Well, here goes....3 weeks before the meet and my ears go to hell!!!!! :frustrated: Today after a good morning swim I got very familiar pain in BOTH of my ears which is much worse now!!!!! GRRRRR!!!! Anyway, I probably will call my doc tomorrow for more ear drops, but the question is: should I wait 5-6 days for the pain to clear or should I try and swim with ear plugs (of course if I can put them in without falling down). Any ideas? Or should I just do land exercises?
Thanks again in advance for your patience with me and all you help! :notworthy:
Former Member
I too had swimmers ear (pretty severe and recurrant) as a kid.
Here's what worked for me per a great ENT doc.
Once you have the infection (there's pain and usually a small sized "pea" that you can feel w/ your fingertips back behind you ear), go to the doc and get specific drops to cure the infection. Stay out of the water for a couple of days.
Once your infection is gone, after each swim, use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and cod liver oil - 3:2:1 ratio (shake before using; place a few drops in each ear to get the water out) and then dry out your ears w/ a hair dryer on med or cool heat (pull ears back to ensure air gets into ear canal) for a minute or two.
This has prevented me from getting any swimmers ear infections since I started doing it as a kid and I've never needed to go to the ENT again so he can "vacuum" out the dead scaly skin (cod liver oil prevents the scales from forming).
I had no need for ear plugs ever.
ENT said I had very angular ear canals which would cause water to get stuck in them unless I took preventative measures.
Good luck!
I came down with double ear infections 10 days before the 1995 LCM Nationals in Oregon. I was devastated, but with antibiotics, got them cleared up but couldn't swim for 10 days up to the meet. What I didn't realize was that I had been over training and my body needed the 10 days of rest. So, it became a plus as I did my fastest time there.
Do NOT swim with ears that are inflamed/infected/hurting.
donna
Ah ha! Cut the top off the cap! That is what I will do today. I have been shoppping for larger caps and have not been successfull. My caps won't cover the ears. The ZOG type silicone ear plugs seem to fit better. The recommendation about not sticking the silicone into the ear is BS. If you only have it over the outer ear as is written on the instructions they fall off often. I have all sorts of ear plugs. So far the silicone ones work better. I have seen a pair custom made ear plugs, where the ear technician (not the M.D.) will make a mold and then make the definite plugs out of some mixture of plastic with acrilic. They are shaped like the hearing aids and fit tightly into your whole outer ear. I will soon get some fitted, I belive they cost about 100 dollars (equivalent) here in Brasil. Back to the ear infection, as I mentioned in an earlier thread, mine was in the inner ear, but it felt like the outside. I poured tons of stuff into my ear before going to the ear doctor who looked in and got the right diagnosis. I took some antibiotics and cortisone. A lot of these ear processes have a close connection with a common cold. Some are irritation or inflammation of the inner ear which might involve or not infection. Okay, let me get a cheaper older cap and cut the top off and see how that goes, billy fanstone
Thank you all for wonderful comments! I guess I'll stay out of the water and use my antibiotic drops! Now I am thinking about the ear plugs...I already use a nose plug....he-he....what a picture I am going to be.....:wiggle:
Okay, let me get a cheaper older cap and cut the top off and see how that goes, billy fanstone
Billy, you might need to use a newer cap to get the tight seal around your ears. The inner cap will also lose it's snugness quicker without the crown to hold it in shape, so you'll go through inner caps quicker than the outer ones. I find the dry ears worth the expense. Barb
If you really need to keep water out of your ears , ear plugs by themselves dont work too well because if they loosen water gets in and trapped inside.
Cutting off a cap to make a swim head band works very well .The trick is to keep it pulled low over the ears. You can cut it off little by little till its right. Some people can pull a silicon cap low over their ears for example, but most cant unless its cut off a bit.
Worn under a strapped or regular cap pulled low its very watertight good for ears and hair too, and with the addition of ear plugs no more ear troubles.
Swim Band
www.geocities.com/.../swimband.html
The best drops are ones you can easily make on your own, rubbing alcohol and vinegar, not only does it smell great, but it works better than anything else.
Thank you! I use the kind of drops you are talking about after every practice or shower, I thought it was only for drying the water in the ears not for treating the painful infection or whatever it is.... Does it work for the hurties?
I am talking about medicated drops, I still have some left from last time....so....maybe I'll finish the bottle. ;)
useing the alcohol drops to cure swimmings ear is a big misconception. Alcohol is good for getting water out that is stuck in the ear but once the ear is irretated you don't want to do that. You need a special kind of ear drops. I get this stuff called ciprodex, it works pretty well.
Last summer I had swimmers ear and an ear infection in both ears at the same time. I tryed useing ear plugs but they kept falling out, so I just swam with out them and my ears healed up fine. Swimmers ear when treated properly does not take that long to cure, so I would only take one day off and get back in the water.
