Water in the ear...

Okay, this might sound a little dumb and really show my inexperience, but I am having a devil of a time getting the water our of my ears. I dove on Saturday (7/7/07) and I still have water in my ears. The only thing I have tried, so far, is using "Swimmers Ear". It seems to work for a little bit of water in the ears, but not for a lot of water.

Are there any other methods that might work to get the water out of the ears? I really find it annoying and I dont want to get an ear infection.

Any suggestions would be wonderful!

Thanks,
Frankie

I usually don't have any problem myself. I don't know if this will help or not either. Anyway, I usually make sure I fill my ears up with nice fresh shower water after the dive then tip my head to drain. I do this a few times per ear. I figure it will get the "bad" water out and flush it away with the highly clorinated water my town provides.

Lets hope that I never have a problem either.

hope that helped.

You might try some ear beer, a 50-50 mixture of plain isoprpyl alcohol and white vinegar. The acidic vinegar kills any nasties haging out in the ear canal while the alcohol acts as a drying agent. A lot cheaper than the commercial Swimmer's Ear, and a lot of folks claim it works better. I have used both and like the results I get from the ear beer a lot better, but as with most things of this nature YMMV. In really nasty water I use it both before and after a dive and have yet to have any problems with my ears.

Nice name for the stuff. LOL

Anyway, how long does the stuff you mix up seem to last? Figuring it will be sitting in a dive bag on a hot boat deck at times. I bet it smells great... :p

I'm afraid I can't help with trying to get water out of your ear. I have also heard about 'ear beer' but putting alcohol in my ear doesn't sound like a good thing (no pun intended :D)

I feel your pain and hope it gets better soon.

I've been to a ENS(ears, nose, throat) specialist when I was a full time swimmer and he even said the 50/50 mix is fine to use.

I use the same stuff as Bama and have for some time now with no ill effects. With all the rain down here the bacteria level in the local waters has been higher than normal, so I have been using it before & after. I haven't noticed any of the mix going bad, but then I'll use it up before it has a chance.

I usually mix a pint at a time, and I have never noticed any problems from age. Growing up in central FL where swimming in the local phosphate pit was a normal everyday thing, we used alcohol on a regular basis to dry our ears out; just add a drop or two and turn your head to drain and as the alcohol evaporates it takes some of the water with it. I have heard of a few ENT's recomending the homebrew over commercial concoctions.

I asked my mum about the 'ear beer', despite what you all say about it, I'm not convinced. She's been nursing for 30 odd years, including a number of years as an ENT Sister/Senior Staff Nurse. I must add that the following is her opinion only and I thought it would give y'all a different viewpoint on whats been said thus far about the ear beer.

"I do not agree with putting anything in your ear unless it's been prescribed by a doctor. You could, in the long term be damaging the inner ear, especially with the vinegar, keep that for your fish and chips as the constituent of vinegar is ascetic acid and this could, in time damage the ossicles (the three small bones in the inner ear). It's the same with Earax to get rid of wax, thats made up of a petrol derivitave and the amount of problems people get in later life with their ears, it's best not to go there.

Hope that clarifies, but this is my own opinion and the result of my ENT training - remember you should put nothing in your ear smaller than your elbow!!!!"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lottie

I asked my mum about the 'ear beer', despite what you all say about it, I'm not convinced. She's been nursing for 30 odd years, including a number of years as an ENT Sister/Senior Staff Nurse. I must add that the following is her opinion only and I thought it would give y'all a different viewpoint on whats been said thus far about the ear beer.

"I do not agree with putting anything in your ear unless it's been prescribed by a doctor. You could, in the long term be damaging the inner ear, especially with the vinegar, keep that for your fish and chips as the constituent of vinegar is ascetic acid and this could, in time damage the ossicles (the three small bones in the inner ear). It's the same with Earax to get rid of wax, thats made up of a petrol derivitave and the amount of problems people get in later life with their ears, it's best not to go there.

Hope that clarifies, but this is my own opinion and the result of my ENT training - remember you should put nothing in your ear smaller than your elbow!!!!"

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If you were using full strength vinegar, it is doubtful that the molarity would be high enough to cause any real damage, unless of course you were just letting it stay in there for a few days or weeks. The ear beer is along the same lines as the commercial products (swimmer's ear, etc.) just cheaper since it does not include the coloring and fragrances, etc. I have talked to several doctors, a number of whom are practicing ENT's, and most seem to prefer the homebrewed concoctions over the commercially available blends simply because the homebrew works. The ear beer is more of a wash, you put it in and then turn your head to drain (no letting it sit for five or more minutes like you have to do with some medications.) The vinegar produces an acidic environment that retards the growth of any bacteria or other nasties that may be staging for an attack, and the evaporation action of the alcohol dries everything out quickly. For folks with problem ears it is probably best that they check with their doctor first.

http://www.proear2000.com/index.htm

no more worries check out the thread "Masks that seal off "

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lottie

remember you should put nothing in your ear smaller than your elbow!!!!"

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I heard of that and since i couldnt fit my elbow in i thought id stretch it out a bit with my fingers so it would fit:eek: Never seem to have any ear problems probably because of all the dirt and junk on my fingers kills anything that gets remotely close but it works.

Matt

Like Bama said, it's a quick rinse, not a marinade. I have been using swim ear, or something similar since at least high school. My hearing has changed some, but that had to do with work conditions (machinery) and time.

Mostly, I've noticed that my hearing has become more selective.

Aparenty I have the same thing you have. I hate going to the doctor, so I don't know for sure but my wife always says I have selective hearing. :rolleyes:

To which I always respond "What?" She still likes me for some reason...

Hello Eveybody, I'm the fooddude, and this is my first post. I'll be posting a formal introduction later, but as far as water in the ear... my ENT for 30 years has me use Afrin or another nasal inhaler PRIOR to the dive. It helps keep sinuses clear and allow for proper drainage. My ENT has me use a small amount of mineral oil / peroxide mixture to keep the ear wax at bay and prevent infection. My mixture is 50/50, and I store it in a small bottle with a medicine dropper. I don't bring this on the boat or to the dive, but use it as part of my regular hygeine after a shower once a week or so.

The "Afrin Extra Moisturizing" works great, as a matter of fact, I went diving this past Saturday nite (07/14/07) and forgot to spray, and was full of swishing water all day yesterday. I used it last nuight and within a n hour, the water was drained.

Hope this helps, glad to be a part of the group.

Back to the OP....

The thing with that "full" feeling in the ears that seems like you've got water in them... It may not be not water at all. Among scuba divers, the kind of sudden post-dive problem that Frankie describes is more often a slight trauma to the ear, which is why it doesn't just go away with an ear-wash solution.

Products like "ear beer", Swim-Ear, Auro-Dri, and Aqua-Ear are only meant to keep away infections of the outer ear--acute otitis externa--whereas the feeling of fullness caused by barotrauma is in the middle ear. I'm sure Lottie's mum can confirm this. Otitis externa first causes itching before the infection gets bad enough to cause swelling/blockage and is associated with other symptoms such as pain when you pull the earlobe. OTC products simply help prevent the growth of the "nasties" in the outer ear. They can do nothing for barotrauma.

This slight trauma to the ear that happens to divers is called barotitis media, and is very often sub-clinical, meaning it doesn't need specific treatment other than rest. It usually happens right after a dive, but can take up to a day to appear. It comes from not equalizing soon/often enough, sometimes from ascending too fast, and is something like a little bruise. The area gets a bit swollen, fluid builds up in the middle ear and causes a feeling of fullness. It only gets better when the fluid is reabsorbed and the swelling is gone. There is no pain associated with it.

Although this is a problem typical of new divers or those who dive infrequently, I get this myself if I have to do a series of bounce dives, such as working on CESAs with Open Water students (you know, the skill where you have to surface from 6-9 meters while exhaling--controlled emergency swimming ascent--students generally ascend much faster than my ears can keep up, causing a slight reverse squeeze).

If it doesn't go away in a couple of days without diving, it's best to go see an ENT because maybe the trauma isn't so slight after all.

In terms of prevention, I always tell my students not to wait until they feel the need to equalize on the initial descent, but to equalize on every breath so that the pressure doesn't get ahead of them.

Quero, that was a very concise and informative post. Thanks for the information :)

Thanks everyone for the advice. Sorry I havent said thank you earlier, but this is the first time back on the boards in almost two weeks. Work is taking its toll on my diving desires.

I will definately try the ear beer. Hopfully that will help. I'll let you know. Also, I was greatful for the advice about equalizing early & often. After hearing that description, that actually may be the problem. I do have water in the ears soon after a dive, but when I think its gone, I feel the fullness in my ears a couple of days later. I have noticed that on my descent, I have to go slower to equalize. A couple of times, I have had to come back up because of the pain. I was told, during my cert dives, to use sudafed to help open the sinuses. I havent used it yet, but might start. I'm just not a big fan of drugs of any kind.

Thanks again to everyone. This is one of the reasons I joined this board; Learning from others.

Have a wet weekend!

Frankie

Check out with your diving doc the risk of sudafed with diving. It can increase your chances of bending.

Matt

Frankie,

I thought you were the one that said you liked drugs, especially when you are diving. You know so you can be narced before you even get to depth.

Just kidding, how are you doing Frankie? We are probablly going to Willow on Sat. morning and again on Sunday some time. Let me know if you want to meet up there.

Ace

Ace,
I would love to go to Willow, but unfortunately I have to work Friday night and Saturday night. I wouldn't be worth diving until Sunday afternoon. I guess I was stupid when I agreed on those two overtime shifts, which killed my weekend.

My next full days off are Monday through Wednesday. I believe I will be diving at Dutch on Monday, as long as the dive buddy situation holds up.

But, I know I definately have to get back up to Willow. Would love to tag along for a dive or five. lol

Talk to you soon,
Frankie

Thanks Zero, I definately will. No plans to use it now..maybe in the future.

Frankie