Protecting my ears while swimming

Hey everybody, I am hoping for suggestions about swimming and preventing water from getting into my ears.

I have a perforated ear drum and in a few months I will be going on vacation where swimming is a must. I love to swim, but for the past 5 years, I have not been able to because any water that gets through my perforated ear drum causes ear infections for me. I have really narrow ear canals and my ears are slow to dry out anyhow. I have tried all manners of ear plugs and they all seem to leak underwater. I found a swimming mask that is supposed to protect the ears but I don't know how well it actually works. Is anyone familiar with it?

http://www.proear2000.com/

I would like to also hear any other suggestions that anyone has...

Have you tried Mack's ear plugs? Lots of the kids on the swim team wear them and say they really work. I use them when sleeping in hotels and they sure block sound, too!

Cally

My sister has the same issue as you and is having surgery in June.

She uses a specialised earplug - it is made from silicone. Not sure what brand it is but she said it works wonders.

I have already tried the surgery and it didn't work.

The silicone earplugs leaked when I tried them, I haven't heard of Mack's ear plugs, I will look them up...

My daughter had problems when she was younger, which resulted in tubes put in her ears and she too was not supposed to get water in her ears.

I do not know what brand these were, but I found ummm, pliable ear plugs... it was a putty of some sort which you put in the ear then pressed it firmly on the outside flattening it to your ear and it would seal against the ear. She never had a problem with leaks.

Similiar to this: http://www.earplugsonline.co.za/swim...-earplugs.html but not made from the same material.

Maybe this is an odd suggestion. But what about using a cleaner in your ears after in case there is a leak? That way any dirty water is cleaned out and the cleaner could help dry your ear canals.

I have a perforated eardrum and my ENT made special plugs for me when I get my head wet and when I go swimming. She also has me dip a cotton ball in petroleum jelly and stick it in the ear canal to help water proof it.

Maybe you could get your ENT to make you some custom earplugs that fit snuggly in your ear.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Maybe this is an odd suggestion. But what about using a cleaner in your ears after in case there is a leak? That way any dirty water is cleaned out and the cleaner could help dry your ear canals.

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I cannot put any cleaners or drops into the ear with the perforated ear drum.

Did you check out the Mack's ear care site? They even have an electric "ear dryer" that might work really well in conjunction with the Mack's Ear Pillow plugs.

Cally

I get swimmers ear when I swim without plugs, so I use the Macks silicone plugs with no problems. But I don't swim that much...

If you say those didnt work for you, maybe you could try using those along with the ear protector goggles you mentioned?

Yeah, maybe a combination of things would be best. Either way, I am going to try ordering some things and then do a swim at the local YMCA to test them out.

If nothing works you could always try some sort of modified wet suit to cover just your head.. Or get an old fashion diving suit, you'd have the most unique and possibly frightening (to young children) swimsuit.

Getting one of those and going to the local lake and walking out of it covered in moss sounds like fun....

Originally Posted by strange_wings

If nothing works you could always try some sort of modified wet suit to cover just your head.. Or get an old fashion diving suit, you'd have the most unique and possibly frightening (to young children) swimsuit.

Getting one of those and going to the local lake and walking out of it covered in moss sounds like fun....

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That is so bad...and yet, so tempting

A wetsuit is usually made from neoprene and isn't made to keep you dry, it's made to keep you warm, so some water would still get in. However, you may be on to something...maybe a dry suit hood. I'm not very familiar with dry suits, so I don't know if you can get a hood by itself, or if you need the entire suit (mega bucks), but it's worth looking into. They ARE meant to keep you dry (hence the name, ).

One question I have, you're only going to be swimming on the surface, right? No free diving down?

Ok, forget my last post. The hoods are neoprene too, which would help but they aren't waterproof. In order to get completely waterproof you need to get the whole suit and that's around $1000. So, nevermind. Sorry. But, maybe a hood with the earplugs would work? The hoods by themselves are around $30-$50.

I will be swimming in a pool so there will be underwater action to a depth of about 6 or 7 ft. Instead of getting a whole hood, I did find a band that is meant to help keep pressure on earplugs and keep ears dry.

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/earbanearret.html

Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

I will be swimming in a pool so there will be underwater action to a depth of about 6 or 7 ft. Instead of getting a whole hood, I did find a band that is meant to help keep pressure on earplugs and keep ears dry.

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/earbanearret.html

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COOL! Glad you found something that will work! So, where are you going for vacation, and if it's warm, can I come??

I will be going to Palm Springs, CA - In the summer, when it is absolutely witheringly hot! That is why I will be spending most of my time in the pool! You are welcome if you want!