Ear trouble after first dives

[Moonfish17]

Hello! I completed my open water dives last week and really enjoyed the experience. However, I have been having ear problems since then which after doing some internet research I've realised sounds like middle ear barotrauma. (Stuffy ears and poor hearing but no pain). It has been 10 days and my right ear is almost back to normal but there has been little or no improvement in my left ear. I was wondering if it is worth bothering the doctor? I am taking Sudafed and a nasal spray but they don't really seem to be doing much. Any advice or sharing of personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. I just want to get back in the water again! And to improve my equalising technique...

 

[sealark]

Stay ahead of the pain when desending. If you feel pain stop come up a little and equalise.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Hello! I completed my open water dives last week and really enjoyed the experience. However, I have been having ear problems since then which after doing some internet research I've realised sounds like middle ear barotrauma. (Stuffy ears and poor hearing but no pain). It has been 10 days and my right ear is almost back to normal but there has been little or no improvement in my left ear. I was wondering if it is worth bothering the doctor? I am taking Sudafed and a nasal spray but they don't really seem to be doing much. Any advice or sharing of personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. I just want to get back in the water again! And to improve my equalising technique...

Yes go see someone even if it is a primary doctor - you don't want it to get infected and put you out even longer. Even though you dont feel pain it does not mean it is not going to become painful - the only other thing is you could be getting allergies and don't know it yet...

 

[TMHeimer]

Any chance it's just a lot of water in there? Assume you wear a hood. Don't want to suggest ear drops until you've seen a doctor.

 

[Bearded_fire_worm]

Hello! I completed my open water dives last week and really enjoyed the experience. However, I have been having ear problems since then which after doing some internet research I've realised sounds like middle ear barotrauma. (Stuffy ears and poor hearing but no pain). It has been 10 days and my right ear is almost back to normal but there has been little or no improvement in my left ear. I was wondering if it is worth bothering the doctor? I am taking Sudafed and a nasal spray but they don't really seem to be doing much. Any advice or sharing of personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. I just want to get back in the water again! And to improve my equalising technique...

I had a middle ear barotrauma this summer, was having problems equalizing my left ear as usual. I only got down to 25 feet and was feeling quite a bit of squeeze in that ear so i came up to 20 feet and ears felt good again but decided i wouldn't bother going deeper. Back on shore my left ear still felt full of water and had a little ringing in it too, no pain though.
I did go see a doctor and he examined it and said yup there's blood in the middle ear and said i probably broke a blood vessel. I was prescribed some ear drops and was told to keep it bone dry for 5 days while using the drops to help prevent infection.
It's best to go see a doc.

So, i admit i wasn't careful enough with equalizing my ears as i am still a beginner too. Now i will be improving my technique and maybe looking at trying different methods for equalization.

 

[dmaziuk]

And to improve my equalising technique...

Try popping your ears all the time. It should become easier with practice. That's after you see a doctor of course.

 

[Bearded_fire_worm]

I have found now that the Valsalva maneuver along with swallowing at the same time works best for me. It's always my left ear too that's harder to equalize but pops easily with that technique i just mentioned. I was reading also to equalize very often after submerging. Every two feet was advised in one article.

 

[KBDNP]

I always have problems with my right ear and had barotrauma a few years back and took weeks to clear. Stop the sudafed and nasal spray as you can get a lot of rebound congestion. Only meant for short term emergencies from my perspective. In the future like mentioned go down really slow and ascend back up until you clear your ears - may also want to make some ear beer (isopropyl alchohol/vinegar) to dry up the ears as well

 

[sealark]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/peux3c2siwgqfbk/Earwash Recipt.doc?dl=0

Here's a recipe for your ears. It is like the alcohol and vinegar with boric acid addeded. Boric is what your grandparents used as an antiseptic.

 

[Lakediving]

I used to have ear trouble on every dive. Now I wear a hood and ear plugs made for diving. Sometimes I do not need to pinch my nose to equalize.