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Ear Plugs
Has anyone tried diving with Doc's proplugs(Vented)? I just went to the ENT and was told I have the very early stages of surfer's ear. I've never liked them surfing but I guess I'll give them another shot. The doc said proplugs won't work well with diving even though on their website they say you can dive with them.
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Try 1/3 Alcohol, 1/3 White vinegar, 1/3 Water and put a couple drops in your ears after each dive. Then buy an Ear Dryer! At the end of the day dry them! If you do this each time you wont have ear problems! One more thing never put anything smaller than your Elbow in your ear!:eek:
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I have heard one or two folks say the Pro-Plugs worked for them, but the majority of those I know who have tried them did not like them. I agree with the old boar, just mix up some ear beer and use it religously. The trick with using the ear beer is to keep your head tilted to the side for a few minutes to give the stuff time to kill the bacteria, typically 3-5 minutes for me. I use a 50-50 mixture of alcohol and vinegar; the vinegar kills the bacteria and the alcohol acts as a drying agent. If you are prone to infections, try using it both before and after your dives. Been hearing of a lot of folks coming down with ear infections as of late, so I hope this helps.
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I never get infections, the bone in the ear canal is growing which is stimulated from the cold water so I don't see how ear beer or drying is really going to help. But I guess it couldn't hurt.
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Try a Hood! Do Eskimos have big bones in their years? Not sure I have heard that one!????
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I can't find any info on bone growth due to cold water? If you have a link I would be interested, But never heard of such a thing? I do know an infection can cause that type of problem! Answered that!
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What about ears being susceptible to DSC from being intoxicated from the alcohol?
;)
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You can have DCS of the inner ear! It is possible to have bubbles form in any part of the body, but ear plugs wouldn't help that! If you have pain in the ears right after surfacing that is one of the possibilities to consider!
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Here are a few links, just type in Surfer's ear into a search you can get many more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfer's_Ear
(this might not be reliable enough for some so here's another few)
http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/surfaz.cfm?id=919
http://www.santacruzmedical.org/surfersear.html
The last one has a video of a surgery to fix the problem. This has NOTHING at all to do with infections. Couldn't tell you the last time I had one. It's a feature that our ear automatically does to try to protect the inner ear when we come in contact with cold water. I asked the doc. and I was told a hood would only help with wind.
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It says: "Older Surfers" exposed to cold water and wind for prolonged periods. The outer channel closes down collecting wax build up and increasing infection risk! Again get a hood and a new doctor! One who dives would be best, if you need one let me know! A good hood will trap water and warm it and it surly cuts down on wind! ;)