Diving with fluid in Middle Ear

[Mamahama]

I have just finished my certification for open dive. My left ear is plugged and my ENT Doctor says there is fluid in my middle ear. He recommends that I do not dive on my upcoming vacation in a week to Turks & Caicos (that's why I got certified !!)

Do any of you have experience with this condition. My eardrum is intact, I do not have any pain. I can get the ear to clear with swallowing or using the Valsalvo Method but it just clogs again.

Any recommendations or experience???

 

[RikRaeder]

I'd put in email to DAN's "Ask a Medic," and get the advice of a physician that specializes in dive medicine; if you don't trust your ENT's word.

 

[Lee Taylor]

I have had this experience and I let it heal before diving. It took months. Clearing while decending is only half of the equation. The other concern is "reverse block" when asending. I have found reverse block to be worse for me persoanlly. When the eustation tube gets blocked when asending, it is very difficult to resolve. You may want to educate yourself on this also if you are planning to dive with liquid in the inner ear. There are some good forums on the subject here on Scubaboard

Happy Halloween

 

[Scuba Sciences]

I agree. I would talk to an ENT (one who is familiar with diving if you can find one). You have to be really careful with the ears. It doesn't take much to injure the ear drum while descending or a reverse block on the ascent. Better to be safe than sorry!

Ask your ENT about maybe using a non-drowsy nasal spray to help open the eustachian tubes? Sometimes that can help open things up. Still need to be careful with medicines while diving too. Good luck!!

 

[RikRaeder]

Sorry, didn't mean to sound heartless with my first post, but I've recently been in a similar predicament but my ENT grudgingly ok'd diving. Had he said no, I would not have dived. As my wife says; you can miss this trip, or dive now and maybe never dive again....your call...
Definitely contact a DAN medic on their website. I got to dive and as I understood the situation, the fluid wasn't the problem...the eustacian (sp) blockage was. I kept my tubes open (I liberally used a saliine nose mist to clear out the gunk) and it worked fine for me. I was extremely conservative with my valsalva as well. I feel your pain, Mama. Good luck!

 

[kb8lxc]

As much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with RikRaeder -

you can miss this trip, or dive now and maybe never dive again....your call...

I have food sensitivities (not quite an allergy) that affect my ears. I had some fluid in my ears a couple days before my dive but my Dr. did OK me to dive. I happen to have great eustachian tubes and have never had a problem equalizing but I am still cautious. Had my Dr. said no, I would have put off the dive even though it was for a class.

I totally understand though, I would love to dive every weekend if I could. I just can't get enough. But I also wouldn't want to risk doing anything that could prevent me from diving in the future.

You might try some OTC sinus meds to try to dry it up and get re-checked by your Dr. That is what mine had me do, but I am not a Dr. and each person's ears are different.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Different things work for different people. I was told (by a long time PADI employee) that Navy divers snort salt water for a remedy. This translated to me into "saline nasal spray". This seems to help me significantly. Another trick is (while clearing) tilt the head from shoulder to shoulder as if trying to put the ear on the shoulder. Also tilt it backwards and forwards. It is somewhat of a "stetching the neck" exercise. This has the effect of stretching, straightening, and opening the eustation tube.

Happy Halloween!



Visit me sometime at either link below ... I enjoy hearing about diving

 

[Missdirected]

I really don't know the answer to your question but I'd think you should be fine in a week.... Definitely read through the diving medicine forum, you will find an answer to your question. Good luck and happy diving (I hope anyway)

 

[Teamcasa]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

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[Bubbletrubble]

As others have stated, diving with fluid in the middle ear can cause pain and damage to your ear...don't do it. You could contact DAN. Probably the best that DAN will do is refer you to a different ENT who is familiar with caring for divers. When it comes to ears (and pretty much any other medical condition), there's no substitute for a proper physical exam. I think we can assume that your ENT knows how to use an otoscope and made the correct diagnosis.

It sounds like your ENT is erring on the side of under-treatment. Did your ENT give you the option of treatment with some sort of corticosteroid? For your condition (presumably barotitis media - Type I or II), sometimes ENTs will prescribe a systemic corticosteroid +/- nasal spray corticosteroid + systemic or topical nasal decongestant (Afrin) +/- antihistamine (if nasal allergy was pre-existing). If there's purulent discharge from the nose or cough productive of purulent sputum, then a systemic antibiotic should be added to the mix since secondary middle ear infection is likely. Type II middle ear barotrauma usually resolves in 3 - 14 days. The standard recommendation is no diving until otoscopic exam shows complete resolution and the patient is able to autoinflate both ears at the surface. Is it possible to get in touch with your ENT again to inquire about this?

In the future, don't wait for ear pain to remind you to equalize. As you gain experience, you'll learn to equalize early and often. That's probably the best way to prevent barotitis media.

Also, for future dive expeditions, consider purchasing trip insurance. Weird stuff happens. I think we all get very paranoid before a warm water trip with respect to getting sick or injured. It's never a good idea to test out an ailment/medical condition at a remote dive destination with limited access to health care. Diving is a physically demanding sport that places the body under unusual stress. Don't mess around with it.

Get well soon...