Hawaii Skin Diver The Breath of Freedivers

Over the last year and a half i have been to 5 or so ENT's and most of them gave me attitude and tried to drug the cr@p out of me. After researching myself and getting better referrals, i finally found and ENT who i think might be able to solve my problem. He led me to ordering a medication called "PatulEND" which is a nose administered drop also containing chlorine, that is aimed to establishing normal eustachian tube" where the person suffers from the symptoms of autophony, amphoria and crackling of the ears.

I'll post results up for you guys, or anyone possibly suffering from this condition when i get it monday. I have two different sets of symptoms all the time, one is when i experience a constant pressure and inability to equalize my ears, and the other happens after rigorous activity, such as martial arts, exc.. where i can hear my voice in my head, and feel my breathing sucking in and pushing out my ear drum to some degree which goes away about 30 minutes after i stop these activities.

Most ENT's do not treat this condition right, and everything will look normal in your ear except for the function of the eustachian tube which they cannot see or do not make the effort to look at and test the function of.

I am still not sure if this will solve all my problems, but if you are experiencing these symptoms and ENTs have said that the ear drum, inner ear, canals, exc, are fine, and their are no infections, this may in fact be your problem, and i am saving you months and perhaps years of your time. The website link to this medication and where it can be ordered, as well as symptoms of Patulous Eustachian tube and so on is

http://www.earfdn.org/

Doc's Proplugs

Google "Doc's pro plugs" go to their web site, and read up. This is probably the most use full thing for a freediver or swimmer that has come out in a long time. Their are two models, one is a venting ear plug and the other is steered more towards the use of regular swimmers. The venting ones take some of the pressure off of the ear drum and make it easier to equalize as well as keeping the ear canal and ear drum warm and keeping particulates from entering the ear canal, and not allowing ear wax to wash away, thus protecting tissues exc. They are wonderful and not insanely expensive, as well as purchasable in several dive shops on oahu, and probably other islands if you don't order online.

Peace Out! This is the result of pretty much two years of running around with my head cut off getting ENT doors slammed in my face. I hope this helps many of my fellow divers out their who are basically my brothers!

the doc's venting pro plugs can also help if you have issues with some types of barotrauma. Anybody with issues ranging from causes of Eustachian tube malfunction to trouble equalizing or not being able to at all, post a comment. It is appreciated beyond measure.

thanks for posting your experience. Sorry you had to go through 2 years before you finally got your results. If you do a search on "Doc's pro plugs", you'll find a little more info too.

yeah, its been a little less than a year with chronic issues "cant dive at all" and probably a year and a half since i had my last full on dive. =/ But i seriously hope this helps. The plugs are nice because you can go down a little bit further than you can without them if you dont equalize, which allows me to mess around in the shallows around 10 feet or so.

Do you know right off the top of your head which oahu dive shops carry these? I WANT SOME! thanks for posting

one of my ears has always given me problems up until a couple years ago.....just as I was graduating college (back in the day), I was having lots of equalization problems in one ear, was using afrin for it, which is very very bad, because after several months of use, my Eustachian tube became so tight it wouldn't let the liquid in the inner ear drain, man was that miserable. Couldn't dive more than 10 ft....some of this trauma might've been also attributed to a gun shot going off too close to that same ear earlier that year.

Long story short, pretty much gave up diving for about a year to let my Eustachian tube relax...went back to diving and things went kinda back to normal...kinda...if I dove more than one day in a row, my eardrum felt like it was "loose", you can hear vibrations when you talk, difficulty hearing, when you pop your ears (on land) your ear drum sounds like a loose piece of crinkly paper in the wind.

fast forward to a few years ago....went to see a massage specialist, he specialized in "Zen Therapy" its a extreme form of Shiatsu, so extreme that its only licensed in one state in the mainland...I told him about my problem with my Eustachian tube, all he did was use a piece of paper towel for grip and squeezed it and shook it (my Eustachian tube muscle) for a couple seconds...my head on one side felt like it was going to explode...interesting, becuase when he did it to the side of my head that didn't have the ear problem, it felt normal. After a couple sessions everything began slowly getting better over time. After a while, when he did this procedure, my head didn't feel like exploding, a sign I thought that things weren't inflamed anymore. Basically he loosened the muscle that controls the Eustachian tube and allowed it to relax so liquid could drain better.

fast forward to about 2 years ago....cut out lactose from my diet....and present day, I can clear my ears like never before and reach depths now on a consistent basis rather than "just on my good days".

hmm, the specialized shiatsu seems like something i would want to try after i get my one ear back to normal. It seems that cutting a large portion of lactose out of the diet has proven beneficial to many people too. The way you described your ear as having "voice in your head" and loose as well as crinkly, sounds exactly what i have a problem with now, but im only now getting it treated after a year or more. I have basically not dove for a year and after jumping in for the first time yesterday, it took about 10 shallow drops at 15-20. And then the opposite ear i have major problems with just stopped equalizing and i felt a slight bit of pain, and immediately bagged it for the day. I had this problem before my ears majorly froze up, i would make anywhere from 1-5 or so dives and my ears would be shot. Which got increasingly worse untill i couldnt even equalize at the surface if i wanted to. Also, my problem might be that i clear every couple feet, and i don't pre-equalize at the surface and then constantly clear all the way down, instead of only clearing every few feet. I use the frenzel technique to equalize, but it doesn't help when you can equalize at all of course.

Anyhow, can you PM me on the place you went to for that specific type Zen Therapy Shiatsu, links, anything, and if they now authorize it here, or you still have to go out of state exc?. Any and all things you do to help with your ear is appreciated as well.

Thanks Darrel!

One thing to add about this Zen Therapy, it is a very invasive form of massage, so if you don't have a referral from a friend, I wouldn't go see anyone at random...even if they were licensed It's not like a simple massage, and the person doing it needs to know what they are doing and the only way to ensure that is by a friend referring you to the therapist...and as said earlier, there is only one state in the mainland where its licensed....I am not suggesting or promoting that anyone go see an unlicensed therapist, that's not very smart.

Other massages that might work for you, keeping in mind that one particular massage or therapist can help one person but may not be able to help everyone....because everyone's situation is different....is a Trigger Point Massage Therapist....or a Shiatsu Therapist, both of which are licensed in Hawaii......basically what you want is for them to relax the muscle that controls the Eustachian tube to allow the liquid in the inner ear to drain. My problem was too much diving mixed with Afrin and the muscle controlling the Eustachian tube tightened up and wouldn't allow for drainage, which is why massage can help.

HOWEVER.......if your problem has more to do with scar tissue, then the massage may or may not help you.....as a last resort a ENT has a surgery they can do, but its a last resort...and I do mean a LAST RESORT!!

i dont think i have a problem with scar tissue, I assume from my symptoms that their is alot of inflammation that doesnt want to stop. So ill start trying some new things out.

And thanks again Darrel

Ugh, my ears are even worse now, i havnt been able to dive for a year or two at this point but, have any of you guys had MAJOR issues with your ears when you were growing, like in highschool exc? I'm really getting concerned with what's going on and am hoping something like growing has a primary role in it. As always, any responses are appreciated.

growing up i had a tendency to get a lot of sinus infections and stuff. I also used to get swimmers ear a lot as a kid in the pool. When I dive shallow, and do a lot of up and downs i tend to get clogged easy. when going deep i'm usually alright for a while then it creeps up on me. I think its genetics.. some people may be prone to it more than others.

I wonder if it may also have something to do with technique. ie: do you clear b4 u drop? when u reach a cetain depth? when you feel the pressure?

I was also recommended to punch holes in my hood to allow better drainage of the water that gets trapped in there and possibly pushed in your eardrums.

I try to shake my head out best I can after a drop where i gotta turn my head and i feel my ears fill up with water.

Have you tried docs plugs?? I keep meaning to look into it but never do.. a lot of guys on here recommend them.

I recently found that pre equalizing at the surface and puffing all the way down "literally every foot" is the best way to equalize for most that have a hard time. I haven't used the plugs yet, im told they can help but if you cant equalize, they obviously arnt going to do much for you. If i go a foot or two under the surface, when i get out of the water my ears get all messed up from it and other such things, im pretty much land locked from this point on, so its going to be a painful waiting game, especially with the doctor thats trying to work with me. Well have fun guys, ill be hanging around

My wife has the same issue multiple ent's and all the same. "Nothing is wrong."
Over a year of issues, Sinus rinse, decongestants, drugs, ect. Finally a friend of ours referred her to a acupuncturist. After 6 months of not going past 15ft. She hit 60ft two days later!
It lasted about 4 months then she started having issues again. She is going to have it done again soon.
Said it is very intense. Not painful just intense.
Needles around the eyes, nose, Forehead ect! But totally worth it.
The guy we use came highly refereed and has been doing it for 30years plus. He is chinese also.
Don't think I would let a newbie do it, but find a good acupuncturist and it might help.
She had Headaches and clearing issues and full lockup at about 10-15 ft!
Literally 2 days later 60ft no problem!
I was very skeptical at first and very impressed after.
Aloha

Thanks guys, my problems seem to just be building and im having heightened issues with both ears, ill take all the advice you guys have given me, but i probably wont be able to use it to much avail anytime soon. Thanks for the help and support, dive safe!

I had exactly what goat slamma described however I found a different solution to it. Turns out, allergies cause those exact problems. I always had those symptoms diving when I started 2 years ago. I found out Chicken and Milk products cause those equalizing problems for me. An allergist said most people don't know they are allergic to everyday things until they are tested. She said Chicken and Milk products are very common and known to cause ear reactions that make it hard to be in the water. Now I stay away from chicken and Milk products and have never had a problem since. And I don't use pro plugs. Was able to hit 103' feet recently too since my ears were so clear and un-tempermental.

If you want to get tested for these allergies go see Dr. Vicky Wang. She is an excellent allergist. Get tested for the standard allergies. There are almost 40 of them. You'll be surprised.