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Chronic Blocked Ear and Cold/Altitude Triggered Pain

Posted , 2 users are following.

AlinaGG
AlinaGG

Hi, I am a 23-year-old female and I really need some help and advice, as I am starting to get really paranoid! Where do I begin? I have been suffering from several ear problems (which I am not even sure are related to each other) for quite a while now. It all started around 4 years ago when I got an ear infection. I was prescribed antibiotics, which helped. However, the doctor also decided to put some strange pink stuff inside my ear to 'treat' it. He smeared it onto a piece of cotton and then sticked that piece onto a very sharp and long piece of metal, which he inserted very deep into my left ear. To say that it hurt would be a major understatement. It literally felt like a sharp knife being insreted into my ear and I had sharp pain for the rest of the day. Hoewever, he reassured me that it was completely normal.

Antibiotics worked and my infection cleared. But then I started noticing that my left ear was feeling blocked (like when a plane takes off and your ears get stuffy, that sort of feeling but less intense). I went to another doctor, a private one this time, and she did all sorts of scans and ultrasounds and hearing analyses, and they all turned out pretty much OK. She told me that the only thing that could be causing it would be my slightly deviated septum (which is not visually noticable) and suggested a surgery. But I had a feeling that that wasn't it.

Now it got to the point where my left ear is constantly SLIGHTLY blocked. Which means my hearing is a tiny bit weaker in my left ear. It doesn't really affect my hearing that much - to be honest I am used to it by now. But when it does clear out, I realise that it was blocked and in that moment I can hear properly and it feels amazing! The most bizzare thing is that my ear only clears out when I eat a raw chilly pepper! The heat from the chilli makes my nose drain and then opens up my left ear. It goes back to being blocked in about 20 minutes and stays blocked. I should also probably mention that I suffer from a dust allergy and/or hay fever.

In addition to this, I was on a plane about 3 months ago, and experienced excruciating pain in my ears, which quickly moved to the centre of my head. It happened while the plane was landing and the pain was so sharp and strong that I thought something might have collapsed inside my head, like a nerve or a blood vessel, and I was genuinely concerned for my life, to the point I wanted to call the plane hosts for help. It was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced and it lasted for about 20 minutes. It stopped once the plane landed.

What actually made me write this post - I went for a run this evening without my headphones. It was pretty chilly and windy outside and my ears and head got quite cold in the breeze. Then suddenly out of nowhere this horrible pain came - in my ears, my jaw, and the area of the skull around the ears. It felt like a crushing pain inside the bone, that was travelling inwards, into my head. It stopped as soon as I got home, and I also took a strong pain killer.

Could this be related to the allergies and the mucus build up that might be blocking my hearing? Are the bone pain and the stuffed ear even related? Could this even be a more serious condition like a brain tumor or something like that? Or maybe that doctor did something to the inside of my ear that didn't heal properly and is affecting me now? I am a musician so my hearing is everything to me and quite frankly all this stuff is terrifying me. sad

Any help would be very appreciated! Thank you!

Alina

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • AlinaGG
    AlinaGG

    Posted

    Just realised that I posted this in child's health? So sorry, I am new to the forum. :D
  • Olizzieo
    Olizzieo AlinaGG

    Posted

    It sounds like eustachian tube dysfunction ETD. A change in altitude can cause severe pain when there is an increase in negative pressure behind your ear drum. Sometimes the eardrum bursts. It sounds like yours was almost at that point. The discomfort from cold is obviously related to this. This is definitely not a brain tumor or acoustic neuroma as these cause completely different symptoms. You should have seen an ENT. Was the doctor you spoke about a GP or ENT?  The very worst thing you could have is a cholesteatoma from the continued negative pressure, but that is highly unlikely.

    If you have seen an ENT and you still don't feel like the deviated septum is the cause of your problems, take all your test results to another ENT and get a second opinion. You definitely need a tympanogram to see what the pressure in your middle ear is doing. Good luck!!!!

    • AlinaGG
      AlinaGG Olizzieo

      Posted

      Hi Olizzieo,

      Thank you for your response!

      I just googled ETD and that sounds like it. All the symptoms match! I went to an ENT, but she didn't diagnose it. sad I will make an appointment with a new one now. Maybe you know of any good ENTs in West End, that you could recommend?

      Also, how dangerous is ETD? I read that surgery is one the possible solutions. Is that always necessary or can it be treated in non-surgical ways? And how dangerous is the surgery? Is there any risk of hearing loss due to the surgery? I have to fly again soon so gettin pretty worked up about this. sad

      Sorry for too many questions and thanks a lot for your help! smile

      Alina

       

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