Ear question, is there a Doctor in the house?

[Blackchains]

My ears appear to clear fine. I have always had to go slow to about 30' feet, then I can keep up with just about anybody to depth as far as ears are concerned.

But here is my question, if I clear my ears by holding my nose and blowing gently, I hear my ear drums pop, but then in one ear I continue to hear air blowing as long as I apply pressure. This happens if I clear my ears above or below water.

Nothing is painful, just curious, any suggestions??

[TMet]

Same for me, I never thought twice about it. I've never had issues on decent regardless of the rate or depth.

[sskasser]

Sometimes when I clear, air comes out of the tear ducts in the inner corners of my eyes. It tickles!

[apitkin]

...as long as I apply pressure.

Indefinitely?

Your middle ear should be a closed space. If you keep pushing air up your Eustachian tube, the pressure in your middle ear cavity will push your tympanic membrane (eardrum) outwards. This is usually very painful if it happens to any significant degree.

What you are describing implies that your middle ear is not a closed space, or that you are perceiving gas that is going somewhere else as going up your Eustachian tube.

Andy

[RN]

I'm guessing that you're applying pressure gently enough underwater that the air is not making it all the way out and letting off on applying pressure is sucking the air back in. That's why you have the perception of an endless supply of it. It shouldn't be an issue.

[LCF]

You may very well be exhausting some of the pressure through your lacrimal duct (tear duct) into the corner of your eye. Are you aware of any fizzing there?

If not, the middle ear should be a closed space, and the ability to continue to push air into it suggests that the drum is not intact.

[AB8CD]

I have always had sinus issues, especially with repeated dives over several days. I generally use sudafed (the original formula that we in Michigan have to get from the pharmacist). At times I have been hit with a short episode of vertigo on descent at about 20-30 feet which passes quickly (even when I descend slowly). I think one ear is clearing before the other causing the out of balance stomach feeling. I also have had a flash of white light when turning my head upwards after multiple descents and ascents on work dives to about 60 ft as I am climbing hand over hand up a crane boom (slowly, without fins). I will also hear squeak, squeak, squeak, with every foot I ascend. I assume my eustation (sp?)tubes are inflamed and swollen. At that point I'm done for a day or two.

[divindoc]

If your hearing is fine, and a visual inspection of your eardrum is normal, and you're not having any pain with blowing your nose, I doubt you're causing any damage. Sounds like you're equilibrating pressure in your middle ear with ambient water pressure without an issue.

FWIW, in my 20's I could shoot straight to the bottom in seconds, never a problem. Environmental allergies have caught up to me, and despite the daily use of steroid nasal sprays and occasional Afrin (oxymetolazone), I have to descend slowly, head up, clearing my ears continually. My DPV Cave course was a real tribulation because of it. The pressure changes at depth bothered me as well which they normally wouldn't have because they occur so rapidly with a scooter. I developed a very painful middle ear effusion after the last training dive which has taken fully 3 weeks to resolve (normal time frame for something like that).

You may consider seeing an ENT specialist (preferably one that dives) to get it sorted out.