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another ear question!

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Diving
Forum Name: Spearo's Corner
Forum Description: Free-divers & spearos chat about their sport
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=80762
Printed Date: 19 Jun 2026 at 10:20pm


Topic: another ear question!
Posted By: jaydogfish
Subject: another ear question!
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 8:28pm
perferated my ear last xmas and again around 3 months ago and today i did the same thing in about 3m of water. each time i do it it hurts less but it happens easier. when it happens it sounds like air is shooting out my ear and then any time i stick my head under i can hear water going in and its painfull and i feel a little dizzy. can anyone help my out on some advice on what to do.  i will eventually see a ent but have other bills to pay first. 
thanks jay


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THE DOGG



Replies:
Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 8:33pm
Originally posted by jaydogfish jaydogfish wrote:

.  i will eventually see a ent but have other bills to pay first. 
Dude! FFS. It is covered by ACC.

If your description of what is going on is half as bad as what is actually happening you are seriously taking chances with your hearing and your life.

**** not being able to hear your daughter ask you a question............

I am almost completely deaf in one ear due to a single dive related perforation. It sucks much more in middle life than it does in your late 20s/early 30s. My perforation was in the 80s, and it just gets worse and worse

Sort it out Jay  (or else I will tell your mother Wink).


Posted By: jaydogfish
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 8:39pm
ok sorry i assumed it wasnt. i know it seems like im taking chances-which i probably am but its a bit of a tricky one. my ears feel fine in and out of water until it happens. i thought the second time was just me not letting the ear heal in time and well today will be the last

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THE DOGG


Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 8:40pm
Mate, I will pay for it myself if you need me to. Go see a proper dive doctor. Please


Posted By: jaydogfish
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 8:48pm
ok will sort it out on mon. - as long as you dont tell mum or my wife!

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THE DOGG


Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 8:54pm
I promise (perhaps).

Mullins, who should Jay go and see? Jay is a super enthusiastic fisherman. He gets heaps of fish on line and also on spear. He is good at it. He is also a joy to take on any trip because he loves catching fish so much. He is young, tall, strong, active and lives near central Wellington.


Posted By: Rusky
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 9:59pm
I think your problem is your either not equalising early enough, often enough, or too hard on your descent.




Posted By: Firey
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2012 at 11:36pm
Dude I did mine again about 8 weeks ago. ACC covered first time but this time they are reviewing whether or not they will cover. I didnt pay for the ENT visit doctor visit or hearing test and should they decide not to cover they wont be getting any money out of me. Dont quite know what they are trying to pull.
 
Having had a few issues with my ears and probably even having perforated the same drum minorly a 3rd time (didnt go to doc) there is one thing I have learnt and that is LISTEN TO YOUR EARS when diving. If you know what I mean.
Will find out next week if there is any permanent hearing loss when I go for next hearing test. I think there may be a bit and I still have a continuous high pitch noise in the ear though it has decreased a lot.
 
Definately go to ENT guy. I have found one that seems to be competent (in auck) but have had a real hopelesss one also so ask your GP and others for recommendations.
 
I agree with Rusky about the equalising thing and reckon it is probably a combination of all 3 things that happen over a days diving.2 times I did mine were in shallow water at the end of a days diving when the ears have had a hammering and i tryed forcing just a little bit to much to equalise.
The other time i just blew my nose and caused a small rupture. not properly healed.
 
Good luck!!
 
 


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No sooner does man discover intelligence than he tries to involve it in his own stupidity.





Posted By: jaydogfish
Date Posted: 22 Jul 2012 at 6:27pm
ok thanks for your help!

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THE DOGG


Posted By: SharkBite
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2012 at 9:51am
Yeah problems now will affect your hearing later on, so get it sorted.
On a lighter note:
My wife has been really concerned about my 5 year old son's hearing lately. This has come about because she frequently speaks to him eg...put that speargun down..leave that fish alone...get out of the water now..., but he continues to act as if she hasn’t spoken. His Mum was convinced he must be going deaf. So off for a hearing test he has to go. Result: He has perfect hearing.  Ah the wee lad has finally learn’t something really useful off his old man.

 



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"There goes another moocher"


Posted By: spearfisher916
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2012 at 3:33pm
Originally posted by SharkBite SharkBite wrote:

Yeah problems now will affect your hearing later on, so get it sorted.
On a lighter note:
My wife has been really concerned about my 5 year old son's hearing lately. This has come about because she frequently speaks to him eg...put that speargun down..leave that fish alone...get out of the water now..., but he continues to act as if she hasn’t spoken. His Mum was convinced he must be going deaf. So off for a hearing test he has to go. Result: He has perfect hearing.  Ah the wee lad has finally learn’t something really useful off his old man.


Similar to the ' I'm hearing you, but I'm not listening" syndrome I suffer from.



Posted By: jaydogfish
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2012 at 4:54pm
went to gp yesterday to get it checked out before i go to ent doctor on the 6th. he said i have a small tear on the edge of the eardrum about 2-3mm long(i thought that was pretty big?) he said they dont heal as well on the edge and might be the reason why it keeps happening.  

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THE DOGG


Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2012 at 5:05pm
Good work.
 
2-3mm sounds pretty big to me too BTW, but I ain't no doctor


Posted By: jaydogfish
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2012 at 5:45pm
went to ent doc today. he said my eardrum has healed fine. he said it doesnt really matter if i perferate them and only a 2-3% chance of going deaf over my life time. he said i have a way higher chance going deaf from work.(joinery). also said i should try silicon earplugs while diving? said my bent broken nose has cut the air passage almost completely shut and could poss have something to do with equalizing problems. im not sure if i agree on the earplug and deafness% but he should know!   

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THE DOGG


Posted By: Ponder
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2012 at 10:20pm
You should try Doc's Pro Plugs. I was having heaps of issues and they have sorted all of them. They keep most of the water out so your ears wont tighten up like they will when the cold water hits them. Heaps easier to equalise.


Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2012 at 10:51pm
I would be a bit worried about how deep can you go before Doc's Proplugs get driven into your brain, but at least they have a small vent. I would have assumed that a wetsuit hood would do a lot of the things these plugs do.......... but Ponder ain't no mug. Could these things be the new cure?


Doc’s Proplugs can prevent swimmers ear, and ear pain by blocking water from entering the ears, keeping ears warm and preventing the flushing of water in and out of the ear. Ear pain and infection are caused by cold exposure and erosion of delicate skin and wax in the ear canal.

Upon descent, Proplugs prevent water from entering the ear down to 20 feet in depth. Once the diver enters greater depths, water will be allowed into the ear for equalization. Unlike other earplugs, ours includes a Scott’s valve which allows ears to equalize easily and let sound in. Our proplugs have been used by hundreds of divers for over thirty years who testify that proplugs are the earplugs for divers.

Equalization with Doc’s Proplugs: Doc’s Proplugs have also been used by divers who have trouble equalizing. Unlike other earplugs which are solid and would not be recommended for diving, Proplugs are vented to allow equalization. While the small vent allows equalization to occur it does not allow debris to enter and it prevents earwax from washing out which exposes delicate ear tissue. The Proplugs keep ears warm by storing the head’s conductive heat; the warmth provided by the plugs drastically reduces the risk of thermal shock. Due to surface tension the vented plug also reduces abrupt pressure changes from reaching the sensitive eardrum which contributes to easier equalization. Clear ears often to allow air to escape through the Proplugs vent and allow for better equalization. Proplug wearers who have trouble clearing their ears should check to make sure a lump of ear wax is not blocking the canal or butting up against the vent. If the vent is fouled by debris while descending it is best to remove the Proplug. If fouled while ascending, there is no problem because the air and water under pressure can escape around the Proplug.Hundreds of thousands of divers have attested to the benefits of Proplugs for relieving pressure in their ear during descent.



Posted By: RSJ
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2012 at 11:21am
   I was looking for something like this a while back ,I am  still waiting for my ent appointment I think most of my troubles come from blowing my nose like a trumpet when i was young lad because of hayfever and sinusitus no otrivine in them days. I feel the pressure build up just leaving tawa upto jville even up and down the gorge rd It gets me  , but can I get these in welly I would like to get the right size I see paddlerzone chch does them and has the size testers(sterilized every time he reckons) but new they sell for $35 . 


Posted By: jaydogfish
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2012 at 5:47pm
wow cant wait to try these out! thanks ponder and uj

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THE DOGG


Posted By: jaydogfish
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2012 at 9:29pm
Originally posted by RSJ RSJ wrote:

   I was looking for something like this a while back ,I am  still waiting for my ent appointment I think most of my troubles come from blowing my nose like a trumpet when i was young lad because of hayfever and sinusitus no otrivine in them days. I feel the pressure build up just leaving tawa upto jville even up and down the gorge rd It gets me  , but can I get these in welly I would like to get the right size I see paddlerzone chch does them and has the size testers(sterilized every time he reckons) but new they sell for $35 . 
here is a better size chart
http://store.magicseaweed.com/image/proPlug.pdf


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THE DOGG


Posted By: Ergo_Rapido
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2012 at 9:39pm
I have a mate who was looking to get some of these, lets us know how they go if you do get some. Or anyone else who has tried them before.

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Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart isn't nearly foolish enough to attack him.


Posted By: Storm Petrel
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2012 at 11:40pm
Rick that charters out of Tairua for the Aldies uses docs pro plugs, swears by them too if i remember right.

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A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.


Posted By: Ponder
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2012 at 8:10am
I couldnt find anywhere in Wellington that sold them, got mine from Paddlerzone. From memory the shipping was quite expensive, like $9 to send an envelope sized parcel 


Posted By: RSJ
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2012 at 9:46am

cheers for the info guys Im getting my old man to pick me up some from paddlerzone today got a package coming up so chuck it in with it. 

ergo if your mate is in chch head down to pilgrim pl check them out,



Posted By: Ergo_Rapido
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2012 at 10:37pm
He sure is (as am I) - might let him know then give ya a pm. Cheers.

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Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart isn't nearly foolish enough to attack him.



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