Surfer's Ear

[pdxmike]

I am praying with all i have there is no such thing as Surfers Penis!?

Actually, I knew a guy who went to the doctor, and the doctor did some tests and then said, "I'm afraid I've got bad news.  You've got both Surfer's Penis and Alzheimer's Disease."  And the guy replied, "Well, thank God I don't have Surfer's Penis!". 

The I knew another guy who went to the doctor, and the doctor did some tests and then said, "I'm afrain I've got bad news.  You've got bot Surfer's Ear and Surfer's Penis".  And the guy replied, "What?"

[Sparx]

A couple of personal observations.
Wind is as big a factor as cold water. Because of evaporative cooling, wind whistling through an ear wet with even warm water is going to drop the temp radicaly. A dozen of the blokes I grew up surfing with have all had at least one surgery and on all it has been the left ear. We figured out that at our local break we all sit looking down the line towards the light house reefs which is our swell indicator. Consequently, left ears face the offshore breeze.
Helmets and hoods are OK but as has been mentioned they are only effective in halting the progression of surfers ear if you don't have any to start with. I can live with having an ear full of blu tac but have always avoided helmets and hoods cos for me its like having your head in a bucket.
Avoid public swimming pools, spa's and hot tubs like the plague unless you can make your ears one hundred percent water tight. Too many nasties in the soup and if you get that stuff in a partially blocked ear it's game over
If you travel to the tropics, make sure you plan ahead and take your worst case scenario meds with you. Nothing worse than being sidelined in paradise while perfect waves are grinding off without you. Also trying to source meds in third world destinations can be problematic.
Sofradex drops and Flopen caps are your friend.
Finaly, once you have had the op, that ear is going to be far more susceptable to the development of exostosis, the bony growths. Dont be fooled, it will come back twice as fast if you dont protect your ear in the water from day one you are allowed back in the surf.
Cheers
Sparx

[blockidog]

I've been dealing with surfers ears for the past 10 years and have significant blockage - no surgery yet.

RE: plugs - I used to use Doc's Pro Plugs but my ENT had me get customs for ~$75.  They take a mold of your ear, send it out, and in a week you have plugs that fit really well.  

I too use 1/3 Alc - 2/3 vinegar mix when I have any drainage issues.

On the rare occasions I do get an infection and closure, the doc provided a script for Tobradex - an antibiotic for the eyes.  A couple of drops 2x's per day clears up the infection in 3-5 days.

Dreading the surgery and reading this thread will get me to wear the plugs more often.

If you're in the New England area I highly recommend Dr. Michael McKenna/Mass Eye and Ear.  He's actually from CA and grew up surfing.  He may give you a a little stink eye for being a SUP'r but he knows his ears and surfer's ear remedies.  I got my plugs at his his hospital / MEEI as well.

Thx for those videos posted earlier in this thread...time for breakfast...

 

[SoCalSupper]

I am praying with all i have there is no such thing as Surfers Penis!?

Actually, I knew a guy who went to the doctor, and the doctor did some tests and then said, "I'm afraid I've got bad news.  You've got both Surfer's Penis and Alzheimer's Disease."  And the guy replied, "Well, thank God I don't have Surfer's Penis!". 

The I knew another guy who went to the doctor, and the doctor did some tests and then said, "I'm afrain I've got bad news.  You've got bot Surfer's Ear and Surfer's Penis".  And the guy replied, "What?"

i knew i could count on you PDX!
i surfed for a year or so growing up in OC-then moved to the desert for 20 years-so i didnt spend much time in the ocean-im sure that has a lot to do with it-i have not notice any symptoms-i do have mild tinnitus which made me wonder if that was a symptom of SE-apparently its not-got Tinnitus from trauma to ear drum in a diving accident-anyway great info zoners- i learned a lot and i think i will go cheap at first and get some silly putty for the cold offshore winter mornings just to be safe, and i still want to move to HI!

[surf monkey]

Socal you lived in the dessert for 20 years that explains a lot,

For sure you don't need to worry about the srf's ear the aliens probably already abducted your ear bones

[surf monkey]

Desert / dessert Oh well 

[bbarry]

1.  Docs ProPlugs.   After the first time or two you feel weird in the water without them.  Make sure you get the ones with the small holes for pressure relief.  These dont cut down on the sound terribly.   Dont leave home without them if you are going into the surf zone.
2.  The operation can be done with a 1mm bone chisel on an outpatient basis.   My ENT Doc is a windsurfing buddy.  Both ears were 99% closed off yet I had close to normal hearing before the operation.   When I had the op done in 2004, there was a fairly high profile Doc in Santa Cruz who advertised as being the only one that could perform the surgery.   So I was going to fly down, be laid up in SC for a week before I could get on a plane again, then fly back to Seattle.   When my local Doc in Seattle, who was going to do the post op care, saw the writeup he just started laughing and said "you have to be kidding."   I cut away growths with a bone chisel every week.   This will be easy.  And it was.
3.  Did not need any pain meds post op.  Turns out the pressure differential in my head from being so closed off had kept me in constant pain.  As this crept up over about 20 years I just did not realize it.   It was such a relief to not have the pressure that the post op pain was a minor issue.
4.  Windsurfing again in 2 weeks, surfing in 3.  This was before paddling.  Had SUP been invented, I would have been paddling the first week out.   

Bruce in Seattle

[SoCalSupper]

Socal you lived in the dessert for 20 years that explains a lot,

For sure you don't need to worry about the srf's ear the aliens probably already abducted your ear bones

good one Monkey- plus since i wear the tinfoil hood i should be safe!

[surf monkey]

Bbarry

I had a friend that lives in Hawaii and he flew over a couple of months ago to go to the Dr. in Santa Cruz he is suppose to be good he did both ears at the same time for him.

In the LA area their is a Dr, Abraham in the Marina Del Rey area that uses the chisels and is the guy he is the one everyone recommended I had three friends go to him. My regular ear Dr. told me you want to pick someone that did a bunch of these. I had to go to UCLA that's were my insurance sent me. The guy I ended up with said it was a common surgery for him.

[bbarry]

Yeah, I think the problem is the old way of doing it was to  basically unzip the ear and get at the growth vs the new way which is just go charging straight in John Wayne style and chisel the growth out.

Since my ENT Doc was a friend, I accused him of not being able to tell which ear was which and therefore inventing a surgery that could fix the problem but would not include pulling the ears off with the attendant risk of sewing them back on the wrong sides.

I thought it was hilarious.  He didnt seem to find the humor in it.

Bruce in Seattle

[Menlo SUPr]

1.  Docs ProPlugs.   After the first time or two you feel weird in the water without them.  Make sure you get the ones with the small holes for pressure relief.  These dont cut down on the sound terribly.   Dont leave home without them if you are going into the surf zone.

At $15 bucks, I'm ready to spring for a pair. The problem is that they come in seven different sizes, and I have NO idea what my ear canal size is. Waist, shirt, hat, no problem. I even know what size watch face fits well on my wrist, but how the heck is one supposed to know what size ear plug to get?