Ear Trouble

[gypsyjim]

Damn.
Just today at Beneath The Sea we had the chance to sit in a seminar on Ear, Nose and Throat, and diving, by SB member doctormike.
You might drop him a PM, and discuss your situation.
Good luck.

 

[Jonny Wishbone]

I had a hole in my eardrum when i was in my 20's but I don't think it was from diving, it was from an ear infection because of diving. I have smaller outer ear canals and my ears tend to trap water more easily so i always use just a home brew of alcohol and white vinegar which seems to work just fine. I use the same brew on my Golden Retrievers after a bout in the pool.The good news is my doctor explained that the eardrum is very resilient and heals very well. mine healed up fine without any hearing loss and no problems since. Just let it heal as per your Dr. and i think you will be fine....Good luck and get well bro...

 

[Jack Hammer]

I make my own ear beer and use a couple drops after every dive. Usually while changing out of my suit. I found a stronger mix worked better for Mexico, as the normal stuff I had to leave in for quite a while instead of a quick flush.

I'm no DR so take it for whats it worth. For normal dives I mix 1 part vinegar (2.5%) to 1 part rubbing alcohol (70%). For areas I'm more concerned with I up that to 1 part vinegar (5%) to 1 part rubbing alcohol (90%). The stronger mix "burns" a bit but it works great.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi @sea_otter

Sorry to hear about this. As you've already pointed out, ear beer may help prevent external ear infections but it will not prevent barotrauma or middle ear infections. It's hard to tell exactly what happened but you may have developed a middle ear infection which made it difficult for you to equalize, then gotten into a vicious cycle with injuring an already infected middle ear.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[sea_otter]

Thank you for the insight, @Duke Dive Medicine.

I am not prone to middle ear infections, but this same sequence of events has now occurred twice on cavern/cave diving trips to Mexico. Aside from proper equalization, is there anything that can be done preventatively to help me healthy? One commonality between these trips was that I spent a decent amount of time doing no-mask practice in open water, this time in Carwash Cenote, which has a reputation for giving divers ear infections. Is there a risk of bacteria entering through the nose and settling in the middle ear?

Would any home remedies, like a neti pot after (or before) diving, potentially help?

I am headed home and will be seeing the ENT on Thursday. Hopeful I can resume diving in a couple months, but we'll see.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Thank you for the insight, @Duke Dive Medicine.

I am not prone to middle ear infections, but this same sequence of events has now occurred twice on cavern/cave diving trips to Mexico. Aside from proper equalization, is there anything that can be done preventatively to help me healthy? One commonality between these trips was that I spent a decent amount of time doing no-mask practice in open water, this time in Carwash Cenote, which has a reputation for giving divers ear infections. Is there a risk of bacteria entering through the nose and settling in the middle ear?

Would any home remedies, like a neti pot after (or before) diving, potentially help?

I am headed home and will be seeing the ENT on Thursday. Hopeful I can resume diving in a couple months, but we'll see.

Hi @sea_otter, yes, the openings to the Eustachian tubes are in the nasopharynx so if bacteria enter the nose they can definitely end up in the middle ear. A neti pot after diving may help but isotonic saline doesn't have much in the way of antibacterial properties. Your best bet would be to wear a mask in water with known or suspected high pathogenic bacterial levels. Rinsing your external ear canals thoroughly with fresh water can help prevent external ear infections. 50/50 vinegar and hydrogen peroxide works well as a preventative but isn't foolproof and can remove protective ear wax when used excessively.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[outofofficebrb]

Rinsing your external ear canals thoroughly with fresh water can help prevent external ear infections. 50/50 vinegar and hydrogen peroxide works well as a preventative but isn't foolproof and can remove protective ear wax when used excessively.

Is this your preferred concoction for preventative measures? I have also heard of 50/50 vinegar and alcohol. Is hydrogen peroxide better in this case?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Is this your preferred concoction for preventative measures? I have also heard of 50/50 vinegar and alcohol. Is hydrogen peroxide better in this case?

Not really, but it stings less than rubbing alcohol. I don't think there's data to support one over the other. @doctormike or another SME might have a reason not to use peroxide, please feel free to comment.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[sea_otter]

Visited the ENT at home this morning. Happy to report that my ear is doing much better, and the perforation appears to be healed. Continuing nasal steroid spray and starting antibiotic ear drops. The prognosis looks good and with luck I'll be able to dive again within a month.

Though I'm still not sure I have a perfect answer for preventing problems next time (will chat with the doc on my follow up visit), I'm very happy with the news.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Great to hear!