Ear Infections

I don't have this problem, but I do see some swimmers putting some type of drops in their ears and that is suppose to help reduce this problem.

a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol is what my doctor told me to use. But then I found earplugs and don't have that problem if I use them. Without them, water stays in my ears for a long time.

So try a couple of drops of alcohol and see how that works.

JB,
Have your sinuses been full...pardon the intrustion...of snot? Using a warm salt water nasal wash either before or after the swim can help. (1 cup of warm water and a quarter a teaspoon of salt - non iodized is better, but it's all good - if you use the coarser variety of salt, i.e. kosher, then a half teaspoon will suffice). For some folks, like myself, the chlorine or bromine formulations used to keep the pool from becoming a sess-pool irritate my nasal lining and my sinuses produce a lot of snot. I clean them out and also use a mix of (1:1) of glycerin and 95% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol, but the highest grade you can get as it is "cut" with water - the stuff causing the problem in the first place - as opposed to the 70% variety) as drops in my ears. ;-) I do use earplugs, but sometimes they don't keep water out or I manage to "inhale" before my face completely out of the water - how irritating - and the sinuses become "excited" about the introduction of water and hence, my ears and nose join forces to keep me out of the training cylce. This little routine I use to head off the snot brigade. Hope you can modify some of it for your benefit.
Vanessa

Thanks all for the suggestions so far...
Vanessa, it sounds like I am like you and have overexcitable sinuses. I am allergy prone and have overexcitable skin too!! I will head off to the drugstore today. Would the saline nasal sprays work too? Of course, they are expensive!
Another question I had was whether it is easy to find droppers for homemade ear drops and nasal spray containers. I will try looking in the baby care aisles as well as the eye/ear shelves at the drugstore.

JB

I use the Speedo plastic ones. Not overly comfortable, but not so horrible that I can't use them. I really haven't found any others that I like and I haven't looked all that hard.

I am not sure about the saline sprays, as I have no experience with them. I got a neti pot (looks like Aladdin's lamp!) and use it for moving the salt water through the snot factory. For the ear drops, I have my "mix" which I keep in a little jar. It's lid is deep enough that I can pour a little into the lid. I use an old, plastic eyedrop container. I pinch it so that a lot of the air is out of it, invert it and let go. It sucks the mix into the dropper and I take it with me when I go for a swim! I suppose an old gravy boat could serve the salt water to one's nose, if a neti pot were not around. If you're interested, I could post the site where I found my pot. But I can imagine the sprays might be just as effective - I just don't know ;-) .
Vanessa

Alcohol readily absorbs water. Then the alcohol evaporates. I used to use rubbing alcohol to clear my ears when I swam UIL, USS, and NCAA. Of course, this was only after I would frantically hop on one leg hoping the water would drain from my ear. But when that water drains from my ear, it is such a...satisfying feeling.

I've tried the alcohol q-tips and I still cannot get the water out of my ears. Every night after I swim I spend a half hour shaking my head like a dog. I've found if I lay on a pillow for a while eventually it comes out but its such a nuisance to wait that long for relief. Its not pain its just annoying. Maybe I'll try the ear plugs.

I haven't had this problem since I started using ear plugs. I am completely miserable without them. The water stays in my ears for days making me crazy (ok, crazier). There are different types of plugs and they are relatively cheap, so try a few different sets to see what works best in your ear.

Are these plugs specific to swimming or do I just walk into a store and purchase any old industrial ear plugs?

I have found that if you tilt your head to the side with the water and hop on one leg on that same side, the water usually works its way out of the ear. It is a little unorthodox, but it works for me. Reminds me of that final episode of Seinfeld when Kramer was hopping around the airplane to get water out his ear.

The feeling I experience of that warm water as it trickles out of my ear is a sick, twisted, euphoria for me.

I can completely relate to the euphoria. Its like the feeling right after you pull a splinter out or get a rock out of your shoe. =)

you'd be better off in a sporting goods store. I use the Speedo earplugs. They come 3 in a little case. There are some that are wax-like and you can mold them but I didn't have much luck with those.