Chance of permanent hearing damage? Should I see a doctor?

[RedyTedy]

Currently it has been 5 days since my last dive on a 2-day trip.

After one of the first dives, I noticed a high pitched sound in my quiet hotel room (pretty sure tinnitus), in addition to feeling like my ear was underwater; Certain sound frequencies sounded louder than others which seemed dampened. During my dives I didn't feel any pain in my ears or see any blood.

The tinnitus could have easily started immediately during the dive, but I don't think I would have noticed as I only realize it's there in quiet environments. I continued 1-2 dives because I just assumed there really was just water stuck in my ear. The symptoms remained pretty much the exact same.

So now 5 days later I have the same symptoms, high pitched ringing and it sounds like I'm underwater (certain music is way easier to hear with my other normal ear).

I'm trying to get an idea of how important it is that I find an ENT. Is permanent hearing damage likely or possibly? And could a doctor do anything even if that was the case other than leave it to heal on its own? I'm also thinking of possible causes since nothing seemed particularly abnormal for the way I was diving. Perhaps a possibility is that I over-equalized? I heard that is easier to happen when using the frenzel method of equalizing, which I use.

 

[michael-fisch]

See an ENT immediatly! If you can't see one today, plan on spending lots of time in a Hospital ER, TODAY - it's that important!

Michael

 

[RedyTedy]

Forgot to mention that I'm currently in Colombia and flying out tomorrow late afternoon. Do you actually think it's worth putting off the flight?

 

[michael-fisch]

Depends how important it is to you, not to spend the rest of your days with a ringing tone in your ear. Further delay will just make an already bad prognosis of recovery worse.
Right now you're screwed, day after tomorrow you'll be screwed much worse than you are now, and your treating doctor will say to you "If I had seen you shortly after it happened, the outcome could have been different".
It's that important!

Michael

 

[Diver below 83]

Forgot to mention that I'm currently in Colombia and flying out tomorrow late afternoon. Do you actually think it's worth putting off the flight?

Not to mention the pressure increase from flight could cause more damage if something is already wrong.

 

[happy-diver]

If you can equalise you can fly.

Hey boys, when you go up the pressure is less, as is the cabin pressure lower than sea level atmospheric

because if at the lower than sea level pressure of altitude the cabin pressure is higher
then the plane will bulge outwards in all the wrong places, something like you see in the food court at the mall

 

[guruboy]

I am not a doctor. His description sounds like barotrama to me. Fluid filled his inner ear.

 

[uncfnp]

Ok. I rarely say call DAN but for you I think I would start there and prehaps we can get @doctormike to comment. @Duke Dive Medicine ?

 

[michael-fisch]

So far it looks like you wasted today, will fly out tomorrow, and see an ENT at the soonest on Monday. If you now have tinnitus, as you think you have, by Monday the only thing that your treating physician will tell you is that you will have your tinnitus untill you die.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Sorry,

Michael

 

[Dominik_E]

No one will be able to say for sure from a distance. I would however still say the post above mine sounds really overly drastic. I would still immediately call a medical helpline (like Aquamed or DAN), and discuss the situation in detail with them. They will probably have a better shot at identifying your best course of action.