Trouble with ears

[fnfalman]

I just got certified this past weekend in Palm Beach Florida. I had a lot of trouble with equalizing my ears during the dives. None of the dives were deeper than 20 feet. During the last dive, I tried some vented ear plugs, but they did not seem to help much. After the dives, I continued to have trouble with my ears feeling congested and clogged. Any suggestions on what I can do about my ears during dives? I am afraid that I won't be able to go very deep if I had this much trouble at only 20 feet.

Did you have these issues while doing pool drills?

If you didn't suffer these issues while doing the pool drills then ask yourself what is it that you did differently while in the ocean.

Also, like others said, equalize while you're on the surface before even submerge, then descend slowly in a vertical position with your head tilted slightly backward so that your neck (and your Eustasian tube) is pointed upward and straight. Most days I can just blow and go, but some days I have to do this.

The key is to be able to descend slowly, and the only way to do that is not to be overweighted with lead. Otherwise, you hit the deflator button and you drop towards the bottom like a rock. Not enough time to do any proper equalization.

Another thing is to make sure that your nose is free of "gunk" for lack of better words. Rinse your face while you're on the surface, make sure that the nose is well soaked and blow all the snorts out.

I've suffered blocks during dives because there were snort build-ups during the dive.

 

[mikescooling]

You need "ear-beer". It will help clean out your ears and stop microbes from growing; use it before and after diving.

 

[ozzydamo]

Always equalise ... early, often and before you need to and always take your time descending. In my experience the ear is like a muscle and needs to be trained and the more you dive the better your ears maybe (obviously ruling out any health issues beforehand). I had a friend who was always the last one to descend when he first started diving...which is fine by the way. He was a fanatical diver and now he's usually the first one to the bottom. Patience is always the key and never feel pressured to descend faster than your ears can handle.

I am like your friend(lol), now it's just so easy for me, I hardly notice now, I just click my jaw joint as I descend.
I am wood worker so I think working a dusty environment did take some dives to clear out the gunk from the tubes- once diving weekly regularly it wasn't any trouble again(wet ear feeling well after the dive).

 

[currier]

I've often had trouble with both my ears and sinuses ... trouble that I never realized before I began diving

For sinus trouble - I take both pills and nasal sprays before dives. Pseudoephedrine works well for me, but DON'T use this drug when diving enriched air. Use long-lasting stuff that won't wear off when at depth, or else you risk reverse blocks.

For ear trouble - I've found that I get wax built-up ... so I religiously use cotton swabs after showering, but I will also use a dewax treatment (drops) for a few days prior to diving.

These troubles reoccur again and again when I don't dive often. If I am diving for an entire weekend, the second and third days don't seem to bother me in the least. When diving for a week or two straight :bounce4: I'm able to descend & reascend as easily as standing & sitting.

Good luck!

 

[downdeep]

It took my son about 25 dives to get his ears to equalize consistently. Then one day he came up from a dive with a mask full of slime (nasty, I know). After that he never had that problem again. Just had to get those sinus passages clear, I guess.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Pseudoephedrine works well for me, but DON'T use this drug when diving enriched air.

@currier: Dr. Thalmann wrote a very nice essay on this topic for Divers Alert Network. Check it out.

 

[currier]

Dr. Thalmann wrote a very nice essay on this topic for Divers Alert Network. Check it out.

A fine article, thanks for the link, Bubbletrubble :luxhello:

I've never questioned the recommendations in the PADI enriched air manual ... I just took it all as plain and simple truth. Dr. Thalmann's work doesn't go so far as to suggest that pseudoephedrine is OK when diving EANx, but I guess it just opens our eyes to the information (or misleading information) that we receive through training.

Thanks again!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

A fine article, thanks for the link, Bubbletrubble :luxhello:

I've never questioned the recommendations in the PADI enriched air manual ... I just took it all as plain and simple truth. Dr. Thalmann's work doesn't go so far as to suggest that pseudoephedrine is OK when diving EANx, but I guess it just opens our eyes to the information (or misleading information) that we receive through training.

@currier: I'm glad you enjoyed reading the article. I thought Thalmann's essay was an even-handed one based on the scientific evidence available.

As divers, I think it's easy/comfortable to think we live in a world where, if our physician said it's OK to do it or if it's written in the PADI manual, that's the gospel truth. Rarely are things ever so black and white.

If I were a normal, healthy recreational diver (not taking any other meds and with no known reactions to pseudoephedrine) who happened to have a little sinus congestion on a dive trip, I think it would be OK to take a dose of extended-release pseudoephedrine to get me through a dive or two...whether I happened to be diving regular air or a 32% nitrox mix. Perhaps a tech diver or someone using a rebreather system might make a different choice, I don't know. It all depends on your risk tolerance and your ability to guesstimate that risk (based on current research).

 

[frankysharpp]

The best video ever for a diver to watch Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page . Very interesting information for novice to experienced divers!

 

[TSandM]

Just some input from a physician -- nothing you put in your external ear canal is going to affect whether you can equalize, or help heal barotrauma. Eardrops are for EXTERNAL ear infections. I have a little essay on this topic that I wrote because people get this confused so often.