Ear troubles growing up a Problem for Navy Diving?

Hello,
I have had numerous ear infections growing up as a kid, but mainly only in my right ear.
I’m over that now, but not too long ago I was in the pool (Me and my buddy trying to drown eachother)
and I got a swift hit to the ear underwater (the suction of the hand ruptured my right eardrum)
and took a bit to recover full hearing. Now I am afraid that my eardrum will never be strong enough to take diving. I went snorkeling recently and dove down quite deep and felt a lot of pressure and got a bit paranoid.

If your feeling pain that means the pressure on the outside of your tympanic membrane (eardrum) is greater (or less) than the pressure on the inside. You should normally be able to equalize this pressure by allowing air to pass through your eustachian tubes to your middle ear. You can do this by holding your nose and trying to exhale through your nose gently, but if you have to push hard there is a problem. You can also try wiggling the muscles in your jaw and throat while partially swallowing. This is called the vasalva maneuver. It is kind of tricky to describe, but ones learned it is very easy to do.

If you have trouble equalizing your ears and/ or sinuses, you will definitely have problems diving and the SEALs will be out of the question.

The Diver’s Ear – Under Pressure, part 3-6

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