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LubaScuba:Barotrauma induced infection is relatively rare but it does happen because the injury produced exudate in the middle ear serves as a good opportunity for the ever present bacterias to start the invasion. I believe antiinflamatory drugs were not the proper choice as majority of those drugs might promote bleeding in already fragile ear. The proper initial treatment would involve rest, lot of yawning (not 'valsalving'!) and eventually some decongestants (for example: Pseudoephedrine 60mg 3 times daily). When pain started to develop, potent broad spectrum antibiotics should have been introduced and in the case of severe pain a myringotomy (surgical incision of the eardrum) should have been performed. Flying was not the best idea because considerable rest of the both injured and infected ear was very much needed. The sudden pop and pain relief can mean the ear drum perforation which is commonly seen in acute otitis media. Even though middle ear barotrauma and even consequent infection most often does not produce vestibular (inner ear) symptoms it is possible to feel dizzy due to some inner ear involvement but also due to the general toxemic syndrome from a bad infection. One thing is certain: there can not be any bubble which jumps from your ear to your elbow. It seems that the more vivid the bubble-thoughts are the less likely there is some bubble present at all...bent divers usually live in denial. (this of course is just one naive observation and not the rule to exclude the DCI) Onset of elbow pain during the flight even though it sounds very DCS-ish was most likely something else as it happens quite a while after your last dive (still possible though) and eventual onset of pain would much more likely happen already on the first flight. Onset of pain in another arm after chamber treatment is almost certainly non bubble related (well, i hope they used O2 table). Something else was more than likely responsible for that aching like for example general toxemic syndrome from infection, dehydration, trauma, hyperventilation....
Your further fitness to dive depends mainly on how good your ear infection heals and of course how strong was the negative psychological impact of the whole misadventure. Keep the spirit! The likelihood that there was some DCS in the whole story seems to be remote but you could have the hole in your right eardrum which might need some time or even surgery before you go diving again.
LubaScuba:PS How do you feel now?
The ear part of all this certainly sounds a lot like the disabling ear infection I had a couple of months ago. Not fun at all!My ears do still have a feeling of fullness, however the excruciating pain has left.