Blasted Ears - Infected again

Well i just checked in with the doc today and as i suspected i have another ear infection. I dont know if it was from the water down in Ft Lauderdale the other weekend or not, but it started up after that, seemed to abate with some care, but came back again this weekend after i went out doing my intro to cave training. I know i was warned not to dive the SE coast as i might catch something, but who am i to listen to cautionary tails? My doc also says no diving for two weeks - boohoo, thank goodness my family is here to take up those weekends and give me no chance to get wet anyway - small blessings i guess. A nice course of antibiotics and i should be up and going again. He did ask how well i was able to equalise with my ear infected and i told him i was ok to 100ft 3 times on saturday with no ill effects, so go figure, i can still pop just sitting here now, but i guess the water would help breed up more stuff if i went in for an extended period of diving, so i will heed his advice.

Anyone else feel they have caught anything lately from the crap that has been washed into the coasts after the hurricanes?

Two suggestions to avoid this problem in the future:

1. Buy and use Doc's Proplugs, religiously. They will minimize the water exchange in the ear canal and help avoid infections. Make sure you get the vented ones for scuba.

2. Get generic otic domeboro from your doctor and put a few drops into each ear after diving. Keep the stuff in your ear for at least 10 minutes. This is the only preparation shown to be effective against outer ear infections and is used by the US Navy divers.

Try them, they work!

jlyle:

Two suggestions to avoid this problem in the future:

1. Buy and use Doc's Proplugs, religiously. They will minimize the water exchange in the ear canal and help avoid infections. Make sure you get the vented ones for scuba.

2. Get generic otic domeboro from your doctor and put a few drops into each ear after diving. Keep the stuff in your ear for at least 10 minutes. This is the only preparation shown to be effective against outer ear infections and is used by the US Navy divers.

Try them, they work!

Click to expand...

Domeboro is too expensive. A 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar works just as well. Use it before and after diving.

When I had my ear infection I had the same ability to equalize. I think the main reason for the "no-dive" advice is to keep you from gettig water in the ears, which can be retained when the ear swells due to infection (even while being treated, I had somewhat swolled ear canals, so getting more tepid water stuck in there would only encourage the breeding of more microorganisms yuck)

Sorry i meant to say that i hadnt got an ear infection proper since my teens, but i recall getting them a lot way back.

I have a solution of wash my ears out, but of course its only as useful as when you use it

FF - I think that is why he is saying no diving. I guess i am lucky that the next two weekends are going to be dry anyway, so no chance of diving, otherwise i would be pissed! I havent missed many weekends this year except those 3 with hurricanes moving through. I'll go down again!

Bummer on those ear infections. I got an ear infection a few years ago and the Dr. told me no diving for 6 weeks! You are lucky you only have to stay dry for 2! Since the infection, I have used "swimmers ear," then thanks to SB, made my own. The "recipe" above works well, but the mixture I got from SB (do a search LOL) used distilled water. I haven't had a problem since. Good luck buddy...

You know, its said that babies who bottle feed are at a higher risk of getting ear infections due to the formula rolling back into their ears. At some point, Simon, you really must break yourself from the bottle

More serious note, I've not had any issues with any of the waters. I make it a habit to clean my ears when I get home with both peroxide and rubbing alcohol. The alcohol mixes with any water that may be left in my ears and evaporates it.. just a habit of mine since I was a kid and my mom used to do it.

I used to use Drano-Jel in my ears, but it was bad for my wetsuit. It was also a bit difficult getting the toilet brush past the outer ear to the inner ear. Gotta scrub in all those crevices according to the bottle's directions. Now I just use a 1200 PSI portable presure washer with a mild bleach solution and the high volume, single jet setting. It gets all the earwax out as well. It's great for clearing out those "used Station Tubes."
**** NOTE: This is a JOKE message! Do NOT use any of the above methods!
If you do so, you deserve a Darwin Award, and hopefully NOT an honorable mention.
(a shame there are idiots out there that require this disclaimer)

I am not a physician. In fact, about the only thing I have in common with medical doctors is sepecie. But I've had a few ear infections, some with diving - when I didn't treat my ears after the dives, some just 'cause. The last one was a doozy, but only because I didn't treat it completely at first.

Anyway, from my experiences, if the doc does not give me both oral anitbitoics and hydrocortisone drops - I'm asking for both, begging, threatening, whatever it takes.

Well tomorrow is the final day of anti-biotics. Seems to have cleared up the ache and no more discharging stuff, so thats good. However my ear is still a little sensitive - at least when swallowing i get more pressure in my ear than i am used to, trust me it seems kind of different. Hoping this has all cleared up, and whilst i would like to dive this weekend, i am thinking it might wait a little longer to just be safe and also it will be after my follow up appointment on tuesday (i hate paying for these services!).