Equalizing?!

[Hyder]

Hi guys

Im new to scuba diving and this is my first post here. I just went for my first pool dive and i had trouble equalizing. It was only abt 2.4 metres or 8 feet.

I have trouble because I usualy close my mouth and swallow to equalize and here I was biting on the mouthpiece and it was difficult for me. I tried to pinch my nose and blow out and it didnt work either. I would really love to dive and I hope this wont hold me back. If I cant equalize that means I cant dive, I dont want to give up.

I would appreciate if you guys could give me tips and pointers on how I could do it better. I have one more pool dive before I go open water

Its been 5 hours since and my right ear is still blocked and hurting a little. I hope i did not rupture my ear drums? Should I see a doctor?

Thanks.

Hyder

 

[rmannix]

Popping your ears BEFORE going under can be a big help. If you wait until it hurts, its usually too late to equalize.

 

[haha49]

try yawnin or even swaloowing and yawning at the same time you shouldnt of damged you ear it might just be swimers ear.. or water that is stuck in there..

 

[H2Andy]

the key to equalizing is to get ahead of the ball and stay there

if you wait until it hurts to equalize, you're behind the ball

--ascend slowly

--pinch your nose with your hand and blow out gently

--keep doing that as you descend

--don't let the pressure build into pain

--if it does, ascend a few feet

--equalize again until it feels good

--keep equalizing as you descend


eventually, it will get much easier. some people simply can't equalize under water just by "swallowing." some can.

i can sometimes, but if i am stuffy or have sinus, i have to pinch my nose

some people suggest pinching your nose and blowing gently while you are on the surface to "warm up" before you actually start your descent

 

[fisherdvm]

the key to equalizing is to get ahead of the ball and stay there

if you wait until it hurts to equalize, you're behind the ball

--ascend slowly

--pinch your nose with your hand and blow out gently

--keep doing that as you descend

I agree, by maintaining positive pressure in your ear, your eustachian tube (the little pipe that is plugged when your ear hurts), and the inside of your throat at the surface, and continously as you descend.... You keep that darn little pipe as big and as large as possible.

As if you let it clamped down, all the huffing and puffing you do later will not open it. I am not sure if this is a reflex constriction of the smooth muscles of the eustachian tube, or is it a build up of mucous... But you are just better off pinching your nose and pressurize at the surface and as you descend.

Don't let all the air out of your BC and sink like a rock on your OW dive. As soon as you start sinking, start sending little puffs of air into your BC to slow the descend. Learn to use your left hand to inflate the BC slowly, while your right hand to pinch your nose. Then you have more control over your descend rate, and less likely to get an ear squeeze. The sooner you learn how to control your buoyancy in mid water, the better the diver you become.

 

[cjaj_70]

My wife had the same problem, we bought her some vented earplugs from the lds and she says they help.

 

[fisherdvm]

Its been 5 hours since and my right ear is still blocked and hurting a little. I hope i did not rupture my ear drums? Should I see a doctor

Not a bad idea to see a doctor if it doesn't clear up in a day or 2. I would suggest using a non-drowsy antihistamine (claritin) and a decongestant (sudafed) to see if that will help opening up your ear.

Yes, you do have to worry about blood in the inner ear, or even a ruptured oval window of your inner ear that leaks fluid into the ear. This can lead to bacterial infection, and a condition we call otitis media.

If you have easy access to a doctor or walk in clinic, have it done, just to be sure things are OK behind the tympanic membrane. If you don't have insurance, you can try to wait it out, but not for more than a day or two.

 

[fisherdvm]

My wife had the same problem, we bought her some vented earplugs from the lds and she says they help.

I can not see how this will help with middle ear barotrauma. It certainly can help with swimmer's ear or otitis externa... Will someone explain this to me??

 

[battles2a5]

If your bearing down on your mouthiece, try trapping your tongue against the roof of your mouth for an airtight seal. That way, the pressure is against the back of your tongue and not on your jaw. That's what I do and it works just fine. Another thing to note is that once you do it, it gets a lot easier. My first couple of dives on a trip are usually tough but by the end of the trip I just need to articulate my jaw to equalize.

 

[PM-Performance]

All the above will deff help.
I had/have the same problems with my left ear.
I went to the DR cuz I got an infection after a dive and he said I had a ton of hard wax build up. So doing some good flushes deff helped for my next trip after it all cleared up.
Another thing I found out I have TMJ problems. Guess what that has affected most? My left ear. So believe it or not, it might not always be a simple fix.

Dr's deff put a damper on things. lol. Ive just been making sure everything is nice and clean in there and doing slow decents and clearing very often. If you wait till it hurts, you will hurt likely afterwards too. So its not worth it to push it. Dont feel rushed. its not worth messing up your ears for.

The DR I saw when I got my ear infection actually dove with me on the dive it happened. Small world huh. lol
He told me using the antihistamines could cause a reverse block too. So thats something to take into consideration.
I noticed too sometimes my ear will be good for 1-2 dives and then as I do more, it gets messed up again