Suggest Remedy For Swelling Of The Ear Drum

My adult son went diving in central america. His right ear never cleared. It began swelling. He went to a doctor there that said he had an ear infection and put him on an antibiotic. This did not help. He went to another doctor who said he had fluid built up in his ear. He sent him to the hospital in Belize to see a specialist. The specialist said he has severe ear damage. The swelling of the ear drum is causing nerve damage that he felt would be permanent hearing loss. He prescribed prednisone and told him to fly to the states to seek immediate treatment. There were drugs here that would work better. He is scheduled to fly home today. Can you give me some insight as to if this may be a correct diagnosis and if it is OK to fly.Thank you Karen