blown ear drum!!

So I blew out my ear drum taking a fall last sunday when I was riding! lost about 25% of my hearing and blew out 80% of my drum. So I just ordered a helmet which has ear protection. I wanna know if it's a good idea to put earplugs in when you ride. Can you drive them into you're ear when you hit the water??

I had a friend who's son just did the same thing. They got a special ear plug for him. I think they went to the doctor to get them. He actually blew one then a week later blew out the other one! ouch!

blew mine out saturday for the first time....
i didnt go to a doctor. what are you doing for it?

They will give you ear drops to help prevent infections. Otherwise it should heal on its own. If its too bad they will have to graft it.

Sleep with your ear down so it drains.

we have ear plugs we use when we shoot. they are custom molded for your ears. you can get a set for 50$ they wont push further into your ears. i used to get ear infections all the time. pretty much every time i would swim or board. so i started wearing the one that kept getting infected. and no more water it the ear.

There was a great discussion of this a month or two ago - here is the link. Read up for a ton of info, but overall, make sure you keep it dry so it can heal properly.

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/1/693485.html

ty

That sounds extremely painful! Good luck on a speedy recov!

I had that happen and it sucks. I ride with ear plugs all the time now because its happend to me so much. I just buy the cheap wax type. they mold to your ear and never had a problem getting them out. Plus they come like 10 pairs keep them on the boat and every two weeks or so I will throw a pair out and put new ones in.

I've blown mine 3 or 4 times, and would have 3-4 times per season if I didnt start using Docs ear plugs, you dont notice them in and they are about 8-10$, will last season to season
do a search and get fitted for them.
They are sold at our local dive shop
You can still hear in them vs the foam plugs

I didn't have very good luck with Doc's ProPlugs. I bought a pair after I blew my eardrum. The first time I used them was about 3 weeks after I blew it. The first time I fell, I lost both of them and blew it out again. (It still healed itself within about 2 months of the second injury).

I went back to the scuba shop and got a one size larger pair. I also tried on a pair that was two sizes larger, but they were too big. I had been wearing the larger plugs under a water polo cap, which, in turn, was worn under Pro-tec Ace without ear protection. (I taped and Shoe Gooed most of the vents on the ear cups. The ear cups are rigid and will not collapse against the ear on a hard fall). Recently, I forgot to bring the helmet and the water polo cap, and after two or three falls, I lost one of the ProPlugs again. Since then, I've abandoned the ear plugs, but the water polo cap with the helmet offers pretty good protection.

I used to wear one of these when I was slalom skiing. The eardrum thing was more prevalent there because you would tend to fall on your side.

Haven't used one since I started wakeboarding in '96.

http://www.bartswatersports.com/catalog.asp?P=4022

if the ear plugs are small enough you can

yup that was me, I recommend the moldable cheap earplugs from the drug store, they work better than the custom made ones in my opinion

I picked up moldable ones and I also ordered a helmet with ear flaps. I'm hoping between the two of them i can protect the ears, and not have this happen again. It's cutting into my riding!! Oh yea, the diagnosis, is 20% chance of healing on its own, and I lost 80% of the ear drum, and lost 25% of my hearing. the one guy who posted asking about what to do, I suggest seeing an ear nose and throat doctor, and they will have you're hearing checked out, and of course diagnose you properly

how long does it take to heal on its own?

"how long does it take to heal on its own?"

As I recall, I blew mine out on Dec. 7, '08. I blew it out again on New Years Day. After the second injury, the ENT told me to come back on March 3. When he examined my ear on March 3, he said that it had fully healed.

woah will that 25% of your hearing come back?

it's supposed to take a couple of weeks to heal. As far as my hearing, it's supposed to come back, but I don't know how much. next week the doc is gonna tell me whether or not I need surgery. they will basically make a new eardrum!!

You need to see a Dr if this happens to ensure no infection starts. A gnarly infection in the ear canal if left untreated can spread to nearby organs....need that brain much? It's pretty close to the ear.

I was actually told once (by a dermatologist) that you should not even pinch zits higher than your mouth because they can create an infection that could reach the brain. Not sure I'd be that worried, but the ear needs medical attention.

Ive blown both of mine out. Started wearing doc proplugs with sucess so far, but I feel like mine blow from being pressureized when i hold my breath and impact the water. My own lungs blow them out. The first time I blew one out it was better within a week. The second time took a month before I stopped leaving yellow and bloody drainage stains on my pillow. Yum. Good luck dudeman.

mine took 4 months to heal, so don't panic if it takes a while...
I really didn't want to have surgery! my ENT was going to wait 6 months before taking any action, so don't let yours rush you!

also, popping your ears all the time can slow down the healing, so try to avoid it if you can!

the other thing my ENT told me was to make sure i wore earplugs in the shower as well - apparently clean water wouldn't have been too bad, but soap/shampoo is a no no!