Ears blocked for 5 weeks after SCUBA diving :( help

[divinh]

Check out this video...


I have Deep6 regs and this person was one of the first to review them, so I check his videos occasionally. It sounds like he had similar issues and actually had corrective surgery. It's a long video, but might be worth your time.

 

[KristenK]

Thanks kristen !
How long did it take for yours ears to recover from the similar issue you had to mine ?

I can't recall exactly, but at least two months. I still get stuffiness after dive trips, but it clears up within a week. But I did some real damage over the summer while in Roatan....had no idea because I thought I equalized fine and never experienced any pain or vertigo. Had discharge while sleeping, that was the only indicator. ENT, who is awesome and lots of diving experience, said something about the structure of my ear makes me more prone to problems. I was extra careful and descended really slow on my last trip during the fall and had zero problems. I leave for Curaçao Friday and am looking forward to another successful trip with zero ear problems.

 

[KristenK]

@divinh Thank you for sharing this video, I want to look into the surgery he talks about.

 

[Many94]

Hi guys ent is booked in from 2 and half weeks from now , i will update how it goes

One question, any danger if im exposed to loud sound ? Or that wont affect anything?
For example loud music ?

 

[almostDIR]

Hi guys ent is booked in from 2 and half weeks from now , i will update how it goes

One question, any danger if im exposed to loud sound ? Or that wont affect anything?
For example loud music ?

Excellent! let us hear then how it went

I don't believe the loud sounds would be more dangerous than with normal hearing if you don't have any inner ear damage (just speculating because I'm not a medical professional) but if your hearing is impaired you might accidentally listen to the music too loud because not realising how loud it is actually playing and thus turning it much louder than you'd normally do. it might be a good idea to have someone else to check the volume levels for you and then writing down the correct settings so that you know you're not playing it 3 times louder than normal..

Flying and diving would be very bad in your situation so those activities must be avoided of course

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi guys ent is booked in from 2 and half weeks from now , i will update how it goes

One question, any danger if im exposed to loud sound ? Or that wont affect anything?
For example loud music ?

Late to the conversation, but the vertigo you described is a bit concerning. Has this gotten any better? If not I'd recommend being seen emergently rather than waiting 2 weeks.

The noise question is an interesting one. @doctormike , what do you think of that? Fluid conducts sound better than air does but would the fluid also have a dampening effect?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[jstrang]

So I am not an ENT but I am a dr and a diver. I had ETD in med school after diving for 4 days in HI at Xmas, and maybe not equalizing perfectly. That dull feeling eventually went away in April. I now see people with barotrauma and most often it settles in 3-6 weeks - but it can take months sometimes. As Dr. Mike suggested intranasal corticosteroids, repeated valsalva and office myringotomy may help resolve things faster.

I know equalize at the surface and frequently and often on the way down and almost never have any issues.

good luck.
j

 

[Many94]

Hey duke the vertigo has gotten better but somtimes i still feel abit off ,
Jstrang - would my ent be able to do the office myringotomy on the spot when i see him ?

Btw im seeing a ent in 2 days now i called around and found a different one and got the refferal of my doctor for him as im struggling to wait .

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hey duke the vertigo has gotten better but somtimes i still feel abit off ,
Jstrang - would my ent be able to do the office myringotomy on the spot when i see him ?

Btw im seeing a ent in 2 days now i called around and found a different one and got the refferal of my doctor for him as im struggling to wait .

It's good you're getting in earlier. If you get an opportunity please let us know what you find out.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Many94]

It's good you're getting in earlier. If you get an opportunity please let us know what you find out.

Best regards,
DDM

Hey so i seen the ent he done a full examination and told me that i was very congested and that my eustachian tubes were blocked , he prescribed me the nasal steroid spray and told me i should give it a good 4-6 weeks to clear up ,
I asked him how can i get my eustachian tubes to unblock he said we have to clear the sinuses. Thoughts ?

Also he mentioned to me that my cartilage in my nose was crooked and not straight and it was acting to block my eustachian tubes.

Btw yes i do have alot of pressure in my sinuses, but i didnt think it was linked to my ear problem