This is to put some light on one of the most confused areas in eardrum issues.
i had a hole in my eardrum due to a longer than it should infection product of diving, more than a year ago..., my eardrum healed with an opening and according to the doctor, the only solution was an eardrum repair surgery, or tympanoplasty.
i went to check several doctors and i made a huge amount of research online and it was extremely confusing, even seen ENTs telling and posting out there that after the surgery you should kiss goodbye diving and for sure FREEDIVING.
my home country Is Argentina and i went there and check with 3 different ENT and they were not sure about what are the consequences towards diving from a tympanoplasty, or eardrum replacement.
i contacted DAN, and they recommend one ETN ( Dr Telischi ) here in FL. I had an interview with him, and he told," ... yeah, after everything is fixed and healed you will be able to dive again...", this was the push i needed to move on.... (total time out of the water... 1 year: like 6 month pre-operation you should be dry, and 6 months after).
I had my operation and im doing my test dives this days six months after, ....last tuesday, slowly doing pulling down (free inmersion) i went to 85ft with no problems, in freediving.
i will still be conservative on this, but my conclusion first hand is .....
YES YOU CAN FREEDIVE after a tympanoplasty, and of course you can SCUBA DIVE as well ( even more because equalization is easier with more air in the lungs
)
my main concern was, also if i would be able to feel pain in case a faulty equalization... (that was important in order to stop going down and prevent damage), yes you feel pain/pressure in the eardrum !!!!
so far so god !
Martin
i had a hole in my eardrum due to a longer than it should infection product of diving, more than a year ago..., my eardrum healed with an opening and according to the doctor, the only solution was an eardrum repair surgery, or tympanoplasty.
i went to check several doctors and i made a huge amount of research online and it was extremely confusing, even seen ENTs telling and posting out there that after the surgery you should kiss goodbye diving and for sure FREEDIVING.
my home country Is Argentina and i went there and check with 3 different ENT and they were not sure about what are the consequences towards diving from a tympanoplasty, or eardrum replacement.
i contacted DAN, and they recommend one ETN ( Dr Telischi ) here in FL. I had an interview with him, and he told," ... yeah, after everything is fixed and healed you will be able to dive again...", this was the push i needed to move on.... (total time out of the water... 1 year: like 6 month pre-operation you should be dry, and 6 months after).
I had my operation and im doing my test dives this days six months after, ....last tuesday, slowly doing pulling down (free inmersion) i went to 85ft with no problems, in freediving.
i will still be conservative on this, but my conclusion first hand is .....
YES YOU CAN FREEDIVE after a tympanoplasty, and of course you can SCUBA DIVE as well ( even more because equalization is easier with more air in the lungs
)my main concern was, also if i would be able to feel pain in case a faulty equalization... (that was important in order to stop going down and prevent damage), yes you feel pain/pressure in the eardrum !!!!
so far so god !
Martin
