Am I really equalizing?

[Greg Di]

I will be starting my CW dives next week and I am relatively concerned with equalizing properly. I've been reading many posts here and on the DAN page, plus I watched that excellent video by Dr. Kay, so I've kind of reached the point where I think I almost absorbed so much about equalizing that I've made a dilemma for myself.

I did a Discover Scuba last winter in Cozumel and had a lot of difficulty equalizing during that dive to only 25 feet. Granted the DM didn't instruct me at all on equalizing (I had to figure it out on the fly which is bad), but I remember over-blowing a lot.

What's even worse about my first experience was that I experienced a terrible vertigo attack on the return plane ride home during ascent (1.5 days later). I never had vertigo before and don't want to ever have it again. After all of my recent research on equalization, I believe that I had lingering reverse block or one ear would not equalize fully throwing me off kilter.

During Dr. Kay's video, I was interested to see just how much people's eardrums "popped" when he had the scope in there. No matter how hard I blow, I don't feel that kind of movement, nor do I hear a pop in my ears.

When I equalize on the surface by pinching and swallowing, something happens to my ears, but I wouldn't call it a pop. The best way I can describe it is that it feels as if I have cotton in my ears for a moment (my hearing gets muffled for a second until I swallow again without the pinch).

Am I equalizing or am I totally screwed up? Can you help me describe the sensation of properly equalizing?

Thanks!

 

[Walter]

No, but you are opening your Eustachian tubes which would allow you to equalize if there were a pressure change. (You aren't equalizing because the pressure is already equal in the middle & outer ear)

 

[svidlano]

If you were at 25 ft, than you definitely did equalize. Vertigo usually happens when you equalize just one ear.
Sensation of equalizing?
When diving I have to pinch my nose and blow. On the surface I can voluntary open my Eustachian tubes (swallowing, jaw movement). If I breathe with my Eustachian tubes open I can feel my eardrums move.
So if I blow – eardrums pop. If I just open my E. tubes, I got that "cotton in the ears" feeling.

 

[Padiwan]

This is the way I try to describe to students about how equalizing feels: Try yawning with your mouth shut and breathe deeply through your nose, you should feel (or hear) a rush of air in you eardrums. Then at the end open your mouth and you can hear a pop or crackling. That is the best I can describe it for you, I hope it helps.

 

[simbrooks]

I will be starting my CW dives next week and I am relatively concerned with equalizing properly. I've been reading many posts here and on the DAN page, plus I watched that excellent video by Dr. Kay, so I've kind of reached the point where I think I almost absorbed so much about equalizing that I've made a dilemma for myself.

Greg, glad you are taking the next step and that you have been trying to find out all you can about this crucial part of diving.

I did a Discover Scuba last winter in Cozumel and had a lot of difficulty equalizing during that dive to only 25 feet. Granted the DM didn't instruct me at all on equalizing (I had to figure it out on the fly which is bad), but I remember over-blowing a lot..

Now i will say that to get to 25ft you will have either had to equalize, or you would have felt some pain of some sort and then probably had a barotrauma (explain later). It would be near impossible to get that deep without one or the other. I know the first time i tried and wasnt equalizing properly i felt a pain about 10ft deep.

What's even worse about my first experience was that I experienced a terrible vertigo attack on the return plane ride home during ascent (1.5 days later). I never had vertigo before and don't want to ever have it again. After all of my recent research on equalization, I believe that I had lingering reverse block or one ear would not equalize fully throwing me off kilter..

Dont know anything about vertigo and thankfully never had it, sorry i cant help on that one.

During Dr. Kay's video, I was interested to see just how much people's eardrums "popped" when he had the scope in there. No matter how hard I blow, I don't feel that kind of movement, nor do I hear a pop in my ears..

Do you hear a crackle when you swallow (just sitting at computer or anywhere)? If so, that is also opening your E tubes, the same effect can be had with a yawn, open or closed mouth.

When I equalize on the surface by pinching and swallowing, something happens to my ears, but I wouldn't call it a pop. The best way I can describe it is that it feels as if I have cotton in my ears for a moment (my hearing gets muffled for a second until I swallow again without the pinch). .

That is you slightly pressurizing your ears and swallowing just is opening the E tubes before they naturally release that small amount of air again. This is a method of equalizing as you have probably read and heard. Various other ones are around, some are harder to perform underwater, some are harder to perform - period! What works best for you may not be best for someone else.

Am I equalizing or am I totally screwed up? Can you help me describe the sensation of properly equalizing?

Occasionally i get a popping noise, but mostly a little crackling (hard to hear over regulator noise) or in fact it is a lack of any pain or discomfort. In my earlier dives, inc checkout dives i wasnt equalizing nearly good enough, various things have helped, pre-pressurizing on the surface (only a little, like you do now with your pinch and blow) and doing it as often as i can on the way down, trying to make the pressure gradient across the E tube flaps as small as possible. Even though i could get my ears cracking away all day with swallowing and yawning, they werent all that possible with dry air from the reg. Also the tensioning your jaw muscles to pull open you E tubes (like a yawn, without opening your mouth too far) made me feel a pain in the back of my throat - not desirable for me, but might work for others. So what did i notice, when i got it wrong and had a barotrauma (where fluid fills in the middle ear to counter the pressure), i had a noticible reduction in hearing in one of both ears, like i had stuffed cotton wool in them, if it was just one ear mainly then i could test it by blocking one ear and listening to the same sound as the better ear. I am now combining a little blowing with attempting to swallow/pump the tongue back and that seems to be working - no muffling that i have noticed. One of the other things to consider is that we arent typically going to practice this and it takes time to get your E tubes used to it - they need warming up and practice - give it time!

 

[H2Andy]

Am I equalizing or am I totally screwed up?

you are doing the proper thing. as Walter pointed out, you
are not equalizing because the pressure outside and inside
your ear remain the same.

when you go underwater, you will KNOW if you are not
equalizing. it starts as discomfort, and it quickly becomes
painful.

*equalize before you submerge.
*equalize immediately after submerging
*continue to equalize as you descend
*if you feel discomfort, stop your descent and equalize
*if discomfort persists, ascend and equalize

do not force the process. do not blow hard.

if in doubt, ascend and equalize.

sounds that, by improperly equalizing, you might have
affected your inner ear which might have caused the
vertigo later.

have you flown since? any problems? if not, following
the proper procedure should have you equalizing normally
in no time at all.

if you've had other problems, might be a good idea to see
a doctor familiar with these issues before your next dive.

 

[pipedope]

You may be equalizing very easily and don't realise it.

The first 10-20' is the most important in terms of equalizing as that is where the pressure is changing the fastest.
If your ears are not equalizing, you will feel pressure and pain before getting to 10'.

Some people have open tubes and don't have to do anything extra to equalize. We call those people ... lucky.

 

[Greg Di]

After my first pool dive, I had a mild vertigo attack which scared me only because I thought, "here we go again and I'm in 8 feet of water". My instructor referred me to a ENT doc who is a diver.

Saw him, and he diagnosed me with altobarometric vertigo (like we all have seen here a million times). He said my ears and tubes are perfectly fine and that he feels that the problem may be that I am OVERpressurizing my ears during descent (not harming them though) and that all that air takes a little longer to dissipate during ascent.

He suggested that I take 1 Bonine the day before diving and another the day of the dive.

As far as technique, he wants me to manually depressurize my ears by ear pinching my nose while swallowing or pinching the nose and sucking in through my nose to literally suck the air out of my tubes. Sounds like it will work and I'll try it. Problem is that in 8 feet of water, there is no room for error while ascending so I have to be really deliberate ascdending the 2.5 feet it takes for my head to break the surface.

Does anyone else have manually depressurize like he suggested?

 

[NEWreckDiver]

After my first pool dive, I had a mild vertigo attack which scared me only because I thought, "here we go again and I'm in 8 feet of water". My instructor referred me to a ENT doc who is a diver.

Saw him, and he diagnosed me with altobarometric vertigo (like we all have seen here a million times). He said my ears and tubes are perfectly fine and that he feels that the problem may be that I am OVERpressurizing my ears during descent (not harming them though) and that all that air takes a little longer to dissipate during ascent.

He suggested that I take 1 Bonine the day before diving and another the day of the dive.

As far as technique, he wants me to manually depressurize my ears by ear pinching my nose while swallowing or pinching the nose and sucking in through my nose to literally suck the air out of my tubes. Sounds like it will work and I'll try it. Problem is that in 8 feet of water, there is no room for error while ascending so I have to be really deliberate ascdending the 2.5 feet it takes for my head to break the surface.

Does anyone else have manually depressurize like he suggested?

Hey Greg, Take it from someone who has had ear problems in the past. Follow the doctors orders. This is a good guy and know what he is talking about.

By the way, I may see you on the 1st.