swimmer ear

[mcc2318]

i usually get ear infections from the shower but not even swimmer ear in salt water diving any theorys

[WV Diver]

That's pretty strange indeed.I wouldn't want to venture a guess as to why chlorinated tap water could give you an ear ache but bacteria laden sea water doesn't.

Buy I'm anxious to see what others here might think.

[mcc2318]

i just dont get it

[BuzzF117]

may have something to do with the salinaty do you have a problem if you dive in freshwater?

[Zyxistal]

It could also be a reaction to something that they've put in your tap water that is irritating your ears.

[Soonerwink]

Originally Posted by Zyxistal

It could also be a reaction to something that they've put in your tap water that is irritating your ears.

I have never heard of that. You might want to have your water tested.

[frankc420]

Do you live in Louisiana in the swamp? And do you run your own water pumps from under your house?

[Grin]

I know all about this topic!
DAN had a excellent article awhile back that helped me beat swimmers ear.
I used to get it all the time in my left ear only, for some reason. Trips to the ear doc, got me ear drops that kind of worked. But recovering is not as good as prevention.
I now use a concochtion that DAN article stated can be made by yourself right out of basic over the counter stuff. I mix 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 water into a dropper bottle. After a days diving I do as the article instructed. The Navy figured this out to eliminate swimmers ear. Lay on your side and fill the ear canal, with the solution, and count off 5 minutes. I only do the one ear, as I have never had any issues with the other one. I have not had a reoccuring issue since.
What your doing is drying the ear canal out but not overdoing it. The PH is important (I know zero about PH and just did as the DAN article stated). Regular swimmers ear(99% alcohol) solution sold in stores is not the correct PH according to them. That stuff is for uses other than the out ear infection(swimmer ear) issue.
Swimmers ear is a outer ear(ear canal) infection, caused by the outer ear tissues absorbing water. Ear wax protects the ear canal from this. The alcohol solution drys the tissue out. The solution used is a concochion the Navy came up with after trying a bunch of different mixes. You can get a solution precribed from a doc that is close to the same thing you can make up yourself. I forget the name of the stuff that can be prescribed. I plan on getting some prescribed next time I visit any doctor.
Research the Alert Diver, DAN issue of July/Aug 2006 for this information.

[wgt]

Originally Posted by Grin

I know all about this topic!
DAN had a excellent article awhile back that helped me beat swimmers ear.
I used to get it all the time in my left ear only, for some reason. Trips to the ear doc, got me ear drops that kind of worked. But recovering is not as good as prevention.
I now use a concochtion that DAN article stated can be made by yourself right out of basic over the counter stuff. I mix 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 water into a dropper bottle. After a days diving I do as the article instructed. The Navy figured this out to eliminate swimmers ear. Lay on your side and fill the ear canal, with the solution, and count off 5 minutes. I only do the one ear, as I have never had any issues with the other one. I have not had a reoccuring issue since.
What your doing is drying the ear canal out but not overdoing it. The PH is important (I know zero about PH and just did as the DAN article stated). Regular swimmers ear(99% alcohol) solution sold in stores is not the correct PH according to them. That stuff is for uses other than the out ear infection(swimmer ear) issue.
Swimmers ear is a outer ear(ear canal) infection, caused by the outer ear tissues absorbing water. Ear wax protects the ear canal from this. The alcohol solution drys the tissue out. The solution used is a concochion the Navy came up with after trying a bunch of different mixes. You can get a solution precribed from a doc that is close to the same thing you can make up yourself. I forget the name of the stuff that can be prescribed. I plan on getting some prescribed next time I visit any doctor.
Research the Alert Diver, DAN issue of July/Aug 2006 for this information.

The alcohol exerts a dehydrating effect. This is beneficial, as bacteria often prefer a humid environment. Sometimes, divers have one ear that tends to retain water, which increases the vulnerability of that ear to infection. The acidic vinegar (or other weak acids [e.g., boric acid]) lowers pH by virtue of its high concentration of positively charged hydrogen ions. Bacteria often shun this type of environment, typically flourishing in a more basic (higher pH) medium that bears negatively charged hydroxide.

The faithful application of the chemical cocktail is certainly helpful. Also important, however, is the conscious avoidance of trauma to the outer ear. This will drive some of divers mental, but it is often unwise to use Q-tips, particularly when the skin of the outer ear is softened due to exposure to water. Scratching the outer ear with a Q-tip between a succession of dives almost guarantees an infection of the outer ear in many divers.

[BouzoukiJoe]

I use the same mixture of alcohol, vinegar, and water. I put it in a used holy water dispenser. It is labeled holy water and has a cross on it and everything. Sometimes people see me squirting holy water in my ear and ask me why I am doing it. I always tell them I'm washing away the evil spirits. I get a lot of interesting looks.