Your tips to avoid recurrent swimmer's ear please

[hippospot]

Do you use ear plugs? Which ones?

Or a spray in your ears before swimming?

Or a spray after swimming?

I'm waiting for an ENT referral but am interested to know what has worked for you. I've been swimming weekly for decades yet in the last six months I've started to have problems - and coincidentally (?) have had wax build-up too for the first time. It's so frustrating!

I've tried the mouldable blue ear plugs (ones that look a bit like blutak) and water still got in.

Thanks

Now and again I use Speedo’s earplugs and they don’t leak. When I swim outdoors I rinse my ears with freshwater afterwards if I’ve not had earplugs. The earwax might affect it so it might be worth getting some ear cleaning drops.

Getting the wax cleared will be your first step really. There are places that you can pay to get it done and it's not overly expensive.

You can put a couple of drops of olive oil in your ear and it should clear out the wax

Get some ear molds fitted. About £30 a pair and they are made for your ears. They last about a year.

Ent should have a sept which will fit you ear plugs properly for £30 each. I’ve kept my ears dry for almost 2 years now and it hasn’t really stopped the ear infections.
it’s such a bloody pain. Good luck

*dept

I had to wear ear plugs and a cap

Then I had to wear a nose clip too

In the end I gave up swimming because of it!

Swim seal ear drops every time before swimming.

Many thanks everyone.
I was told the ENT referral would be quick (a few day). Three weeks later - nothing. I'm reluctant to swim until I've seen someone. I really miss swimming :(

I’ve worn cheap swimming earplugs since I was 18 (I’m 50 now) because of getting ear problems and now I hate the feel of a swim without them

I hate to say it, but I gave up swimming whilst I had this. I restarted a few years later when it had cleared and don’t get the same problem but it just kept coming back and I had to stop both swimming and wearing headphones.

Get the wax cleared
There isn't really much more to it

DS Had putty stuff that went in his ear then an ear bandit that went on top of that. Finally when he came out of the pool we would carefully dry his ears with a warm hairdryer.

I think drying with the hairdryer was an important piece in the puzzle.

Zoggs swim ear plugs work for me they are shaped R & L and I pull my hat down too.

Thanks so much everyone. I have an appointment soon with an ENT specialist so I will ask lots of questions. I'll be heartbroken if I have to give up swimming and I'll do whatever I need to to avoid that.

I tried the putty stuff but water still got in.

I do now dry my ears with a hairdryer every day.

How did things work out in the end? Are you still able to swim?

@Infracat thank you for your message.

The ENT consultant said I simply had blocked ears so he cleared the wax. He advised me to swim as normal (as I have done for 30+ years!) with no drops or ear plugs, and to see him again if the pain recurred. He said water - clean or dirty - in the ears shouldn't cause a problem - UNLESS it gets trapped behind a wax build-up.

In the event I've not swum much since then as I've had a different health problem, so I haven't really had the chance to see if things are ok or not. Fingers crossed when I resume swimming it'll be ok.