Protect those ears!
Posted by Toby on March 13th, 2008
The following is a short excerpt from an email from one of my buddies whom has been paddling for many years - It makes you think.
Alright fellas, I am a little bummed, but it sounds like I have to get my ear roto-rooted. About three weeks ago, I lost the hearing in my right ear. I just figured that if I gave it time, it would get better. After two weeks, I finally made an appointment with an ear doctor. Apparently my Stenosis of the ear (Surfer’s ear - a condition that occurs when the ear canal is exposed to copious amounts of cold water) has progressed to a point where it does not drain so now when I get water in there, it just hangs around until an infection takes hold. In this case, it closed my ear canal. On Monday this week, the doctor told me to stay out of the water for at least three weeks. Now you can imagine how my mood has turned a little sour. Anyway, learn from this fellas. Let my pain be your gain. Sometimes earplugs can seem like a pain in the ass and it may seem like it is hard to find the right fit, but please try to find it.
Protect those ears! Take care of your body so you can enjoy using it the rest of your life!