Am I doing something wrong?

[Prodigal Son]

I've noticed that after I come back from a morning of spearfishing (freediving), my left middle ear has accumulated fluid. It feels full, though it's not painful, and I can hear it bubble when I blow my nose. I use a combination of pinching my nose/blowing and a bastardized version of the Frenzel maneuver to get down to 20-30 ft. It appears to spontaneously resolve after about 1 week, just in time to go diving again. Does this happen to anyone else? Am I doing something wrong?

[fishkilla]

i will sometimes us peroxide first and let it bubble in there for a while then use alchohol to evaporate the peroxide and water out. i've found that the peroxide will loosen up wax build up so you can clean it out easily with a q-tip. but just using alchohol will do it too. bucket one is right on.

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks for the help guys, but I already do similar alcohol/peroxide treatments for drying out my external ear (canal). This is a middle ear problem (behind the eardrum), and that's why it's bothering me. The alcohol and peroxide I put in my ear can't get to the middle ear cavity (not unless I perforate my eardrum).

[Marcus]

Dude, you've got a hole in your ear drum. Go to the doc and get it checked. I speak from experience. You could have a weak ear drum which is rupturing when you dive. Vented ear plug may be an option for you. It might keep the water out of the ear.

Good luck.

[Prodigal Son]

Originally posted by Marcus
Dude, you've got a hole in your ear drum. Go to the doc and get it checked. I speak from experience. You could have a weak ear drum which is rupturing when you dive. Vented ear plug may be an option for you. It might keep the water out of the ear.

Good luck.

Crud, I never even considered that possibility! Thanks.

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks for the input guys. I grabbed one of the ENT guys where I work and asked him to examine my ears. Fortunately, there's no perforation. I guess I must have fluid reflux into my middle ear that is getting trapped when I clear my ears.

[Nikki]

Got that problem once, had water in my middle ear that I couldn't "shake" out and some mild hearing loss. Turned out had some congestion and cleared too forcefully, which irritated the eardrum/middle ear and fluid developed. Took about week or so to resolve (with decongestants) also. Now, I use decongestants when diving alot to ensure it doesn't happen again and it hasn't happened since. Might consider preventative decongestant use and see if that helps. Also, different methods of clearing might help.

[deepdown]

I used to have that also. When after diving I'd tilt my head a little, or just turned it fast to look around I could hear it slosh around inside. Was quite a weird feeling. Doesn't happen anymore though. Never figured out what it was...

Hope it goes away...

G

[Prodigal Son]

Originally posted by Tropicaldiver
Might consider preventative decongestant use and see if that helps. Also, different methods of clearing might help.
Some of my dive buddies and ENT docs have suggested the same thing, but I'm concerned about rebound effects with chronic use. Have you had any problems with tolerance (requiring gradually higher dosages) or rebound congestion?

[junior]

I use a product called swim-ear every time I dive as a preventative measure for water trapped in the ear which could lead to an ear infection. Most drug stores carry it and it's cheap and probably not as rough on the ear as other concoctions. I get the same feeling sometimes and this stuff clears it up pretty effectively.

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks Junior. I'm using something similar to Swim-Ear.

[OceanEd]

The most likely scenario is that for some reason you are not equalizing the pressure in your middle ear for one reason or another and it is irritating the middle ear as Tropical diver said. This can lead to fluid developing.

There is a second scenario. This may sound stupid, but are you sure it is fluid? Some divers can retain some overpressure in the middle ear after a dive and it sounds like there is water in the ear but there is not.

[cbulla]

I had that problem in some of my early dives. I take a 12 hr sinus git now and dont have any problems to speak of except dry mouth... which accounts for my drinking nearly a gallon of water or more on any day I dive.

[Prodigal Son]

Originally posted by OceanEd
There is a second scenario. This may sound stupid, but are you sure it is fluid? Some divers can retain some overpressure in the middle ear after a dive and it sounds like there is water in the ear but there is not.
Thanks for the input, but it's definitely fluid. I can hear it gurgle when I strain or blow my nose. It spontaneously resolves within 4-5 days of diving. I do have a problem equalizing my left ear, but I usually can get it to clear after several warm-up dives. I think I'm going to cave and use some decongestant; I just hate taking medications. Someone suggested using these vented earplugs, but I want to avoid using a crutch when freediving.

[Nikki]

Prodigal Son - I've never had a problem with decongestant pills on the tolerance/rebound issue. Just make sure you get a 12 hour pill, so it doesn't wear off and cause a reverse block. Some decongestants also are an issue when diving with Nitrox, but with freediving it shouldn't be an issue.

With Afirin use (OTC nasal inhaler) you CAN and WILL develop rebound congestion if you use it repeatedly over a series of days or regularly.

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks for the info!

[Aimrite]

In addition to making spearguns for fun my real job is a Navy Master Diver. Being a Master Diver in the Navy my job is Diving Medicine, Recompression Therapy and recognizing diving disorders that are similar in nature to your own.

All the suggestions that you have gotten are great but you may have had some barotrauma to your inner ear. Now what I suggest is for you to see a ENT specialist. I see your problem rarely in the Navy but it is always associated with a difficulty in clearing. The results if ignored can be permanent meaning loss of hearing in the affected ear, loss of balance or vertigo.

Surprisingly very few divers know about inner ear barotrauma. A quick lesson: your outer ear leads to your eardrum, your middle ear is on the opposite side of the drum and finally your inner ear is connected to the drum by a series of small bones. If you are overzealous in clearing you may overpressurize the middle ear cavity and rupture the (round or oval) window of the inner ear. This is called a Perilymph Fiscula. The fluid in your inner ear, therefore, may leak into the middle ear cavity. Why is this so catastrophic? Your body will not replace the lost perilymph fluid. Vertigo and Hearing disorders will follow.

Ways to prevent this from happening include not diving during periods of congestion and not clearing your ears forcefully.

I hope this information helps.

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks for the advice Rick, though I've never heard of anyone with a perilymphatic fistula who hasn't had some symptoms of hearing loss, tinnitus, and/or vertigo. Admittedly, I'm so determined to dive deeper that I often try to force "the nose pinch and blow" a little harder than I should. For some reason, this method of equalization seems to stop working for me once I hit 25 ft., and I struggle to blow harder. Usually, I end up just snorting air into the mask, then swallowing/gulping to equalize and relieve the pain. This method worked well for me when I used to scuba dive, but it quickly exhausts my air when freediving.