6 weeks etd, any advice?
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hello all, I've been reading the posts and as it's quite an active board I thought I'd ask for some advice.
In mid December I made what I now know was a stupid mistake and cleaned my left ear too far in. I then proceeded to go to the gym the next day and turn my headphones up. After this I got some middle ear fluid.criss with myself I didn't do this again. As far as I can remember it started to improve, however on New Year's Eve I caught a horrendous cold (I've been prone to allergies and have been nasally all my life, so my colds usually consist of copious amounts of runny mucus for a few days). This cleared up in a couple of days however my ear clogged up again.ive been to the gp four times and I'm now on my second course of antibiotics. I have an ent appointment on the 21st march.
The gp has also diagnosed me with sinusitis, (one of my nostrils has always been a bit blocked so no change there). I was initially anxious about the possibility of something sinister (I have awful health anxiety) however I have been reassured by both the gp and reading posts on here that it's not. The cancer I was worried about is incredibly rare.
As I'm sure most of you can appreciate the eustacian tube dysfunction (gp diagnosis) is starting to really get me down. Symptoms have changed over time, the tinnitus isn't as bad, I no longer have blood in my mucus, the sinus pressure has subsided, but the fluid is what I can only imagine going up and down the eustacian tube. I stick my jaw forward and it drains, then it comes back.i was quite positive that the mucus seems to be more fluid, but now I'm at my wits end. I've had to take time off work, I've had a lot of stress recently with family cancer and two deaths in my immediate family. A lot of people have put this down to my immune system being really low.
My question is has anyone had the fluid drain and come back? My ears are constantly popping which is new. I feel i have enough fluid to quench the thirst of a football team! Any advice for remedies would be appreciated, ive tried steam, nasal spray (not steroid) 2 courses of antibiotics, blowing air out while holding my nose, all with short term success.one day I feel it's getting better then the next day not so much.
On top of this I've been signed off work, yet I have spent the majority of this time looking after my daughter who has tonsillitis and is continuously coughing around me!
I'm so sorry for the long post, like some of you I've started to become withdrawn from socialising and talking to people, this is all I think about
Catherine
0 likes, 3 replies
jill67883 catherine889
Posted
Why are you waiting until MARCH to see a specialst??? WAY too long! Middle ear infection needs immediate care. I have no idea what's going on but it does sound like a middle ear infection and you can't wait another two months. So far there's no diagnosis of ETD and your primary care Dr. does NOT have the expertise to make a diagnosis. You need an ENT with a sub-specialty in ear disorders, who can use a microscope to look into your ears, not your average ENT who does not have that equipment. If there's a large teaching hospital within a two hour drive, I'd ask for referral to the ENT clinic and when making appointment I would stipulate that I need the care of a sub-specialist. Where I lvie, the ENTs are not equipped to do anything but address common problems and I have to travel one plus hours in each direction to my specialist.
catherine889 jill67883
Posted
Thanks Jill, do you live in the U.K.? An urgent ent referral won't be done unless they think it's sinister. I don't believe it's a middle ear infection as I had no pain in the ear, but I could be wrong. I am going back to the gp on Friday as she wanted a follow up. There is no fluid in my middle ear at present (only last hour or so) but I can feel it near my sinuses causing pressure. I just don't understand how I've accumulated so much fluid, 8 find myself sitting forward to keep the fluid out of my ear for some relief, if I lean back it will go back.
I will speak to the doctor again on Friday, as I said it all feels looser but just a lot of it! Im not in pain but it's really affecting my life
jill67883 catherine889
Posted
I have ETD also and my ENT discovered today that my hearing is being affected, sent me for hearing test. There is fluid normally in the middle ear and the eustachian tubes drain it. I know the fluid is in there because I have clunking/clicking in that ear very bad (the other ear also but not as bad). I had a lot of work done on my ears for otitis externa (probably too much work) and my ETs are now inflamed. I don't have pain either. There are two treatments for ETD: wait and see (that seems to be preferred) along with (maybe) antihistamines, or placement of tubes in ears (surgery and not something I would do unless absolutely necessary). I am in the USA, our health care system is different.