the blow.....
 
Last edited:
I did use ear beer (well, premixed swimmers ear drops of alcohol and glycerin). I do not think this is a factor as I have no symptoms of an outer ear infection.

As for being stuck, I'm currently on the beach in Cozumel. There are worse places to be stuck. DAN has agreed to cover any costs until the doctor gives me the okay to fly.

Did I mention how awesome the folks at DAN are? Seriously appreciating them right now.
 
I did use ear beer (well, premixed swimmers ear drops of alcohol and glycerin). I do not think this is a factor as I have no symptoms of an outer ear infection.

As for being stuck, I'm currently on the beach in Cozumel. There are worse places to be stuck. DAN has agreed to cover any costs until the doctor gives me the okay to fly.

Did I mention how awesome the folks at DAN are? Seriously appreciating them right now.

OH I am SO glad to hear! That is one less thing for you to worry about. I know that we hope to never use their services but I am so glad they are pulling through in your time of need. Get well soon!
 
@Marie13, the Aqualung one isn't the same. I have several spares of those - don't like it at all.
 
@Marie13, the Aqualung one isn't the same. I have several spares of those - don't like it at all.

I have both AL and Apeks regs. Never noticed the difference. Will have to check when I’m home.
 
Here’s my $0.02 based on my experience.

@sea_otter , you’re in Cozumel and mentioned lost line drill, so I suspect you’re doing some kind of cenote/cave training/diving. You also mentioned up and down in shallow water and questionable fresh water.

I have had ear problems twice and both times, they were in cenotes in Playa. The first time, I had a reverse block and the second time I had an ear infection after my third day diving the cenotes. These happened during two different trips and were not as serious as your current episode. I find the first 40 feet to be the hardest on my ears. Based on this, I suspect the up and down and questionable fresh water is tough on those of us with sensitive ears.

My suggestions are to use earbeer as suggested by @outofofficebrb, choose cenotes where there is less up and downs or at least gradual up and downs, and take it easy. A rest day between dives would be a good idea. But honestly, since you’ve experienced this twice already, I suspect your ears are particularly sensitive and maybe cenote/cave profiles are not appropriate for you. Sorry, you probably did not want to read this.

I also read on a dive shop’s website somewhere (can’t remember which shop now) that certain cenotes were not good for sensitive ears due to the up and down nature of the profile.
 
Last edited:
@Dogbowl, that's a fair point, and it's definitely weighed heavily on my mind over the last couple days. Yes, it was a cave diving class in the cenotes. No, I'm not ready to give up hope yet.
 
@Dogbowl, that's a fair point, and it's definitely weighed heavily on my mind over the last couple days. Yes, it was a cave diving class in the cenotes. No, I'm not ready to give up hope yet.

Please don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t give up yet either. Remember, I have a similar problem and a similar passion. I get it. But be careful and try to take it easy. Good luck.
 

Back
Top Bottom