And the hits keep coming...

[scottsax]

At the club dive, I was unable to go deeper than about 15fsw without a tremendous amount of sinus pressure/pain. I had a cold the week before, but was feeling pretty good the week before. I was excited to try out my suit after a long summer of not diving, so I spent an hour in 10 feet checking out the eelgrass beds on the north side of Redondo. All was well during that dive-no pain, and I had a great dive. I got to see a skate, a bunch of nudis, a fatty gunnel out in the open, a snake prickleback, and a bunch of other little critters.

So yesterday, my left ear still felt muffled, and I called the Consulting Nurse line. She got me in to see a doc in the afternoon. There were no signs of infection, and no blockages in the ear canal, so the diagnosis was Eustachian tube dysfunction. Basically, I need to rest my ears until they feel normal again-so, still no diving for me...



Damn...

[Joshua Smith]

Dude. That sucks. Rest up and heal. The water will still be there when you're ready.

[spatman]

sorry to hear that, scott. does the doc have any idea how long that might be?

[archaeofish]

I'm sorry to hear that and hoping that you recover quickly. That's the first time I've heard that diagnosis - did the doctor say, or does anyone else know if that is a common problem among divers?

Ross

[John Rawlings]

"Eustachian tube dysfunction"??? That sounds like something they call something when they don't really know what to call it.

That sucks, Scott. I hope that it improves soon!

[fmerkel]

"Eustachian tube dysfunction".....It doesn't open to clear. Call it what you want.
John's right, it's just a term (medicine is full of interesting terminology) and for something like this the conservative treatment is rest.

Aggressive medical treatment would be a course of oral steroids. Likely only worth it if the diving was critical (tropical trip next week).

An intermediate course of self treatment would be 3 days of Afrin + pseudofed, and get some papaya enzyme to suck on a half dozen times during the day-it works as a local anti-inflammatory.
Saline nasal rinses would not be a bad idea either. http://www.neilmed.com/usa/index.php
Strong possibility there is a nasopharyngeal component. Doesn't hurt, may help.

Throw in some loratidine or cetirizine (non-RX antihistamine) if you have an allergic component. Watch for side effects-uncommon but possible.

Then, after a few days try to test clear on dry land. If you can't clear above water, you won't be able to clear in the water.

Equalizing problems is about the most common reason divers 'in general' drop out of the sport, so say the folks at DAN. Around here it's just the sheer hassle of diving (expense, weight, cold, etc.) that generally does it. But I know a bunch of folks that have dropped out due to equalization problems.

[msmith80]

I had this happen to me during my OW certification. Went into the Dr the next morning because I could not hear out of my right ear. They used a water pic and cleared me out then gave me a sample of claritin nasal spray and a medicated ear drop. Needless to say I had no more pain or any issues with clearing/ headaches/ pressure.

Something to try

[scottsax]

Yeah, it's sort of a catch-all diagnosis. I'm headed to Eastern Washington this weekend, gonna play in the woods with guns for a couple days. I'll bring my Neti pot with me.

The doc suggested Afrin, also. I hate the stuff, but I think that's a holdover from my drug days. I may get a bottle and try it. I can't do pseudoephedrine-it makes me jittery. I can clear my left ear now, but it's slower than the right one. I guess rest is the answer...

They flushed my ear out yesterday, and it was clean as a whistle! I've got Flonase for a corticosteroid, and no ear drops were warranted in my case, according to the doc. I guess I'll just wait...

[John Rawlings]

Be careful with the Flonase. Even if used completely as directed it can cause sudden and unexplained nosebleeds....which can be disconcerting, to say the least!

If you start to get nosebleeds, just stop using it and they will also stop.

[scottsax]

Be careful with the Flonase. Even if used completely as directed it can cause sudden and unexplained nosebleeds....which can be disconcerting, to say the least!

If you start to get nosebleeds, just stop using it and they will also stop.

I've used it for the past year + but haven't had the trouble with nosebleeds that some folks have had. Guess I'm just lucky...

[Pez7378]

Basically, I need to rest my ears until they feel normal again-so, still no diving for me...



Damn...

. I'm headed to Eastern Washington this weekend, gonna play in the woods with guns for a couple days. ...

Wear EAR plugs

[scottsax]

Wear EAR plugs

What?

I'm bird hunting, so I'll take plugs, promise!

[lizard0924]

eustachian tube dysfunction? can't you, uh, take a blue pill for that or something?

seriously, hope you're feeling better and back in the water, soon!

[cardiver]

eustachian tube dysfunction? can't you, uh, take a blue pill for that or something?

seriously, hope you're feeling better and back in the water, soon!

Yes, but then you would look like Dumbo for 3-4 hours......

[Blaiz]

eustachian tube dysfunction? can't you, uh, take a blue pill for that or something?

seriously, hope you're feeling better and back in the water, soon!

Yes, but then you would look like Dumbo for 3-4 hours......

Errr, I think you're supposed to call your doctor if you look like Dumbo for 4 hours....

[fmerkel]

Be careful with the Flonase. Even if used completely as directed it can cause sudden and unexplained nosebleeds....which can be disconcerting, to say the least!

If you start to get nosebleeds, just stop using it and they will also stop.

Topical steroids can thin the mucosa making them more fragile and prone to bleeding. How much of a problem this is depends on your technique (read the link below), dose, and inherent tendency to nose bleeds.

Nasal Steroids: Contralateral Hand-Nostril Technique Curbs Epistaxis (allergic nasal epistaxis)

Using an alternate hand technique--the right hand to spray in the left
nostril and the left hand to spray in the right nostril--aims the
medicine to the outer part of the nose, avoiding the septum and
dramatically reducing epistaxis, according to the results of a 2-week
test in 13 of the study subjects.

The dose should be considered a suggestion. Consider lowering it if you have chronic nose bleed problems after you modify technique. Use the lowest dose that works for you. Folks that get stuck on chronic steroid use of any variety should work with their physician to minimize dose/exposure consistent with getting acceptable results and minimum side effects.

Fritz

[scottsax]

My left ear cleared last night.

I was getting ready for bed and yawned, and suddenly I could hear out of my left ear. It was the first time in 2 weeks! I'm going to let it rest, and practice clearing my ears for the next week or 2 before I start trying to subject it to pressure...

[ktb]

YAY! Sounds like you'll be good to go for the next Club Dive.

[Joshua Smith]

My left ear cleared last night.

I was getting ready for bed and yawned, and suddenly I could hear out of my left ear. It was the first time in 2 weeks! I'm going to let it rest, and practice clearing my ears for the next week or 2 before I start trying to subject it to pressure...

That's a good feeling, isn't it? Congrats. I practice clearing my ears all the time, here at 1 ATA. It really does seem to help with my diving. I can't clkear as easilly as a lot of my friends do- I always have to stop or pause for a moment on the way down- doesn't matter if it's a 60' or a 260' dive. At ~20 and ~60, I have to take a pause for the cause.