Cleaning or not cleaning the ears has basically nothing to do with middle ear infection, unless, of course, your cue tip plunges through the ear drum. As for outer ears, ear cleaning actually increases the probability of infection among divers in association with traumatization of the water-softened ear tissue.
Middle ear infections reflect the retention of contaminated materials that have migrated from the throat. Your experience with longer equalization times may reflect a diminished capacity of your eustachian tubes to conduct air between the throat and the middle ear. This could also correlate with the increased vulnerability to middle ear infections.
I would advise discussing your history with an ENT specialist who is experienced in diving medicine. It may be the case that a little bit of decongestant the day of the dive will solve issues of equalization and the potentially related middle ear infections.
One more thing to note: Middle ear infections ought not to be treated on a wait-and-see basis. They can progress, eventually chewing through the skull into the brain...how embarrassing...
Quote:
Originally Posted by kong
From what the doctor said today, it is rare for someone my age (over 12 years old) to get one and he couldn't believe that I had one. I last went diving about 2 weeks ago and my ear has been hurting since then but I thought it would go away. I finally decided to go to the doctor today and got some meds for it.
The ear that it has happened to has had the ear drum ruptured about 5 times while growing up and always takes me a little while longer to equalize. I guess I didn't clean my ears out well enough last time and got some water stuck in there.
Oh well. Live and learn.
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