To be honest, although I'm always aware of it, I haven't really had any major problems with it for the past few years. I'm fine flying but repeated exposure to tall buildings and a change in pressure due to a storm etc (we've just had a typhoon which is why I'm currently in quite a lot of pain and will be for the next day or two), if I mess about with wax removal procedures or if I am particularly run down and tired. Usually I find that repeatedly holding my nose and blowing will stop me from coming down with serious tonsillitis as I used to do. My question is though is this going to cause my ears long term damage and am I risking deafness? After thirteen years it obviously isn't going to clear up on its own but equally as it only causes me sporadic and mostly mild problems is it worth having the invasive ear slicing surgery?
Sorry if this reply has been a bit self indulgent but I do at least provide an example of someone who has suffered from this for years and lives with it for 95% of the time without any problems. I also think that for anyone suffering with similar tonsillitis like symptoms and you think it is because of your ears don't let your GP try and convince you otherwise. Even when I went back to my GP after seeing the specialist he remained very sceptical. To be honest when I tell anyone my ears haven't popped for so long they have trouble believing me so it's nice to see that other people have had similar experiences.
Thank you so much for writing about this everyone, great to know we aren’t alone!
I have Eustation Tube Dysfunction too, maddening crackling in my ears which often occurs after a flight (owing to cabin pressure changes especially on decent apparently) or a head cold. Normally it clears in a week or so, but I have now had it for 6 months, and whilst irritating during the day, at its worst I can go for days without being able to get sleep. After several trips to the Dr’s and basically been fobbed off, given a nasal spray / antihistamines /told to pop my ears by holding my nose. After 6 months of crackling, I demanded a referral to the ENT at our local hospital. They were great, checked my hearing and eardrum pressure which was fine and apparently ETD isn’t known to effect hearing, which was a relief to hear.
The specialist told me to only use nasal sprays if I had a cold or blocked sinus not long term. To buy an Otovent, fairly cheap at under £10 which is a specially pressurised balloon contraption used to clear ‘Glue Ear’ . so far I am on week 2 using it 3 times a day….. .nothing miraculous so far but slight improvement, and you can certainly tell it does something with all the popping that goes on. Next phase is to buy an ‘EarPopper’ although they cost around £100 and the specialist said he had no real knowledge about how effective they are, just that they were on the market.
Anyone used one?
I do find that sleeping on the side of the most effected ear helps calm it down completely most of the time. And also walking up hills or generally moving about too.
I've had ear problems all my life. As a kid I'd get swimmer's ear, have to have wax removed from my ears, and got repeated ear infections. I've had intermittent problems most of my life, some long lasting, some fairly minor but my latest bout has lasted 9 months. It started with a cold, turned into a sinus/ear infection with fluid in the ear. I've been on 5 rounds of antibiotics, I'm on my 6th round of prednisone, I've been sent to an ENT who basically did nothing. She sent me to another dr for food allergy testing that turned out negative. I've had cranial manipulation which did not help, acupuncture which did not help. I've had allergy testing, which I had over 15 years ago. I learned nothing new except that I still have pretty severe allergies and the allergist thinks that my ear issue is allergy related. When questioned as to why all of a sudden I'm having such severe issues now, I was told that the body changes and sometimes certain things will set off the body. I don't feel like I have allergies, but I'm told that there is a 98% chance that that is what's going on. Some days are tolerable, but other days are absolutely miserable and it's all I can do to make it through the day. I get tremendous head pressure...my forehead hurts, my scalp hurts, my left ear is plugged, ringing extremely loudly, and I can hardly hold my head up or keep my eyes open from the pressure. I take Singulair once a day, Nasonex twice a day...this is normal routine for me. When I'm at my worst, I add in sudafed and high doses of mucinex. I can't say that these really help all that much. I feel like nothing really helps. The prednisone is hit and miss...sometimes,. usually at higher doses than what I'm being prescribed now, I will feel good again, but that only lasts several days after my last dose. I have a family and a job and bills and responsibilities and it's so hard to function through this days on end. If I can get at last several days of feeling good, it gives me some hope and then the bad days aren't too bad...because I have hope, but when I go for so long only having bad days, it makes it harder to stay positive. I've done just about everything...wax candles, high doses of garlic, Vit B, Zinc, and now I'm going to start high doses of Vitamin C. I have some good doctors, but it's just like they don't have a clue what to do for me...except the allergist who seems positive that my issues are allergy related. I will start the allergy shots next week but I'm told that I won't see immediate relief. It could be a year before I feel any improvement he says. I'm not sure I can wait that long. It's so frustrating and exhausting. So hard to sleep with the ringing...although I did buy an air filter which is really loud and I sleep with that at night and it helps. I also use melatonin sometimes to sleep and sometimes Tylenol PM...but neither of these do I use that often. I just try to deal with it, some days are harder than others. Today is really bad. Came home early from work because the ringing got so loud I could barely hear anything around me and couldn't concentrate on anything but it. I wish I could find something that would provide me some release.
im 45 had this sine sempetmber it drive me nut they said put tubes in but im frighting of what it wil do to me ears
Greetings,
I have had ETD for over a year, so to speak.
I kept going to urgent care telling them I had an ear infection and they would look in my ears and say everything was fine.
My last doctor visit was 4 months ago and the Primary Care Doctor told me it was Eustachian Tube Dysfunction.
No antibiotics were given, only a spray for the nostrils (which I never took)
Here I am today, searching for answers. I would have to say that I have had tinnitus for 4 months. Ringing in the ears mostly at night with no hearing loss. Bearable to where I just tune it out.
My symptoms progressed as follows over the course of about a year:
Ear Fullness
Ear Fluid (you could feel it move when you would lie down)
Fluttering in the ears (like a bug was flying)
Now Constant Ringing (tinnitus)
Now also at night sinus 'weirdness' almost like inflammation in the high part of my sinuses behind the top of my nose. (not painful)
Spit constantly green mucus mostly in the mornings.
Area where I think anatomically speaking, the Tubes, seems a little swollen.
Some pain in my jaw joint - when I press with my fingers, I feel some pain, but feel like pressure is 'released'? Weird.
I have PPO High Deductible insurance, but every ENT specialist I have ever called is booked 1-2 months down the road.
Any of you out there have experienced what I have?
Any suggestions on to how I can clear my Eustachian Tubes?
I can easily blow my mouth when covering my nose and get a pop from the left side easily.
If I have a virus I cannot kick, any ideas on how to get rid of the virus to get better?
Thanks for your replies.
Anxiously awaiting,
JH in Riverside, CA
Thank you so much, I am starting to hear pretty helpless.