pardon? I seem to have gone deaf!

[neilbraun]

Hello everyone!
this is my second post... stunning huh?
I have a question about free diving, and my darned ears...
basicly I have been free diving since i was about 3 and a half or 4 years old and my ears have been getting worse and worse, in the last 2 weeks I have spent about 9 hours a day diving and taking pictures and I am now almost deaf... BUT I CANT STOP!
I have never been able to clear correctly, while doing scuba I basicly have to wait untill I get that hidious painfull POP which seems to happen by it self, free diving however I dont have time to wait for that so I just try to ignore how painfull it is...
is there anything I can do about this? I will not stop diving, I love it far too much and will go totaly deaf if I have to...
honestly I would like to find some way of correcting this, I have tryed all the methods of clearing that I have ever heard of and none of them have helped, is there something a doctor could do? like drill me a bigger set of holes?

I know this post sounds rekless but I have been thinking about this for years and have talked to hundreds of people about it and have gotten nowhere... do I actualy have to go deaf?

huh?

cheers!
neil

 

[Bob3]

...do I actualy have to go deaf?

At the rate you're going, I'm surprised you're not there already.
About the only suggestion I can make is to marry a really nagging person, that way going deaf will feel like a blessing.
:mean:
Now that the nasty comment is out of the way, I'd suggest large doses of sudafed and get a dr to prescribe you some Flonase.
Switch over more to scuba, and get in the habit of clearing your ears long before you feel the need, starting when you get out of bed in the morning. & all through your dives.
Freediving with uncooperative eustacian tubes is the best way I know of to mess your ears up really good.

 

[JamesK]

WOW! I can't imagine diving in the pain of a non clearing ear. I guess I am just a wuss.

I have not tried these before, but have talked to others that have. They claim they work quite well.

http://www.diveguide.com/e103a.htm

 

[neilbraun]

the marrage idea is hillarious!
shes gonna hate me!
I have tried sudophed and a few other things with no luck, and al the doctors I have talked to tell me to stop diving... heh..... thats not going to happen, ever. Flonase is something I havent tried so I will look into it asap, also those earplugs look interesting I will also look into trying those as well...
its an interesting thing thinking about being unable to hear, somehow it dosent seem to bother me as much as I think it should but when I think of not diving THAT does bother me, a lot.
the dive shop I work at is owned by a doctor who cant dive because he cant clear and he told me that the only thing I can do is stop diving. When I told him I have no intention of doing that he got a bit angry and told me it might be possible to remove my tonsils and or adnoids.... Im not sure if he was just peeved or actualy serious.
the mosat interesting thing about all this is at the moment I can here extreamly well underwater where as befor I could only here things like boats. Now I can track down a parrot fish by the crunching sound they make when eating, and I can hear a grouper inhale just before barking. its rather odd...
I know its not logical or even remotely smart to ignore this but if its a mater of no diving vs no hearing I suspect I will go for no hearing.
hell, maybe this future nagging wife will be wonderfull to look at!

thanks for the sugestions, I will try them both, hopefully something will work

Cheers!

 

[neilbraun]

you are NOT a wuss!
it feels like a screwdriver and I hat it, I have just learned to mostly ignore it.
having the smarts to NOT do things that hurt will keep you alive and healthy, I am well aware that I am doing something stupid and could screw my self up and it bothers me but somehow I just cant stop...
good thing Im not a pilot huh? "ahhh its just a small hole in the wing, ignbore it!"

zap

 

[HDrider]

Here is a link to a site created by an ENT doc that may help you.

Tom

 

[DivingGal]

Originally posted by neilbraun
...
basicly I have been free diving since i was about 3 and a half or 4 years old and my ears have been getting worse and worse, in the last 2 weeks I have spent about 9 hours a day diving and taking pictures and I am now almost deaf... BUT I CANT STOP!... is there anything I can do about this? I will not stop diving, I love it far too much and will go totaly deaf if I have to...

Why can't you stop? Sure you may love diving, but if you may permanently loose your hearing! Please, seek medical help on this one. Hearing is a precious gift, don't go throwing it away.

If you're so willing to loose your hearing and go deaf - don't ask for help... I'm sure you'll get there all by yourself.

 

[SubMariner]

Go see an ENT. Preferably one who is knowledgeable in diving medicine.

Here is a link to Doc Campbell's (Scubadoc) website: http://www.scuba-doc.com/

You should be able to find someone on his list that is in your area.

Frankly, I think you are being irresponsible diving when you are obviously having so many problems. But if you don't care... :bonk:

Bon chance,

~SubMariner~

 

[neilbraun]

I know its stupid... and irresponcible
last night I got up with yet another doctor who said the same thing: stop at once.
he also said that going deaf is not the only problem and by far not the worst, some of the things he described are horrendous so I am stopping for the time being...
very depressing...

CURSES!

 

[SubMariner]

Neil, a week after I got back from our liveaboard in the Red Sea I wound up sick. I thought it was only the flu, but after 4 days of misery I thought "no way.. this is turning into something else". Sure enough, the Dr. confirmed it was bronchitis.

Unfortunately, it turned into pneumonia. I was basically incapacitated for a whole month.

On top of I knew we had another dive trip to Bonaire (this Sat, AAMOF). Needless to say I was worried... all that money already spent!

Two weeks ago I was pronounced fit to resume diving. But I can tell you for a fact that if it turned out that I was NOT cleared to dive, we would have cancelled the trip. To hell with the cost!

I know it sounds cliche, but your HEALTH is what counts.

~SubMariner~