Ear Troubles

[Ballstone]

Awhile ago I had some water get in my left ear from a green public pool. I had to get some antibiotics to clear up swimmer's ear. That was months ago. But I wonder if something changed with the physiology of that ear. It's seriously affecting my diving.

I've been testing, with both ears feeling perfectly fine.

1. I dive to 9 feet. I equalize often and gently all the way down. No pain at all.
2. Resurface. Ears feel fine.
3. Shower, towel off, dry ears. Still feel and hear normally.
4. The next day my left ear hurts! It lasts for 2-3 days depending on if I pop Advil or not.

I am able to exercise the eardrum in and out without pinching my nose. I don't hear crackling. It doesn't feel like the eustachian tube has water in it. Hearing is very slightly muffled. I've tried ear drops and they haven't helped.

What happened to that ear? If I can't make it past nine feet I'm doomed!

 

[boldav53]

I've had pretty much the same experience as you with swimmer's ear. I even went to the doctors office who prescribed me some antibiotic drops. However, once I got back in the pool the condition returned. I then went to a local dive shop and one of the instructors there told me how he kept his ears feeling good since he spends a lot of time immersed. Basically as soon as he gets out of the water he puts Auro-dry or some similar products whose active ingredient is alcohol into his ears to dry things out. He also recommended the use of vented earplugs like "Doc's Proplugs" to prevent water from being forced deep into my ears while I swam laps on the surface or distance underwater. According to him there is some protective wax in the ears that gets washed away so earplugs, a swim cap or a dive hood can help to maintain it's presence. Since doing this my ears feel a lot better and most of my discomfort has gone away.

Awhile ago I had some water get in my left ear from a green public pool. I had to get some antibiotics to clear up swimmer's ear. That was months ago. But I wonder if something changed with the physiology of that ear. It's seriously affecting my diving.

I've been testing, with both ears feeling perfectly fine.

1. I dive to 9 feet. I equalize often and gently all the way down. No pain at all.
2. Resurface. Ears feel fine.
3. Shower, towel off, dry ears. Still feel and hear normally.
4. The next day my left ear hurts! It lasts for 2-3 days depending on if I pop Advil or not.

I am able to exercise the eardrum in and out without pinching my nose. I don't hear crackling. It doesn't feel like the eustachian tube has water in it. Hearing is very slightly muffled. I've tried ear drops and they haven't helped.

What happened to that ear? If I can't make it past nine feet I'm doomed!

 

[Sar Gos]

Maybee you shoud try some nosespray. I once had the problem that the ear did not eaqualize after a dive. It also took some days. Using a mentol nosespray opend the eustachic pipe and the pressure faded within one hour.

 

[Ballstone]

Well that's the odd thing. After the dive, that ear feels completely normal. And I feel zero water in the ear or the tube.
But then the next day it hurts. So weird.

I'll try the nose spray though.

 

[boldav53]

Here is some more info on the subject: http://www.healthline.com/health/swimmers-ear-chronic#Overview1

Well that's the odd thing. After the dive, that ear feels completely normal. And I feel zero water in the ear or the tube.
But then the next day it hurts. So weird.

I'll try the nose spray though.

 

[Sar Gos]

Here is some more info on the subject: http://www.healthline.com/health/swimmers-ear-chronic#Overview1

Okay... Therefore the nosespray will not work i think. It just open the eustathic pipe and let pressure out that is locked inside when slime blockes the pipe.
All the best to you.

 

[boldav53]

Yep, we probably have chronic swimmer's ear which is why it goes away with time, and then comes back as soon as the inner ear gets wet from a swim. I read at http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Swimmers-Ear.html that you can help restore the acidic environment in the ear using various home remedies like applying a few drops of a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar/isopropyl alcohol. Of course, it's always best to consult an audiologist to see what kind of infection you have and to see what they recommended foremost.

 

[boldav53]

Yep, we probably have chronic swimmer's ear which is why it goes away with time, and then comes back as soon as the inner ear gets wet from a swim. I read at http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Swimmers-Ear.html that you can help restore the acidic environment in the ear using various home remedies like applying a few drops of a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar/isopropyl alcohol. Of course, it's always best to consult a medical specialist to see what kind of infection you have and to see what they recommend foremost.