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Diving Safety, Accidents and Incidents Post here to discuss accidents, incidents, ideas, gear, or anything else to improve spearfishing safety. Memorials and condolences threads should be placed in that separate forum.

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Old 08-28-2014, 10:01 PM   #31
Liveclean
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

Ok, I have now joined the ear injured ranks. I am 1 month out from an easy 15 foot drop on an abalone worth fighting for. Cleared fine on the right, wouldn't go on the left. Said ok and went for him any way. Wrestled him out of the rocks, came to the surface with ringing. 3 ENTS latter, lost all high frequency in my left ear. 2 things were learned, clear like crazy, if not go home. Another lesson, get on prednisone asap as it saved some of my hearing.
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Old 09-04-2014, 04:56 PM   #32
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

There are quite a number of people on here that associate their hearing loss and tinnitus with freediving. There are really two different sites of potential injury- the tympanic membrane and hearing bones, and the cochlea or inner ear. Tympanic membrane ruptures can certainly happen when one fails to appropriately clear their ears while diving. This can result in immediate pain, vertigo, and hearing loss, and long-term hearing loss as a result of a persistent perforation or scarring of the ear drum. I think this is what a lot of you are describing.

Their is also a possible mechanism in which the ear drum fails to rupture and instead the pressure causes a rupture of one of the membranes covering a window from the middle ear to the inner ear. This is extremely rare. This can cause inner ear (sensorineural) hearing loss, ringing in the ear, and vertigo. This is much more likely to be permanent. THis is extremely rare. Those that are blaming freediving for inner ear hearing loss are likely mistaken. Aging and noise exposure are much more likely the cause.
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Old 09-04-2014, 04:57 PM   #33
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

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Ok, I have now joined the ear injured ranks. I am 1 month out from an easy 15 foot drop on an abalone worth fighting for. Cleared fine on the right, wouldn't go on the left. Said ok and went for him any way. Wrestled him out of the rocks, came to the surface with ringing. 3 ENTS latter, lost all high frequency in my left ear. 2 things were learned, clear like crazy, if not go home. Another lesson, get on prednisone asap as it saved some of my hearing.
This sounds like an episode of inner ear hearing loss from barotrauma.
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Old 09-25-2014, 05:58 PM   #34
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

That was confirmed by an inner ear nerve specialist. They now said the clearing was not the issue! Inner ear damage in 15 feet and I thought I cleared. I assumed I hadn't from the injury and Docs, but I could have sworn I had. Turns out clearing may have nothing to do with it. Any thing out there that can help that inner membrane? I am 2 months out and still ringing like hell. Some hearing returned.
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Old 09-25-2014, 07:06 PM   #35
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

I had the same thing happen. One year ago and finally the ringing has decreased to hardly noticeable.
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Old 09-25-2014, 08:59 PM   #36
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

Be very careful w/ your ears. I was w/o hearing in one ear for about a month. After breaking my ear drum twice (big fish involved), my ear drum didn't heal back up right. Surgery was involved to make it back halfway right. Anywho, it really sucked for about a month...you've only one ear and u lose the ability to know from which direction the sounds are coming from. You are constantly swinging your head around to understand if somebody is talking to you.
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Old 10-03-2014, 08:28 AM   #37
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

I've had Tinnitus for couple of years now, went to 2 ENT specialists, told me same thing, no cure. I too feel its very much related to my 18 yrs of frequent diving, but also ENT doc said it was caused by Loudness, ie: music, pipes (on our Harley), etc. The only prevention for further damage is to avoid loudness, and also only take Tylenol. Ibuprofen and some others are big No No.
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Old 10-29-2014, 10:09 AM   #38
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

Related to ear clearing problems, I have found through the years that if I was having clearing problems, I could many times clear my ears by descending feet first and holding onto the anchor line. (This is WAY easier on scuba, but at 64yr I need to do this from time to time while freediving). The head up position causes less congestion to the head. Holding onto the anchor line allows me to descend a few feet, clear, descend a few more feet, clear, etc.
IMO and 40+ years diving this method has helped me to avoid serious ear injuries. Please to remember that the ear has less pain receptors and that serious injury often comes BEFORE lots of ear pain. IMO most divers experience ear injury BEFORE the their ear pain stops them from descending. Once a diver notices ear pain/discomfort that diver should stop their descent until their ear issue is resolved. Descending deeper only causes MORE ear pressure and DECREASES ear clearing likelihood.
(I am NOT an EENT and only offer the above as past experiences in an effort to help others decrease ear injury)
hope this helps
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Old 10-30-2014, 09:02 PM   #39
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

Mighty KC. It is the white Wonder bread not pressure in your case.
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Old 10-31-2014, 07:27 AM   #40
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

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Mighty KC. It is the white Wonder bread not pressure in your case.
That's bull!

I eat white bread every day and it never makes blood run out of my ear.

Paolo must have told you about my last trip.

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Old 11-03-2014, 06:58 PM   #41
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

Mighty KC
Paolo sent pics. I notice Krista's hearing has really gone down I think from years of diving though she clears so easy it is sickening. My ringing is more very loud bangs in my youth, the diving was minor but I know that after diving it is short time worst. Be in Kona by 29th of NOV till end Feb. Come over. Will be on organic farm and get you healthy.
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Old 11-03-2014, 08:15 PM   #42
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

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That was confirmed by an inner ear nerve specialist. They now said the clearing was not the issue! Inner ear damage in 15 feet and I thought I cleared. I assumed I hadn't from the injury and Docs, but I could have sworn I had. Turns out clearing may have nothing to do with it. Any thing out there that can help that inner membrane? I am 2 months out and still ringing like hell. Some hearing returned.
If the loss happened at depth, even 15 feet, then it was almost surely as a result of the depth. If you had equalized your middle ear pressure at that depth, then there would be no pressure to transmit to your inner ear. Once again, it is very rare to have an inner ear loss as a result of disturbed middle ear pressure. It can happen, but is not the norm. If it were common, then a huge percentage of the population would have inner ear hearing loss from eustachian tube problems as children and that is not the case.

And no, you can't strengthen your round window membrane, only make sure you equalize your middle ear to prevent problems. I hate to say it, but if you suffered an inner ear hearing loss as a result of a shallow dive like that, you should probably never dive again unless you don't mind risking deafness in that ear. You likely have a fistula or tear between your middle ear and inner ear fluid system. It may have healed, but would likely be prone to reinjury.
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Old 11-04-2014, 12:24 PM   #43
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

I remember seeing my Great Grandfather with an ear trumpet, my Grandfather had hearing aids, my Father was almost deaf and I am not surprised that I have significant hearing loss.
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Old 01-09-2015, 09:35 AM   #44
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

Blown both my ear drums while on scuba
And i have ringing in both ears mostly at
Night when it is quiet.
Blown ear drums heal just takes a few weeks
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Old 01-09-2015, 12:12 PM   #45
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Re: Permanent hearing loss/ringing in the ears- How many of you have it thanks to div

Spearit p b c I think I could agree with your scenario, like I went to bed at 3:30 got up at eight just now, and I was getting to be from not having any sleep for almost 40 hours, and I have that ringing going on right now.

But when you say the loud noises I'm in a building for many hours with nothing but noise,
I live on an island so I commute on a bike and I whip in and out of traffic in the carpool lane constantly on the throttle, so could be the exhaust on the bike To be a contributing factor also. Kind a like many years ago have you ever put a low pressure hose on a high pressure port, and obviously you are like 1 foot away when you crack the tank open, and pow, Holy moly the loudest sound I ever had in my life in a room in Europe so it was all concrete walls. Back 25 years ago when you go cave diving If you take your high-pressure hose make a loop in and connected to your first stages It now becomes a manifold. so when you're in very tight areas where you knew you could barely move, you have two independent tanks in with the 18 inch hose you were able to slide each tank with you. I find it so funny that now they came up with a name for that particular diving side mount diving. And like everything else somebody has to make money at it so they come up with all these gimmicks and different things you have to do to side mount dive.

Anyways I'm wondering what the Tylenol has to do for taking to help with the ear ringing.
I had to quit drinking because I'm just guzzling down ibuprofen Because of my knee pain.
And yes I do know all the problems that go wrong with taking too much ibuprofen.
But until you get the inflammation down you cannot repair yourself bottom line, just learned that a year ago.
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