WATER IN THE EARS

[Ldreamin]

I didn't see page 2 before I made my reply. Dawn, the plugs do come in many different sizes. When I bought mine they gave me a clear chart that you hold up to your ear to get the right size. I'll finish reading before I reply next time....
Ldreamin

 

[Dawn]

I'm Certified !!! And, I did a group night dive that evening! I know I couldn't have done it without the ProEar Mask. Oh, maybe in a month or two once my ear has had longer to heal, but I'm going to Florida on July 10th and now I'm comfortable in the water and not afraid of getting dizzy! It's wonderful! I know that I sound like a kid in a candy store, but this past month or so has been a nightmare. I still plan to see an ENT Specialist regarding the dizziness, but it's gone for now, for the most part and I'm over the fear of ascending and descending due to ear problems. I'm cautious and careful, but I'm in and down to 40 feet comfortably and that's what counts at the moment. I think my husband was happier than me!
Going next weekend too!
Thanks to all,
Dawn

 

[Water Nymph]

I hope you have a good time diving! I have to wait another year before I get to take scuba classes... ;-0
Best of luck
WN

 

[jbd]

Dawn,
Since you have experience with the proear2000 mask--is it something that you think an 11 year old could manage to use?
My 11 year old is supposed to start scuba lessons next Monday but is currently having trouble with swimmers ear. I'm thinking this may be a solution for the long term if she can manage the overall system.

 

[Dawn]

Hi jbd,
I don't think that I'll ever dive without it again. There's nothing to it as far as getting used to. The comfort of not having water and pressure in a tender ear is just amazing. I still have problems clearing and my left ear gets weak as the dive lengthins but this past week we were in Florida doing reef dives, shallow and hard on ears with equalizing. But my dives were 40 to 50 minutes each. I've learned that it really does take 2 months to clear up an ear infection or at least the tenderness of it. I do put drops in my ears that evening after a dive. Usually alcohol/vinegar and then I have prescription drops called acetasol which has an oil in it and is soothing. As far as the mask, I'd try it on her. They only come in one size but it fits good for me and I never have a water flooding problem, never. Hope this works for her.
Dawn

 

[jbd]

Dawn,
Thanks for the reply. Was good to get to see your mask today. It looks like a good product. Hopefully we will be getting one soon.

 

[Keilidh]

i suffered from chronic ear infections during my childhood, that narrowed my eustachian tubes, making it hard to equalize. my right ear is the worst affected and always gets infected in diving trips, no matter how careful i am.

i got the proear 2000 hoping that it would solve the problem. the truth is, it keeps your ears dry but does not protect them from infection (otitis media).

infection usually results from saliva entering the eustachian tube and eventually the middle ear because of poor equalization results.

what is far more important in avoiding infections is proper equalization. use these guidelines:-

1) equalize as much as possible on the surface

2) descend slowly, let your divemaster and/or buddy wait for you

3) try other equalization techniques, valsalva (taught in PADI) is not very effective. here's an excellent website:-

http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/MEbaro.html

i prefer the frenzel maneuver, but is difficult with a dry mouth

4) dont be embaressed to abort your dive or stay shallow

again, there is nothing like proper equalization....

regards,

 

[Dawn]

First of all, I still can't believe that I replied to jbd's message on Saturday morning and met him at Laurel Lake (at least a two hour drive from home)in Kentucky that afternoon, totally by chance! He was paired up with my husband through a dive shop at least 30 miles away, as he needed a dive buddy. We had no idea until he saw my ProEars and asked if I posted on ScubaBoard and if he had posted a message to me. Pretty wild don't you think? What's the chance of that happening!!!! Well, anyway, I find that after a long dive between 10 & 25ft going up and over reefs, my eustachian tubes became weak. It was much better when my dives were 30ft or below. Less need to clear and more time between clearing. But,less pressure in my ear made it so much easier and truly more comfortable to clear. And no cold water hitting my eardrum! I still use alcohol/vinegar mix in the evening after my dives and Acetasol prescription drops that have an oil to sooth the ears so that I don't dry them out or irritate them. I'm ready for deeper dives. Two of my dives were drift dives at 55ft. I'm hooked on diving! The ocean is beautiful! Next time I want to see BIG FISH! When asked how big, I told the guide, bigger than my husband! I need another trip to warm waters but cold waters with good visability will do.
Happy diving,
Dawn
P.S. Took me a while to figure out who Hman was

 

[Dawn]

Sorry, one more thing! I use Afrin nose spray in the morning before a day of diving just in case any alergy problems arise. Anything to keep the eustachian tubes as clear as possible.
Dawn

 

[simonk999]

Those fellow scuba-boarders pop up everywhere! I wonder what the membership number is of posters plus lurkers. Must be many.

I'm waiting for my pro-ear to arrive. It's being shipped directly from Israel. The only problem with that, of course, is that I had no idea how well it fit before paying for it.

I haven't had an infected ear from diving, but I do often get one side blocked up with water, so keeping them dry would be helpful. And if it makes it easier to equalize, then all the better.

I'll be trying them out next week.

-Simon