Ear plugged

[Subway]

This was decades ago and those decades were not kind to my memory cells, but that number has been engrained in my head for a long time so who knows

FWIW I do remember thinking “wow at 68 and below? That’s 9-10 months out of the year and there are TONS of sessions without plugs or hoods when the water is in the 50s and 60s. I mean, no wonder my first ear was 102% when she went into chisel, and when I saw her a few weeks ago to prepare for the other ear, she took one quick look and said yup; this one’s almost to 100 now too”

 

[One-Off]

68. Trunks and a hood.

 

[Aquaman2]

My ear was plugged until I went to urgent care and they used a tiny vacuum. Now I use wax ear plugs and I wear a hood that covers my ears.

 

[sushipop]

My ear was plugged until I went to urgent care and they used a tiny vacuum. Now I use wax ear plugs and I wear a hood that covers my ears.

I thought you had super powers that allowed you to live both under water and on land. I guess you really can’t believe everything you see in the movies.

 

[PJ]

Cipro drops even WITH insurance cost a fortune. My copay is around there too

Whenever I would get a prescription I would use it as directed for the 7 days. Sparingly though, it works really well. A typical bottle of drops can be stretched for 2 or even 3 infections. I brought just the tail end of a bottle to Tavarua and holy smokes did THAT move pay off. Ear swelled up on like day 2, I thought aw man screw that. Hit the ears every night with cipro and held off a full blown infection for 8 more days

Same for me - would nurse that prescription through at least two infections and bring it on vacation. While in the Dominican Republic I stopped in an old kind of run down pharmacy in town but they had the goods! Otomixin - sold over the counter and I bought two more at the airport on the way home. It's a Sulfa drug - predecessor to antibiotics - saved a lot of lives in WWII - you could just pack a wound with powdered Sulfa drugs to prevent infection. I still have some left - works as well as anything else. I'm going to try to buy some over the Internet soon if I can.

 

[rowjimmytour]

Update- I went to primary care physician to get referral to ENT. She said the ear canal looked red and swollen so she prescribed antibiotics. It immediately got better. I went to the ENT anyways and he said it is 80% obstructed. He recommended the operation but also said if I don't have problems I can live with it, but if it gets worse then he'd definitely advise the operation. He said you don't want to operate when the opening is so small you can't see the ear drum.

I've decided to just be scrupulous with ear plugs and using the hood when it gets cold. He said it is the combination of cold + water that gets you. Not just water. No one in Hawaii gets it. And not just cold. Minnesotans who don't go in the water don't get it. Those were the examples he used.

I didn't think to ask, but at what temperature do you think the water begins to have that effect??? I used to wait until it hit 60 to wear the hood, but I might change this to 64 or even 66. I might offend the erBB fashion police, but I want to avoid the knife. I mean knife and grinder.

I might get another opinion 80% is not bad and wind,cold, and h20 causes closure. Truck drivers who drive with windows down suffer same issues I was told

 

[Subway]

Yes constant cool wind is just as bad as cool water for sure. That’s why surfers get it at such high rates. Cold wind and cold water on top of cold ear canals. Sharpen up that chisel Doctor Chandrasekhar!!! And please don’t go all 2020 brained on me

 

[~rwright~]

My ear was plugged until I went to urgent care and they used a tiny vacuum. Now I use wax ear plugs and I wear a hood that covers my ears.

right on,
stocked for you...

i wanna try, some~day
besides usin' hydro~perox + alcohol, to help dry+kill cootiez in my earz,
of which my right 1, that ear it alwayz bubbles when i perozide it, well these 2 items:
screw~tipz
+
waxsol ear dropz

rw

 

[Subway]

I use alcohol drops so often my ear drums are surly, bellicose, and cirrhotic

 

[TangTonic]

The surf doc forum has a long thread on this and if I'm not mistaken, alcohol and vinegar were recommended to apply daily or more than once daily. Alcohol dries the ear out and prevents infection, vinegar is key part and if used everyday can help dissolve the bone growth.

I like to add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide because I like how it tickles, but its also a good indicator if there is an infection starting.

This concoction has been working for me. I generate a lot of ear wax and between ear plugs for work and ear buds for jams, it gets pushed up in the ear canal. This formula seems to work and recommend.

 

[BolivianRam]

There's also a genetic component, I believe. Some people get it relatively quickly; others, surfing similar conditions, never get surfer's ear.

 

[Subway]

Yeah I’m prone. I know I surf in extra cold water half the year but come on, how often does a New Yorker, even living ON the beach, really get to surf fun long sessions? I don’t surf NEARLY as often as most guys in NCSD for example, but my ear was 100% shut by 39, and now the left is just about there too

and our winter sessions, however fun they can be, are not usually marathons unless you get a rare windless blue bird day

 

[oneworlded]

The surf doc forum has a long thread on this and if I'm not mistaken, alcohol and vinegar were recommended to apply daily or more than once daily. Alcohol dries the ear out and prevents infection, vinegar is key part and if used everyday can help dissolve the bone growth.

I like to add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide because I like how it tickles, but its also a good indicator if there is an infection starting.

This concoction has been working for me. I generate a lot of ear wax and between ear plugs for work and ear buds for jams, it gets pushed up in the ear canal. This formula seems to work and recommend.

Whoa - the vinegar thing is interesting. The acid would do that over time I reckon. Never heard/thought of that.

 

[Woke AF]

The surf doc forum has a long thread on this and if I'm not mistaken, alcohol and vinegar were recommended to apply daily or more than once daily. Alcohol dries the ear out and prevents infection, vinegar is key part and if used everyday can help dissolve the bone growth.

I like to add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide because I like how it tickles, but its also a good indicator if there is an infection starting.

This concoction has been working for me. I generate a lot of ear wax and between ear plugs for work and ear buds for jams, it gets pushed up in the ear canal. This formula seems to work and recommend.

I was told the same thing by my surgeon. You want a certain ph for the solution not that I remember the number. Straight Alcohol will dry out the ear too much.

 

[Mr Doof]

IMO few things are as effective (and oddly satisfying) as a professional cleaning from an ENT doctor. They'll pull out a wild amount of ear wax, dead skin, sand, etc. After that appointment everything will sound high fidelity.

Regular use of Swimmers Ear's drops also helps prevent build up and infection.

Will second the ENT.

Years back, went to the doc about infrequent ear aches, really mild and they would flare up and go away in 24-48 hrs.

She took a look, sent me to the ENT.

ENT says, "Not so bad, but some wax really close to the ear drum."

Got to watch via small display the scrape and pull, and what I really noticed was that when one of those little super fine hairs near the eardrum was disturbed, would get that rollercoaster "drop" feeling.

Anyway, wax removed from both ears, embedded with sand (got a raised eyebrow at that), and hearing improved slightly, but no ear aches since.

 

[One-Off]

I was also told by my ear doc to use the rubbing alcohol (don't use whiskey) and distilled white vineager solution. He didn't say every day, just after surfing. Also didn't mention it reducing bone growth. I think there was a thread on Swaylocks about that and there was a raging argument. In the end I don't think there is any scientific evidence that it reduces bone growth. If you can find a study, please link it.

 

[rowjimmytour]

I was also told by my ear doc to used the rubbing alcohol (don't use whislkey) and distilled white vineager solution. He didn't say every day just after surfing. Also didn't mention it reducing bone growth. I think there was a thread on Swaylocks about that and there was a raging argument. In the end I don't think there is any scientific evidence that it reduces bone growth. If you can find a study, please link it.

I don't believe it reduces bone growth at all what I do believe it does is keeps your ear canal clean and prevents bacteria growth. What I think reduces or slows down bone growth is plugs and hoods and preventive maintenance etc. My ear(s) was around 85% years ago and moved to Santa Cruz soon after but then moved to tropical climate for 5 years. After moved back to So CA and started wearing plugs and never "knock on wood" had problems since. I highly recoomend the vinegar/alocohol 50%/50% keep clean, ear wax drops to soften wax build up then use h20 syringe flush wax, and love sufer ears plugs great customer service

 

[mundus]

Bought a Macs ear dryer, seems to be working.

 

[rowjimmytour]

Bought a Macs ear dryer, seems to be working.

I had to look this up never heard of one plus wanted tosee price compared to cheap hair dryer with low speed

 

[mundus]

I had to look this up never heard of one plus wanted tosee price compared to cheap hair dryer with low speed

Yep, impulse buy. Probably not worth the money but not totally worthless.