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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 01-08-2015, 05:51 AM   #1
PeteH
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Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

Hi, I'm PeteH.

Feb 1996, 3 air dives <80ft, water temps 60 degrees, 30 year old healthy male with 200+ logged dives.

Headed in after last dive I get a rush of fluid in my right ear, pull the throttles back and hit the deck like a wet sack!

Supreme vertigo to the 1000th degree. Bed spins times a hundred.

Buddy drives in, I crawl off the boat, DAN sends me to Morton Plants hyperbaric O2 center.

At this point I am completely unable to stand, my eyes are twitching but my hearing is fine.

7 hours in the chamber, no change, they tell my then wife possible permanent brain damage, 2 more hours in the chamber, no change.

A passing Ocular Neurologist instantly diagnoses me with perilymph fistula, I go to Dr. Bartels in Tampa (he was doing cochlear implants in kids at the time) for full diagnoses.

So-the violent release of pressure in my right ear caused my eardrum to move so hard that it pushes the last earbone through the attached semicircular canal.

Complete and permanent loss of balance function in that loop, it's one of three on each side. No loss of hearing at all.

The brain being the amazing organ that it is, I am walking and back at work in a week, eyes still twitching and very shaky on my feet.

Over the next 6 months my eyes stop twitching and I get better at the whole standing up thing. My brain is rewiring and compensating for loss of that loop.

Today I appear normal, although I can't pass a DUI eye movement pen test and marching in place with my eyes closed causes me to rotate to one side. I can't track objects if I lose sight of them, like a ball that passes overhead or a bird that flies behind some trees. If my feet are not on flat ground, I need three points of reference to balance, both feet and visual of a wall or other object.

If my eyes are closed or I lose my visual lock on a stationary object-
I HAVE NO SENSATION OF FALLING!
Sucks cause I work on ladders all the time.

Dove sporadically since then but I am back to it full bore now. I am extremely cautious during my descents and assents. Loss of another loop might put me in a chair.

Thanks for reading and be careful.
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Old 01-13-2015, 05:38 AM   #2
Liveclean
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

Damn bro, that is serious. So who did you see and how did they successful Dx the fistula?
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Old 01-13-2015, 06:21 AM   #3
PeteH
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

The rupture self healed but I never regained any function from that loop. The nystagmus is evident when they hook me up to a monitor but my eyes don't visibly click anymore.

I appear perfectly normal, I even ride my motorcycle a lot, 2-up half the time.
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Old 01-23-2015, 09:41 AM   #4
acteg
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

PeteH, sorry to hear about your accident, but glad you have recovered and are still doing the things you love to do. When you say you got a rush of water in your ear, I am assuming you mean spray from the ride back in (ie: totally unrelated to diving)?
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Old 01-23-2015, 05:11 PM   #5
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

Quote:
...I get a rush of fluid in my right ear...
So-the violent release of pressure in my right ear caused my eardrum to move so hard that it pushes the last earbone through the attached semicircular canal.
So what caused this all to happen - I still do not understand why this occurred to cause your injury.

You urged us to be careful - but careful to avoid what exactly? I am trying to learn here from your experience. What is the lesson?

Glad you are doing better.
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Old 01-23-2015, 07:03 PM   #6
PeteH
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

The rush of water was the fluid in that semi circular canal rushing into my inner ear.

This was all caused by the release of pressure that was built up BEHIND my eardrum. When it equalized after being at the surface for 20 minutes or so, the resulting violent movement of my eardrum caused the damage.

Be careful to equalize steadily on your way up and down. i have found that doing a somersault or two during my safety stop helps relieve residual pressure in my sinuses and ears.
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Old 01-23-2015, 07:34 PM   #7
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

OK, thanks. I understand. It seems that the over-inflated inner ear from not releasing pressure on the way up would have been quite painful at the surface before it eventually suddenly depressurized- was it? Did you have any indication that hey, my inner ear is not de-pressurizing as I come up?

I have had that happen, and is is quite painful. I hold my nose and mouth shut, inhale as hard as I can, and swallow. That has always sucked the higher pressure air in my inner ear out and relieved the pain. The somersault sounds like it might help too.

Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Old 01-23-2015, 07:38 PM   #8
PeteH
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

No pain or discomfort. I've had squeezes upon surfacing before but there was no discomfort at all this time. Just BAM.
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Old 01-28-2015, 01:40 PM   #9
Snapper Mangler
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

Wow dude i probably wouldnt be diving anymore after that given what could happen if it happens again
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Old 01-28-2015, 06:40 PM   #10
PeteH
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Re: Perilymph fistula- 20 years later... long

Thanks but I'm afraid I run more of a risk on my Harley than from a freak barotrauma. I am 20 years older and a little wiser now. Probably healthier too...
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