is it possible for my friend with burst ear drums to get into diving?

[halemanō]

Yes --tom--, I did very much find that interesting.

I now even more stand by my second paragraph in the post just above yours!

Q: Is it safe to dive with a perforated tympanic membrane?

I fail to see that DAN answered the question they posed of themselves.

If you have a perforation it is not safe to dive.

If you have a healed perforation (ie. no longer perforated) and you have been blindly following typical "Western" medical practices all your life, by all means have an ENT charge you for permission to try to equalize your ears underwater.

[DevonDiver]

i have heard tell of a special mask that will help her get into the water,. if anyone has any info on how she might be able or who makes any special equipment so she could get into diving it would be greatly apreciated.

I think you might be referring to the Pro-Ear Mask. http://www.proear2000.com/



This mask keep the ears dry, which is a definite help in prevent infections. It also allows the ears to be equalised. However, if the ears themselves have an inability/difficulty in equalizing, due to prior injury, then the mask won't make much difference.

As others have mentioned, your friend will need to get a medical approval to enrol on a scuba class. For that reason, it would be much better for them to actually get a consult with a doctor who is trained/experienced in diving medicine issues.

DAN is a non-profit medical, education and research organization dedicated to the safety and health of scuba divers. They will provide her with a list of suitably experienced doctors in her area.

DAN Non-Emergency Medical Questions
1-800-446-2671 or 1-919-684-2948, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5:00pm (ET)

[windapp]

Even if you had identified yourself as an ENT Specialist MD, In order to even half believe you I would require links to published studies verifying nearly every absolute statement you have made here.

I was not meaning to give an absolute statement about the exact depth of water at which every ear drum in the world would perforate, although I am willing to guess that 25 ft of water would perforate most eardrums if completely un-equalized. My point was more to the physics of barotrauma in that the it is not the absolute depth one needs to be concerned with but the relative pressure between the middle and outer ear. Somebody with a history of perforated eardrums may, either due to the previous dammage itself or due to a predisposition to eardrum perforations, need to be more careful about equalizing when diving than another diver. I know people who have had perforated eardrums in as little as 10 ft of water.

[Insta-Gator]

A friend of mine had ear problems while diving. I could see tiny bubbles come out of his ear while at depth. He found a ENT who also was a diver. They discussed the issues, the MD made a thorough examination and eventually performed surgery. He removed a small piece of skin from my friends neck and implanted it in his ear. After several months (long wait was mostly because he is a warm water vacation diver) the MD gave him a clean bill of health. We dove together this past June and my friend had no problems at all and the bubbles were not coming from his ear any longer. See a specialist who understands diving.

[vladimir]

I have a friend that burst her ear drums a few years ago,she has always wanted to get into diving but was told that she cant pass the 25'. i am wondering if there are any divers here with a similiar problems, or if any one dives with someone that has ear issues,,i have heard tell of a special mask that will help her get into the water,. if anyone has any info on how she might be able or who makes any special equipment so she could get into diving it would be greatly apreciated.
Thank you for your time

There are no masks or ear plugs that will help you equalize, notwithstanding the many claims to the contrary. If you post your question in the Diving Medicine Forum you might get more authoritative answers. User doctormike is an ENT; perhaps send him a PM.

[DocVikingo]

There are no masks or ear plugs that will help you equalize, notwithstanding the many claims to the contrary.

Vlad The Impailer is a sayer of sooth.

There is no science, or even compelling theoretical argument, to support the claim that devices like alien looking masks and vented ear plugs materially facilitate equalization of the ears.

Regards,

DocVikingo

[DocVikingo]

DAN is a non-profit medical, education and research organization dedicated to the safety and health of scuba divers. They will provide her with a list of suitably experienced doctors in her area.

Hi DevonDiver,

This is a common misconception.

While DAN does maintain a diving medicine doctor referral data base and does endeavor to direct divers to savvy professionals in their respective geographical areas, the reality is that DAN's specialist referral base can be thin to non-existent in many locations, especially locations that are distant or remote from major North American metropolitan areas, not to mention foreign countries. It may not be as simple and convenient as that.

In any event, hopefully DAN will have an ENT specialist referral for the OP’s friend (who may be located near Collingwood, Ontario, Canada and about a two hour drive from Toronto).

Regards,

DocVikingo

[Travis B]

thank's to everyone that has given time to help answer the questions my friend has,unfortunately i am currently working in regina saskatchewan and highly doubt that there are any dive doctors here but i wll look as there is a deco chamber in moose jaw. i thank you for your input yet again everybody that has posted.

[Bubbletrubble]

A friend of mine had ear problems while diving. I could see tiny bubbles come out of his ear while at depth. He found a ENT who also was a diver. They discussed the issues, the MD made a thorough examination and eventually performed surgery. He removed a small piece of skin from my friends neck and implanted it in his ear. After several months (long wait was mostly because he is a warm water vacation diver) the MD gave him a clean bill of health. We dove together this past June and my friend had no problems at all and the bubbles were not coming from his ear any longer. See a specialist who understands diving.

@Insta-Gator: Continuous bubbling from the ear while the diver is at depth would imply that the eardrum is not intact...or at the very least that there is some sort of air communication from the middle ear to the outer ear (hole in tissue near eardrum?). That would be a very strange thing indeed. Either way, it's not "normal" anatomy. As such, it's not surprising that surgery was the answer in your friend's case.

[DocVikingo]

...unfortunately i am currently working in regina saskatchewan and highly doubt that there are any dive doctors here but i wll look as there is a deco chamber in moose jaw.

Yes, Moose Jaw Union Hospital has a very small hyperbaric unit; (306) 694-0200.

Edmonton General Hospital has a larger facility; (780) 342-8934.

Couple of Canuk contacts who come highly recommended.

Ron Linden BSc, MD, CCFP; CEO and Medical Director of Ontario Wound Care in Toronto; (416) 223-6600.

Ted Sosiak, MD; Director of Toronto General Hospital Hyperbaric Department: (416) 233-3343.

Regards,

DocVikingo