"Hollow" Ear and Popping Issue

[DeaDLocK]

Hi all,

Firstly I fully appreciate that any advice or ideas here do not replace proper examination and diagnosis by an ENT, but it will take me months to see one on public health, and so I am looking for a probability indication on whether I should pony up for private care.

I was on a 10 day LOB trip in the Banda Sea, Indonesia. The diving went fine, and I equalized often and early with no problems.

On Day 6, I developed a sudden and consistent pain in my left ear overnight that woke me up from my sleep while I was sleeping on my left side (with that ear against the pillow). I would describe the pain as a general soreness in my left ear area, with the pain focused inside the ear canal. As long as I slept on my back or right side, the pain eased and I could sleep. Putting any pressure on my left outer ear area triggered pain. My hearing was unaffected (or not noticeably affected). I would rate the pain as a 3-4 out of 10.

When I try the Valsalva lightly on land, I can hear machine-gun popping in my left ear, with what sounds like an occasional "bubble" being left inside, which makes me hear like what sounds like a hollow echo when I talk. This bubble disappears by itself when I lightly do a "reverse" Valsalva or after a few minutes.

It got a little better over Day 7, and I did one dive that day. I could equalize fine, but overnight the pain got significantly worse, with similar symptoms to the previous night but much more intense, with the pain throbbing with my heartbeat and ratcheting up to a 6 out of 10.

I decided to suspend all diving for the remainder of the trip. It has now been 6 days since the peak of symptoms, I am home safe, and the pain has 95% vanished and I am no longer in any discomfort whatsoever. I had no issues equalizing on the 4 flights it took to get home from Saumlaki airport, but on all the ascents, I could feel a build up of pressure in the affected ear that suddenly released with a loud pop (with no pain), which repeated a few times on every ascent until the plane hit cruising altitude, as opposed to a normal incremental and unnoticeable release as which happens with healthy ears.

However, the popping and "hollow echo" remains.

Any ideas and whether I should be worried?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Snoweman]

When you sleep on your right side, your left ear drains. I'm not a doctor, and I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn last night, but I'm guessing you have an infection. If you want to test it, put 70% rubbing alcohol in your left ear. If you drop to the floor, crying, you have an ear infection. Otherwise, call a doc and get a large amount of antibiotics injected into your ass. It worked for my dive buddy and we dove the next day (after he tested his ear at the bottom of the hotel pool before diving).

 

[Streydog]

I recently had some ear issues and ended up seeing an ENT last week. My situation was not exactly like yours.
On my 8th day of diving on an accent I felt water fill my right ear. No pain and I thought I had equalized well during the dive because I never felt any pressure.\
I had the feeling of water in my ears so I took 3 days off.
I then dove again. First dive no issues. Second dive as I equalized It felt like air was passing out of my right ear, no pain though. I know now that I had a ruptured ear drum. Like an idiot I dove 2 more days. I never felt pain but had that trapped water in my ear feeling.
I took 7 days off and dove again. First dive was fine but second dive had the same issue. Couple days later I started to feel pain so I went to a Doctor, this is in Mexico. I had an infection and was given a shot of antibiotics, ear drops and antibiotics pills. Most of the pain went away pretty fast but still had discomfort and the feeling of water in the ears. A month later the water feeling in my ear had gone away but I still had a little pain, it felt different than the infection. I went to an ENT. I emailed DAN and they referred two ENTs in this area but both were booked a long way out.

My hearing was tested and it was fine. Pressure test on my eardrum was good, doctor told me I had probably ruptured my ear drum but it had healed, I did have an abscess in my ear canal that the doctor drained. The abscess was caused by the infection and was what was causing my extended pain.

My advice for peace of mind would be to at least go see a regular doctor if you can not see an ENT. From what I have read on here is that the hollow or echo sound you describe could be caused from inner ear trauma. Inner ear trauma usually will heal itself but could take up to a month.

 

[dberry]

Symptoms match my experience with ear infections ("Swimmer's Ear").

 

[northernone]

When you sleep on your right side, your left ear drains. I'm not a doctor, and I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn last night, but I'm guessing you have an infection. If you want to test it, put 70% rubbing alcohol in your left ear. If you drop to the floor, crying, you have an ear infection. Otherwise, call a doc and get a large amount of antibiotics injected into your ass. It worked for my dive buddy and we dove the next day (after he tested his ear at the bottom of the hotel pool before diving).

Another non-doctor here. I sometimes dive contaminated water and have had nearly a dozen ear infections (omitted post dive "ear-beer" folk lore ear rinse) over the years.

Does sound very similar to when I get ear infections. Both in onset and symptoms. Treatment I won't guess at. Could also be barotruama related too but seems less likely.

Cameron