Ear Squeeze

[fishbone]

Went spearfishing 3 days ago and have suffered from impaired hearing by "blocked ears" but mostly in one ear since then. Its not particularly painfull but the sensation is that i want to yawn and "pop" my ears and be able to hear properly. I went to the doctor who looked in my ear and told me the drum and canal are healthy so the proble is within the tubes behind. He didnt seem to concerned, advised me to take decongestants and Ibuprofen and come back in 2 weeks if the problem persists.

I was aware of a very mild ache in the concerned ear before i dived, didnt think much of it at the time but am now wondering if i had an ear infection (incidently that had begun since my previous dive the week prior) and that iv made it worse.

Alternitavely could i have suffered some form of ear squeeze?

Have any of you suffered from this before?

 

[mermaidgirl]

yes, I am ( unfortunately) the queen of ear problems. You ear drum is swollen from irritation ( barotrauma) and there is probably fluid behind it. As your dr, said, it will go away but it takes time. the dr. can drain it to speed up the process but it isn't necessary. In the meantime,don't try to pop your ears. It irritates the already swollen membrane.
This can happen from missing an equalization, sinus conditions, allergies, etc. If the dr, didn't think you had an infection; it was probably one of these causes.
sinus rinses ( neti pot or syringe), decongestants ( non-ephedrine type), mucinex, can help clear out your head for future diving. And remember to equalize early and often and don't "ride your ears" if they are feeling sticky.

 

[fishbone]

Thanks,
After taking decongestants and Ibuprofen to reduce the swelling, things are starting to return to normal very slowly (this being 4 days since i dived) Im going to spend the off season getting on top of equalisation. Im hoping to develop the other methods than the Valsalver iv always used and always found very ineffecient.