Ear and Nose Plugs

emkhowleyemkhowley Boston, MACharter Member

Hi gang- I'm working on a column for SWIMMER magazine about ear plugs and nose clips and the pros and cons of using them in open water (or pool-- although this is for the Out in the Open column, we can mention pool swimming if it's relevant.)

Who's got a great anecdote about that time you used a nose plug and forgot to take it off to eat or drink? Or a story about getting surfer's ear because you lost an earplug mid-swim. Or, or, or... I wanna hear it. Comment below and I'll follow up with you directly if it looks like a fit for the piece. (And yes, you have to be a current USMS member for me to be able to quote you in the piece. Sorry, not my rules...)
Thanks!
Elaine

Stop me if you've heard this one...
A grasshopper walks into a bar...
https://elainekhowley.com/

Comments

  • jendutjendut Charter Member

    'member that time I did a 20 hour swim and fiddled around with/jammed my earplug in on TOP of water that was already in my ear and then had to explain the situation to the disbelieving CVS minute-clinic woman when I self diagnosed with raging swimmers ear and she wasn't so sure and gave me the wrong drops? #wellyesihavebeeninthewater #ithinkiknowswimmersear

    dpm50emkhowley
  • ssthomasssthomas DenverCharter Mem​ber

    I hate wearing ear plugs because I find them uncomfortable and I hate not being able to hear. However, the conventional wisdom is that they're a necessity, so when I did my first marathon swim, Catalina, I took everyone's advice and used ear plugs. For the first half of the swim, which takes place overnight, I couldn't hear a thing. I was already disoriented in the dark and couldn't hear instructions from my crew on the boat. This terrible combo lead to a major meltdown around 3 am, with me stopping and yelling at the top of my lungs, "I don't know where I'm supposed to swim!" Not my best moment. Soon after, one of my ear plugs fell out, which felt annoying but I didn't care since I could hear again. Now, I only wear them if I'm in really, really cold water.

  • rosemarymintrosemarymint Charleston, SCCharter Member

    Two weeks ago one of my silicone earplugs leaked while I was in 48f water. I had to cut my swim short because the intense cold against my ear drum threw off my equilibrium. I almost face-planted in the sand once I got on land. Also, cold water against an unsuspecting ear drum hurts like a mofo.

  • andissandiss Senior Member
    edited April 2016

    You don't get surfer's ear during A swim - its actually a condition where the ear canal is narrowed by bone which grows slowly in the ear canal due to cold exposure over a long period of time. The bone grows in lumps, which form bulges. I have friends who have had to operate beacuse of it.

    8ff9e6_9a7cd7091e3c4ec7bbf7cb129779c106

    Anyway if i forget my earplugs I chew paper into a ball and stuff into my ears, works really well as long as the paperball isnt too small or comes apart.....

    loneswimmer
  • emkhowleyemkhowley Boston, MACharter Member

    Ewww. Those are some nasty ears.

    JaimieJSwim

    Stop me if you've heard this one...
    A grasshopper walks into a bar...
    https://elainekhowley.com/

  • emkhowleyemkhowley Boston, MACharter Member

    jendut said:
    'member that time I did a 20 hour swim and fiddled around with/jammed my earplug in on TOP of water that was already in my ear and then had to explain the situation to the disbelieving CVS minute-clinic woman when I self diagnosed with raging swimmers ear and she wasn't so sure and gave me the wrong drops? #wellyesihavebeeninthewater #ithinkiknowswimmersear

    Funny, I DO remember that swim!

    Stop me if you've heard this one...
    A grasshopper walks into a bar...
    https://elainekhowley.com/

  • robrechtrobrecht Princeton, New JerseyMember

    Mostly pool swimmer here. I used to get regular ear infections, until I started wearing earplugs and now I don't get ear infections any more.

    As for nose plugs, I am still looking for some that I like. Until I find ones I like, I don't use them.

  • Sarah4140Sarah4140 DenverMember

    Sinus saver nose plugs--they work by fitting in your nostrils. Sounds weird but much more comfortable than nose clips (for me anyway)--get 'em on Amazon--between ear and nose plugs I have not had a serious sinus infection this year....

    dpm50
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