Excellent question. Wow, I had no idea surgeons in India do this procedure! Anyway, to answer your question, it took surprising less time than I assumed. I was back in the water a little over a month after the surgery. Of course, if you get the old-style surgery (i.e., the drill) it takes much longer. In short, I was really happy with the surgery and had no post-surgery complications. The ear healed quite nicely and wasn’t very painful. Good luck!

Many thanks for the article mate, lots of good info there.

I’m thinking of getting this procedure done in India early next year and then going travelling afterward, but not too sure of the recovery times involved. How long did it take yours to heal enough to be out and about with the pain gone?

Cheers,
Josh

Thanks for dropping me a line! Sorry to hear about your ear problems. Sounds pretty horrible.

Gosh, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m afraid I haven’t a clue about the kind of surgery you describe. As I mention in the article, Dr. Douglas Hetzler up here in Santa Cruz did my surgery. I’m afraid I’m not familiar with any ear surgeons down in So Cal. But you might want to give Dr. Hetzler’s office (831-458-6272) a call and ask about referrals. I’m assuming he would know about a competent doctor down there.

I’m afraid I don’t know who did Long’s surgery, but you’re right, I’m sure he was undoubtedly the best!

Thanks again, and I hope you’re able to work out your problem.

Frankly, I’ve never heard of BluTac, so I can’t really say whether it’s any good, though it sounds like a reasonable advice to use, as long as it doesn’t hurt your ear. Best to ask an ear doctor. Anyway, to answer your specific question, I’m not sure there is any way to prevent at least some water in your ear during a surf session. I wear Doc’s Proplugs and a hood, and even with both of these, some water still gets in my ear. I’m not sure there’s any device that would completely prevent water from entering your ear canal. I’m also assuming that some water is probably okay. The best we can do is slow the process of exostosis formation down, probably not eliminate it. Thanks for your question.

i asked a couple of local surfers here about surfer’s ears, and some said BluTac was the best to prevent it!

So I got some, take a couple of chunks of it and shape it like a grossly made needle, then stick it in my ears (by pushing on it and squeezing it).

It definitely feels like my ears are blocked (can hear myself breathe etc), and not cold, however I still feel like there is a tiny bit of water in my ears while I surf.

Does it sound like it’s good enough, or should I better keep my ears 100% dry?

Very good question. I didn’t run across any references to vertigo as a symptom in EAE cases, nor did I personally experience anything like vertigo or dizziness. But it stands to reason that it might be a possible symptom. My guess is, though, because EAE is a condition of the external auditory canal rather than the inner ear, EAE in all likelihood wouldn’t cause vertigo or dizziness. Although I’m certainly not a doctor, it seems to me that unless the otolith bones (the utricle and saccule) of the inner ear are affected, vertigo and vertigo-like symptoms probably wouldn’t manifest. But I could be wrong. Anyway, thanks for your question!