Having said that, if you get treated in the first couple of weeks your odds of recovery are pretty good depending on a lot of factors and the extent of damage. I regret getting the steroids from the Otologist 6 days after the incident when I was at the ENT just two days after the incident. He prescribed a high dose of oral steroids prednisone taper: 60mg for 5 days, 40mg for five days and 20mg for 5 days. I did not seem to have any vestibular system (balance) issues. The Otolist confirmed my hearing loss and ordered tests that induce vertigo to see if I had round window or oval window damage (you may need to do some Googling). He referred me to a specialist, an Otologist. The ENT suspected inner ear damage caused by a barotrauma (pressure induced shockwave). I had lost 6k and 8k down to 65db and 70db in my right ear. Sitting on my kayak I tried to do a surface clear (not a good idea in retrospect), but the ringing and fullness remained two days later and on Monday I saw an ENT. When I finished for the day I noticed that my right ear was muffled and I heard ringing. Equalizing was getting slightly more difficult but nothing alarming and no forceful clearing. I was starting to feel my estachean tubes tighten up towards the end of the day. I only had one day where freediving caused vertigo and the day I injured my right inner ear I felt no pain. I probably should have taken the vertigo as a sign that I might one day sustain a lasting injury. I have allergies and slow opening estachean tubes and I got used to managing alternobaric vertigo while on Scuba. It's safer than scuba in some ways, but there is still the same potential to hurt your ears. Freediving requires less gear and once I got used to it, it became more relaxing than scuba. I have been doing hookah scuba diving off my kayak in 18-30' of water for a few years. I got into freediving about 6 months ago.
I'm new to this forum, but I grew up in South FL and I am no stranger to the ocean.
If an ENT determines that you have sudden significant sensorineural hearing loss, that is not associated with middle ear trauma, you should ask the ENT about a high dose of oral steroids. I realize that not everyone has health insurance or quick access to a good ENT, but if you do don't wait. My advice to anyone who experiences hearing loss or ringing after a dive go straight to an ENT or Otologist or call DAN. Loosing hearing and having a persistent rining sound for several days is scary, especially if you just Google the issue and wait it out. Only an ENT or Otologist (better, but harder to find) can tell you how you hurt your ears. I didn't join this forum just to talk about ears, but I thought I would share my story for the next guy who is scouring the internet for answers. This site is one of the few sources on the internet with ear injury stories that mirror my own.
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