Hello All...
Its not been long now since I ditched the crutches after a hip re-shaping op at the New Year so I'm back in the gym and pool trying to get fit on a daily basis.
Looks like surfing is gonna be off the cards for a while which sucks but does allow me to focus on my freediving and spearfishing this summer which I am really looking forward to.. unfortunately tho it seems I STILL have a problem with my left ear . Even just equalizing in a pool 2.5m deep and I got bubbles coming out.. and I kept my ears dry for 3 months now! (bottom line is this problem has been there for 2 years now so no surprises tho).
Been googling it a bit and it appears to be called a "micro-perforation", in the pool it doesn't really give me any grief as there is not enough pressure to force the water in.. or so it seems! Last year when I went spearfishing I wore an earplug in that ear alone and didnt seem to have any problems and was hoping that it would be fixed for this season but alas.. it aint!
I have got a set of the ProEar2000 goggles with earcups as a last resort but using these means looking like a kook, being less hydrodynamic and worst of all cutting a hole in my brand new suit which I don't really want to do! So that brings me back to the earplug scenario.. I just read some forums and wondered if anyone out there had any insights into this?
"It is perfectly possible to dive with an earplug when you have a perforated eardrum. The perforation will ensure that air can move freely in and out of what is now an extension of your middle ear and normal equalization will prevent the plug from becoming uncomfortably squeezed into your ear. These are NON vented earplugs by the way, vented earplugs would simply let the water in.. (Warning: DO NOT use unvented earplugs when you have no perforation, you'll probably end up with one if you do so!!!!) (I hate double negatives... )
However, there are some associated risks. If all you have is a perforated eardrum, but for the rest a perfectly working middle ear and balance organ, a sudden flush of cold water into your ear can really cause vertigo and disorientation. If, like in my case, everything is gone, there is no such risk.
I did see a BSAC medical referee about this initially and we agreed I could continue diving with a plug.
Diving with a perforated eardum and NO plug is not an option. You really want to keep the water out. I can attest to the fact that salt water in your eustachian tube very much feels like a pretty bad toothache, your mask fills up with water coming out of your nose, and the risk of middle ear infections is quite large. And this is not a good thing, especially not if you still have hearing in that ear because the infections can severely damage your hearing (and then some...). I have had some water leakage over the years but in my case the hearing is gone anyway so i am not too worried."
My hearing is still fine.. last time I used plugs I used large pieces of blue tack so the pressure wouldn't force the plugs in.. i did have the occasional "micro" leak (not a full flush). Bottom line is it ok to use an earplug in my perforated ear?
Any advice would really help.. Cheers
Its not been long now since I ditched the crutches after a hip re-shaping op at the New Year so I'm back in the gym and pool trying to get fit on a daily basis.
Looks like surfing is gonna be off the cards for a while which sucks but does allow me to focus on my freediving and spearfishing this summer which I am really looking forward to.. unfortunately tho it seems I STILL have a problem with my left ear . Even just equalizing in a pool 2.5m deep and I got bubbles coming out.. and I kept my ears dry for 3 months now! (bottom line is this problem has been there for 2 years now so no surprises tho).
Been googling it a bit and it appears to be called a "micro-perforation", in the pool it doesn't really give me any grief as there is not enough pressure to force the water in.. or so it seems! Last year when I went spearfishing I wore an earplug in that ear alone and didnt seem to have any problems and was hoping that it would be fixed for this season but alas.. it aint!
I have got a set of the ProEar2000 goggles with earcups as a last resort but using these means looking like a kook, being less hydrodynamic and worst of all cutting a hole in my brand new suit which I don't really want to do! So that brings me back to the earplug scenario.. I just read some forums and wondered if anyone out there had any insights into this?
"It is perfectly possible to dive with an earplug when you have a perforated eardrum. The perforation will ensure that air can move freely in and out of what is now an extension of your middle ear and normal equalization will prevent the plug from becoming uncomfortably squeezed into your ear. These are NON vented earplugs by the way, vented earplugs would simply let the water in.. (Warning: DO NOT use unvented earplugs when you have no perforation, you'll probably end up with one if you do so!!!!) (I hate double negatives... )
However, there are some associated risks. If all you have is a perforated eardrum, but for the rest a perfectly working middle ear and balance organ, a sudden flush of cold water into your ear can really cause vertigo and disorientation. If, like in my case, everything is gone, there is no such risk.
I did see a BSAC medical referee about this initially and we agreed I could continue diving with a plug.
Diving with a perforated eardum and NO plug is not an option. You really want to keep the water out. I can attest to the fact that salt water in your eustachian tube very much feels like a pretty bad toothache, your mask fills up with water coming out of your nose, and the risk of middle ear infections is quite large. And this is not a good thing, especially not if you still have hearing in that ear because the infections can severely damage your hearing (and then some...). I have had some water leakage over the years but in my case the hearing is gone anyway so i am not too worried."
My hearing is still fine.. last time I used plugs I used large pieces of blue tack so the pressure wouldn't force the plugs in.. i did have the occasional "micro" leak (not a full flush). Bottom line is it ok to use an earplug in my perforated ear?
Any advice would really help.. Cheers
