My boyfriend has problems with his ears!

[Rachpreach]

Thank you all so much for the advice! I will see about getting him to an ENT. I think he needs to go regardless. I want him to be able to dive pain free like I can. And I don't want him to injure himself. Thank you all again.

 

[Dhboner]

Problems equalizing are also a good clue that you are descending too quickly. All the suggestions you have been given are excellent (as usual here) but also make sure he isn't dumping too much air from his BC at the surface and ending up descending too quickly.

 

[BsTroedel06]

Hello all. I am the Boyfriend that this thread is about. Here is what my problem is. When I am descending, I can equalize my right ear with no problem. My left ear just seems like it gets stuck and will not equalize. It seems that I have to really exert a lot of pressure to finally get it to open up. Once I am able to get it to open I am good to go for the duration of the dive, unless I come up above 15 feet and then try and descend back down. I do not have any problems while ascending, just descending. I think Rachel was a little confused on that. From our local dive shop where we got certified at; they all mentioned I just need to practice that valsalva multiple times a day. I also think that I let my ears get a bit too much pressure on them before I was clearing and then I really had to put force to equalize them out. That is probably why my ears were hurting. I'm thinking more of a rookie mistake... I should have ascended a few feet and then tried to equalize. I did get better as we were diving more, but I think at that time my ears had already went through a lot of stress. I am writing this on Wednesday the 24th and they are still a little sore feeling but MUCH better than what they have been feeling.

I also do have sinus drainage pretty regular, I do feel that it is just the inexperience and that I will be able to control it a bit more on the next dive. I will also probably take a decongestant before my next dive as many of you have recommended. One of the instructors on our OW Certification dive suggested the same to me.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

Brad Troedel

 

[PsyWulf]

Never EVER force valsalva,if you don't pop them from what I would equate to the force a mouse fart has,you're liable to cause a barotrauma

Me and my Fiancé cannot do valsalva at all anymore,we pretty much use the tricks I mentioned ( tilting your head and swallow/pinching for up and down ) to equalize

 

[TSandM]

You are very right, that if you wait too long to equalize, it is much more difficult. Next time you dive, try pressurizing your ears at the surface, before you even start down -- and equalize at least every couple of feet on descent. You can't overdo it!

 

[James R]

This is something I send to all my OW classes. Great info from DAN on ears.

 

[LanceRiley]

something like this happened to me.. I have allergic rhinitis.2-3 days before i dive. I usually spray saline solution on my nostrils. just to clear it up.

but in 1 dive it really did happen. 1 ear wasn't clearing. i thought and felt my sinuses were cleared 2 days before the dive. but it really hurted!.

so now.. 2-3 days before.. saline solution on my nostrils.

 

[mselenaous]

Agree with all of the above advice.
You can call DAN (member or not) to get a referral to a local ENT with knowledge in Dive Medicine. DAN | Medical Referral Network

Additionally, for folks with recurring sinus issues, flushing with a sinus rinse/neti pot (sounds gross, feels weird but it works) can help keep sinus clear. I have several friends that do this daily and have improvement with recurring equalization issues. Just ask at your local pharmacist to point them out to you.

 

[captainhook426]

There is this stuff you can it at a drug store or Wally World called NielMed Sinus Rinse. It's a nasal/sinus cavity wash. I use it normally during high pollen times. When I was getting certified and when I know I have a dive weekend coming up, I use it everyday. I also was told by my ENT doctor that wax build up would cause some issues, so I regularly use ear wax removal kits, peroxide, or other non q-tip methods to make sure my ears are clean. My ENT also said to act like i was equalizing as many times that i could remember during the day to help with the muscle memory. I also start equalizing the instant I hit the water and start to descend. This works great for me, experimentation and practice make it a lot easier.

 

[Andrus]

I just did my open water divers for my OW this past weekend and was having similar issues. Yesterday, I still felt as if I had water in my ears and starting searching around and came across middle ear barotruama. I had all those symptoms. Went to see an ENT and he confirmed it.

I don't normally have sinus issues but I do seem to have issues with my Eustachian tubes opening up to equalize. I'm equalizing a few times throughout the day now to hopefully get my tubes used to it.

Wish you luck with your issues!