Medical Forum
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Question
Posted : July 22, 2011

I unfortunately had to force equalise coming headfirst down a swin-thru 2 wks ago. Been out of water for 14 days, on antibotics for 7 days, then 7 days oral steroids. Swellings & pain has gone but I am deaf in my right ear with constant clicking when swallowing, chewing and talking. - I am always equalising on surface as it feels blocked the whole time, Docs say it looks fine. I am fed up of hearing my own pulse, breath and saying pardon to everyone. Tried a dive today, everything was fine but when I got out I was still deaf :-(

Any ideas?


Answer
Posted : July 22, 2011
Thanks for the query.

Multiple ascents and descents are clearly more difficult for the eardrums to cope with, and it sounds as though your recent headfirst swimthrough caused a significant degree of barotrauma. In severe cases this can take up to 2 months to recover from fully, and the deafness and clicking noises indicate there is still fluid in the middle ear. This may not be visible to a doctor looking along the external canal.

My advice is to be patient and not to dive or subject yourself to any pressure changes (that means flying, coughing, sneezing, straining etc.) for a good few more weeks. The body does a very good job of fixing these problems if they are not aggravated!

Regards, Dr O
Answer provided by Dr Oliver Firth
Dr Ollie Firth
Additional Comment

Posted : August 31, 2011 by - SUPERSTARDJ01
Hi,

Will the IST pro ears help, they keep your ears dry and make it easier to equalize.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed by Dr Firth & Dr Jules are their own and the publishers accept no liability for the advice and views expressed by Dr Firth , Dr Jules, or other users, which are provided as a general service to divers. Users are warned that secondary posts are the views of other users and may not be medically correct.
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