Great diving in Florida Keys but now my left ear hurts?

[simon.007]

I went to the FL. Keys and dove 5 times then went on a cruise to St. Martins and ST. Thomas. On the cruise my left ear started to get plugged up and started to ache so i wen tot the ship Doctor for a checkup. Doctor said I had infection so I am now on antibiotics. Currently I have been on the antibiotics for 7 days and its better but most likely I will not dive for the next month Any recommendations the cause of this ear ache and infections? I was told I descended too fast?



Thanks in advance

Simon

 

[mrferrit]

could possibly be from decending or acending to quick i know around here st pete sarasota area we have been having some red tide but not sure if theres any down there possibly some bacteria in the water it is pretty warm so . do you ever use any ear stuff like vinager and alcohol?

 

[fppf]

Was it an internal otitis or External otitis?

My wife gets External otitis all the time. Its also called swimmers ear. Depending on what the problem really is you may not have done anything wrong.

I had a really bad internal otitis and was diving again 10 days later after I finished the drugs and was cleared by the Doc.

Check out the DAN web site there is a lot of stuff about the different kinds of ear infections and what causes them. But as always follow what your doctor has told you to a "T". You only get one set of ears in life, no amount of money lost or dive is worth damage to the ears.

 

[simon.007]

Not sure if it was the internal or external? I think may be it was during the ascent vs. the decent?

Simon

 

[fppf]

Did your ear start hurting during the dive or hours after the dive?

 

[simon.007]

During the ascent very painful for 20 seconds then went away. Hours later it started to hurt again and deafness in the ear, that is when I was concerned


Simon

 

[fppf]

Did you share that info with the Doc?
You may have had a reverse block and ruptured the ear drum.
If that is the case that will take a couple of weeks to fully heal and you should not swim or dive until cleared by a Doc.

Did you have any congestion before the dive or trouble equalizing on the way down? Did you take a decongestant any time before the dive?

As always I'm not a doctor, just helping you to the best of my abilities. Always follow proper medical advice.

 

[drgabe]

Ten bucks on an external otitis.

You can dive when you like, no real restrictions.
You can prevent the next case of EO by using "Swimmers Ear" available at your local pharmacy after every dive. I use a cheaper version of rubbing alcholol and vinegar (gotta love the smell!). 3:1 ratio works well.

100% Alcholol will only dry out the ear causing a nice refuge for fungi.

Only Otitis media will prevent you from returning to diving. As long as the externa infection has cleared you can return to the water.

Hope that helps.

 

[dannygsrb16]

YOU NEED TO EQUALISE EVERY TIME YOU DECEND REMEBER
EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE EQUALISE

 

[simon.007]

Can I dive after a perforated ear?

Can I dive after a perforated ear?

Yep its been 4+ weeks of antibiotics and after I saw an ENT doctor he said I may have perforated my ear. After removing the puss last week I am about 95% back to normal. My inner ear still hurts once awhile but I have ear drops too. Can I dive after a perforated ear?

Simon

 

[simon.007]

Pics of the keys

Pics of the keys

 

[fppf]

Sorry to hear about that.
No you should never dive with any kind of ear or sinus problems. A perf ear drum will let cool water into the inner ear and can give you really bad vertigo let alone more infections. Wait until the ENT clears you to dive.

Oh and I think you should collect your $10 from drgabe.

Anytime you question if your fit to dive you should see your doc or at least call DAN which can put you on the phone with a doc.

 

[drgabe]

Well... my $10 may still be safe.
"Puss" could mean external otitis, it could also be drainage from a perf. From my experience, an ENT who says "may" be perfed isn't too sure what is going on with the drum, especialy since they have good equipment to visualize the drum with.

Of course if Simon clarifies some points, I could easily be out $10.

You can indeed dive *after* a perferated ear drum, once it fully heals. You do have to be watchfull though since the drum wont have its normal elasticity and clearing could be a problem. However, I know many people with healed perf's that dive with great success.

Simon, ask your ENT if he/she is a diver or takes care of divers. Many actually have very limited training in dive medicine. So take thier advice with a grain of salt.

 

[simon.007]

Thanks all. I will call DAN and get a recommendation for ENT in OC, CA.

Simon

 

[simon.007]

Dan did not have OC, CA ENT doctor but in LA, Cedar Sinai Hospital


Simon

 

[Cshradr7]

During my certification dives several years ago i had a problem with my ears just from going up and down too much, but i definatly did not last this long. My mom last year had a problem equalizing or something and she couldn't unclear her ear for over 6 months and she saw an ear, nose, thoat doctor and the whole nine yards and none of them could help her. since she has been able to dive problem free although.
Good luck and hopefully it doesnt last as long as hers did

 

[simon.007]

Its been 5 weeks and my ears cleared up and after removing the puss from the ear I can hear again I have completed my antibiotics! I will go for my final check and try pools first. Thanks All


Simon

 

[Cshradr7]

Wow i cant believe that somebody else is looking at scuba diving forums at 12:30 in the morning. Happy to see that your problem cleared. Good luck going back to diving and remember to stop if you ever have ear pressure or pain. Also, I've had problems with my sinus' due to problems with allergies and never attempt to dive with sinus pressure. It'll end up having a bad result and most likely you aborting the dive.