Middle ear problem

[MrK]

Hello,

Q. I've recently sustained barotrauma in my middle ear. Provided i take some time off, several months what are my chances of diving again, will i be able to dive 100% or can i expect continued problems?

Any input is much appreciated!

Cheers from Australia.

 

[Chrillepille]

Hi!

Do you know exactly what you injured in the middle ear? And what happened when you injured it? We want the full story

That information would get you more accurate answers, I believe, since barotrauma tells you very little.

/Christian

 

[MrK]

I dove after having the flu, my tubes were congested but continued to dive and forced equalisation. I felt a short sharp pain during equalisation followed by a slight coldness, water entering my mid ear. Thereafter my right ear went numb, some hearing loss and my voice sounded faint.

When dry equalising i can feel some wetness which is causing the fluttering sound in my tubes. Guessing the fluids from my mid ear is draining. Either from my ear drums being pushed in or my tubes being inflamed i have some slight pain.

The exact problem hasn't been diagnosed yet.

 

[Chrillepille]

Thanks for the info. How long has it been since it happened?

 

[MrK]

It's been 3 months now since it happened. My hearing is back ect.. ect.. I dive now but my mid ear fills up with water? when i dry equalise it still flutters like there's fluid draining. I have slight pain from what im guessing is inflamation. Here's hoping a long break helps. Both tubes are open however my problem ear still does not equalise cleanly. The ears are sensative to atmospheric change which gives me some pains.

 

[trullalla]

mrk,
you really need to go and see a ent doctor asap!!

a middle ear barotrauma normally is not a very serious thing. it can last from a couple of days to 10/14 days if it's really bad.

what you have sounds like you did burst your eardrum (the feeling of cold water inside your ear is a very clear symptom).

if you only had a middle ear barotrauma it would only have been blood or fluid from your inner ear going in your middle ear, and that wouldn't feel cold at all.

so what happens usually when you burst your eardrum and don't have it diagnosed, is that you keep diving, or washing your head, and water keeps coming inside, which gives you a middle ear infection which is not a good thing to have especially if you don't treat it FAST. it might expand to all the tissues around, and it might even close your e tubes permanently.

also, the fact that you keep equalizing, will prevent your eardrum from healing (like of you keep scratching away the crust on a cut on your skin, it will never heal), since you keep applying pressure on the broken eardrum.

linda

 

[devondave]

Just to second eveything Linda has said , especially the bit about seeing an ENT doctor . Potentially too serious to be left to chance , also whatever people tell you on here , how are you going to know if it's correct ?

Regards ,
Dave .

 

[MrK]

okay, i'll see my gp tomorrow. The reason i havn't seen a ENT is on the advice of my brother. He assures me that i havn't burst a ear drum and all i need is time off.

 

[Chrillepille]

Yes, follow what Linda says! Good luck and hope the eardrum heals.

 

[MrK]

Hi,

Just an update, i did see my gp the very next day and got my referral to the ENT. I also underwent ct scans as a precautionary measure to rule out sinusitas as a contributing cause. Extra scans were taken of my middle ear and was found to have no fluid deposits however as i type this very post and contrary to what my ent has said, i still have fluid in my middle ear! He checked my ear to see if i had ruptured my eardrum, no, they are fine....

I was diagnosed with Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, this might be a broad term used to describe many problems but he went onto further explain it was basically narrowing of my tubes. To remedy this i'm taking 6 months off.

Has anyone had the same problem? maybe you can share your experiences?

Sincere thx to those who took the time to reply.

 

[devondave]

Hello Mrk ,
My wife has a similar problem , she's quite petite , and her eustachian tubes are narrow .
Although not a freediver , she is an experienced scuba diver , occasionally suffering problems with equalization on decent and much more seriously , trapped air on ascent , resulting in barotrauma to the inner ear .
The ENT consultant recommened using Octrivin nasal spray one hour before diving , since using the spray she has had no further problems , either decending or ascending .
Perhaps this is something you could discuss with your ENT doctor ?

Regards ,
Dave .

 

[MrK]

Hi dave,

I've used otrivin extensively as part of my pre dive preperation, really helps at times thx for the suggestion mate.

 

[fflupo]

i used otrivin once years ago and after some 2-3 hours or so it lost it effect on ascent which gave me a reverse block and some internal damage covered by a tinitus, i still suffer a loose of 40% hearing on that ear, which will stay :duh

! i rinse my nose with 1% salt-water almost every day, since

otrivin or similar is a NO GO

 

[MrK]

Fflupo i have to agree, nasal sprays ends up doing more damage with prelonged use.