Swimming- water in my ear.

[Thistledew]

I have recently taken up swimming again after barely having been in a pool for 10 years.

Every time I swim, I get water stuck in my left ear. It fills up on the first length and does not unblock for sometimes hours after my swim. No amount of head shaking or nose blowing seems to shift it so I have to wait for it to suddenly drain of its own accord, sometimes only when I have been laying down asleep. It feels quite uncomfortable until it drains and I'm concerned about it causing infections.

Is this something worth seeing my GP about? Maybe getting my ear syringed? Any other tips for draining it quickly?

Thanks
x

Glug?

Speak to a pharmacist. I'm sure you can get ear plugs for swimming. People with grommets in aren't allowed to get water in their ears.

It is likely you have a wax build up which is trapping the water. If this is the case, you need micro suction (essentially a little vacuum cleaner) to remove the wax. It is more gentle and effective than syringing/irrigation. Unfortunately this can be hard to get on the nhs. I had a blocked ear followed by a series of horrible ear infections which the nhs did a bunch of useles "treatments" on for 4 months before I paid privately for micro suction which immediately sorted the problem. 9 gp appointment. Waste of time and useless. One consultant appointment. 10 minutes. Fixed.

Thanks tabby- I had seen the earplugs and will use them if I can't get the problem fixed, but I am aiming to compete in a Triathlon this year so need to be able to go straight from swimming to cycling without having to fiddle about taking earplugs out.

Scootee- thanks for the advice. That is really useful to know. My GP is quite good so I will try them in the first place but move in if that doesn't work.

You can buy a product called earol for swimmers ear - like a spray. Get it from online swim shops or amazon.

I know you said that no amount of head shaking fixes the problem, so my advice might not contribute much, but spinning around fast enough can make enough centripetal force to make it move! Sounds silly, but a quick spin usually works for me!