Clogged ear for 5 month - lots of exams that show nothing

Hey, I faced similar issue and went to lot of ent specialists, did scans, did that nose scope...etc, used antibiotics, painkillers, used ear oils, garlic...etc. but no use. Also did hot water flush, ear cleaning, ear popping which only increased the pain.

Avoid the following

- trying to pop ears is so wrong as it further clogs ears. If you have sinus, it will clog your ear.

- Avoid putting anything in ear like cotton buds or ear oil

- Avoid blowing nose on the bad ear side or stop the practice completely for some time

The following helped me greatly

- Double up on your vitamins to include zinc, magnesium, iodine and others

- instead of trying to pop ears, move your lower jaw from extreme left to right vigorously multiple times till you hear swooshing ear sound from bad ear

- Do pranayama, which is yogic technique to equalize the pressures in eustachian tube and outside air (check youtube on how to do it). This will regulate any pressure differences. You probably have a deviated septum, or you have some blockage due to sinus on the bad ear side.

- Ask ent specialist to rule out any ear drum perforation, or wax blockage, or any ear nerve swelling.

Thanks,

Sounds good Navi, however, having suffered this condition for forty years I've tried just about everything.  I've been taking a good multivitamin for years.  Someone on this Forum suggested taking Oil of Primrose, which he has found good, so I'm now taking that too, plus trying Turmeric, that is evidently good for inflammation.  Our tubes do get very inflammed and swollen.  I gently pop my ear from time to time only because I can't stand the continual blocked feeling....sometimes it works and sometimes it closes back up again.  I put my right hand finger into the right hand ear, then gently blow hoping this will pop my left ear, it ususally does.  The EarPopper I purchased was useless, so that was a £100 down the drain.  Breathing in Olbas Oil on a tissue can sometimes help to unbock too.

I'm waiting for a miracle cure for this condition....easy to unblock a nose, but ears are totally different.

Anne

Hello Cris,  Sorry to read you're still suffering.  So very hard to unblock ears.  I was so desperate in April I saw my ENT consultant who sees me twice yearly and ask for a 20 day reducing course of Prednisolone steroid tablets.....they are they only thing that work for me.  after 4 days my ears were clear of all the thick sticky mucus, my smell and taste returned, no post nasal drip, no sinus headaches.  All brillinat until recently.  Smell and taste has gone again, post nasal drip returned, but fortunately at the moment only occasionally does my left ear block.  I gently blow and manage to pop it and it stays open.  This is such a wretched condition to suffer and makes us all feel so miserable.  I'm sure these doctors don't understand how dibilitating it can be.  Someone on this Forum recommended taking 1000mg of Oil of Primrose, which I now do.  And I read that Turmeric can help with inflammation, so now taking that too.  I have always taken a good multivitamin and an extra vitamin D, as we don't get enough sunshine over here in England.  However, so far we've had a brilliant Summer so far this year.  I suffer allergies and take Citrizine (never a generic brand) I also use NielMed Sinus Nasal Rinse.  I purchased an EarPopper costing £100, that was useless.  So if after all the months you've suffered this awful condition, ask for a course of Prednisolone, you won't regret it, they DO WORK for this eustachian dysfunction.  You may only need to take them once and it may never return.  Sadly, with my allergies and Rhinitis I think after all these years (40rs) I'm stuck with it.

Kind regards

Anne

Hi Anne,

If you are facing this from 40 years it might be high time that it is diagnosed correctly and you atleast know why it is occurring in your case. Strange that no ENT has pin pointed the cause of the issue all these years.

If it is due to swollen nerve in the ear, it is best not to put oil of any kind (including primrose) and instead refer to the ENT specialist. Alternatively to reduce inflammation, use Curcumin powder from 1-2 capsules dissolved directly in luke warm water along with lemon juice daily.

Also use 1-2 tea spoons MSM powder once per day dissolved in luke warm water. Avoid any icy drinks.

Before you do any of these it is best to get the correct diagnosis of the issue. Check whether your ear issue is caused due to sinus blockages/perforated ear drum/wax blockage/ear nerve swelling/eustachian tube pressures/deviated septum....etc. 

The multivitamin double dose is only to rule out any iodine/zinc deficiency issues. As always you need to do few of things to make sure all your bases are covered.

If your issue is purely due to eustachian tube pressure imbalance, it is futile to use any of the oils/turmeric...etc. The best method in this case would be to indulge in regular pranayama breathing exercise to equalize the pressures. Also moving your jaw in the direction of the blocked ear rigorously sort of makes a swooshing sound and that equilizes the pressure in the problematic tube.

I faced this issue since few months and had gone to a lot of ENT specialists, spent a lot of money in the tests and scans. I used a lot of oils like you(Clove oil helped better than others), but finally the pranayama yogic breathing technique helped in my case. So each ones case is different.

Hello again,  I don't put anything into my ears.  I take the Oil of Primrose and Turmeric orally.  My Eustachian Dysfunction problem is definitely not to do with wax build up, but sinus issues.  I'll have to google the breathing method you're recomending.  Strange, as today my left ear has blocked, however, not too bad and when I gently pop it, it comes open.  I've had sinus sergery done a year after my recovery from meningitis (that was caused by the mucus turning bacterial in my tubes and crossing th blood brain barrier.  If there were an answer to my problem, my ENT cnsultant would most certainly help me out.  Whe my left eardrum perforates ( 6 times in the past couple of years) I see him and he microsuction all of the sticky stuff out.  I'm then fine again until it all builds back up again due to Rhinitis and allergies.  I kee my home as dust free as possible, but wondering if it's to do with our damp weather at the moment in England.  I really started to get used to having normal ears for the past 3 months and it's been wonderful.  However, I knew itd would be permanent.  Hey ho, you'd think I'd be used to it after all these years, but never, I hate it !!

Anne

Hello Jewel,  I've suffered this ETD for so many years and have a badly blocked left ear as I type this message.  It's seems ridiculous that there seems to be no know cure for this extrememly dibilitating condition.  So what are your syptoms ?  I definitely know that mine is caused by allergic Rhinitis, but to find out what I'm allergic too also seems a problem.  Had many tests and all come back negative.  However, there are so many enviormental factors and many, many trees that are troblesome to me, but the hospital couldn't possibly check for them all.  Some people suffer more than others at varying degrees.  I've suffered on and off, more on than off since the 1980's.  When I gently try and pop my left ear I can hear crackling, the tube opens and closes again.  I wish there was a spray that could be put into the ear for it to seep into the eardrum to unblock it....just like a decongestant nasal spray does.  It has to be nose drops that are suppose to penentrate the other side of the eardrum and unblock the eustachian tube....they don't work !!

Anne

Hello Jewel.Your symptons are very close to my own & lying down quietly does help.Like you I find that for the first few minutes after waking up my ears & head are perfectly normal.Take a look at some of my previous comments here.Most are downbeat sadly.

Hi Anne, I just read your post. There seems to be a common thread for all of us, that has to do with the immune system response to something be it, a secondary viral histamine, weakened immune system, allergic response.. In your situation, it sounds like tree mold, can be a culprit. i am experiencing similar symptoms and more so lately since this cold. When I walk into an old building, the feeling, comes on, and I get filled to the brim. The echo starts, and oh my gosh.  Whatever the cause, this ID, has created havoc for us, and the best we can do is to build up our immune system. I am gonna put together a list and offer it here for the group purview. I have tried a few things, and I am not in the clear, but maybe it is a step in the right direction.  In my situation, I had a whirlwind of a cold. I  mean the cough blasted me from one end of the apartment to the other. I took antibiotics twice which I never do, and by the second month, I woke up with a clogged ear, with washing machine noise. Like so many of you guys and gals, I went to doctors, took nasal decongestants, cough medicines, cordisone shot in the arm, blah blah. I am gonna try my list of immune builders and see what happens.

Hi Michael, you just come as you are. It looks like this site is here to help, support, and bring us all together. The best we can do, is listen, share our concerns, and information that may be helpful. I told Anne that I am gonna prepare a makeshift list of some immune building vitamins, therapies, and alternative suggestions. My own situation has thrust me into a desire for personal research. I am not in the medical profession, but maybe some thread can help. It will talk me a couple of days to prepare this from my notes.

Morning Jewel,  I think what you're saying makes a lot of sense and wondering whether in fact antibiotics are the culprit in my case.  Because the amount that was pumped into me during that bad stage in my life contracting the Pheumococcal Meningitis and caused by Eustachian Tube Dyfuction has probably knackered my immune system.  Also been on them a lot since 1994 when the illness occured.  I can't believe after all these years I'm still suffering from blocked ears !!  I take so much to try and build my immune system back up.  (1) a very good multivitamin (2) Oil of Primrose (as it was recommended on this forum by a chap that swears by it  (3) Turmeric as I've read it's good for inflammation (4) Acidophilus, with Lactobacillus 20 Billion friendly bacteria (very good for immune system) (5) Echinacea, another immune support) (6) Lutigold for eye health (I lost the sight in my left eye from the meningitis) and extra Vit D because we don't get enough sunshine in England. If I was shaken, I'd rattle haha !!  I've brought my ENT appt. forward from October, to the 10th of this month, as I can't stand the feeling of fullness in my ear.  I think I may have another perforated left eardrum, but the hole is so tiny the trapped thick sticky mucus can't drain.  He usually performs microsuction on the eardrum to get it all out.  If it's allowed to just sit there, it will turn bacterial, that's when we run into a problem.  I hate to take antibiotics, but sometimes I have no choice, just to protect myself from lightening potentially striking twice !!  Post nasal drip is awful at present too.  Pollen high here at the moment.  I think I have already mentioned that in April I was prescribed a 20 days reducing course of Prednisolone, a drug that works wonders on me.....even smell and taste returned after years and years being without it.  That's all the inflammation that builds up that causes that.  I had three wonderful months of clear ears, no post nasal drip, no sinus, and as I've said smell and taste back.  However, now the tablets are out of my system, it's all returned and smell and taste has gone once again.  This is such a miserable and dibiltating condition we all suffer.  If on the 10th of August I ask my consultant about having grommets put into my drums, he will say, and what when the hole heals over and they fall out, the cycle will start all over again and I can't keep going under anaesthesia.  I've recently started a stronger steroid drug, called Flixonase nasules, that are stronger than the Flixonase Aqueous spray, that I've been using for years.  I also take a daily Citrizine antihistamine, that really helps me.  The cortisone injection you had in your arm wouldn't have helped, as it wasn't enough.  I tell people on this site if you're prescribed cortisone medication in tablet form it must be a long enough course and a reduing method, otherwise they will not help.  I'm older than many on this forum and have years and years of experience with this problem and Rhinitus, allergies etc. and if I'm not cured after all these years, what hope is there for anyone else.....nothing seems permanent with this complaint and some people are feeling so desperate when suffering it for many months.  I feel for them too.

Kind regards

Anne

Please look up patulous Eustachian tube. Lying down will ease your symptoms. Also look up superior semi circular dehiscence (sscd) . Lying down helps my blocked ear and this is what I have been diagnosed with. Good luck!

Dear Jewel,just this morning I've had a report from the  hospital where I attended a couple of weeks ago for several tests.I asked all the usual questions that people like us  ask.They answered all the questions I'd previously asked the three specialists I've already spoken to in exactlythe same manner.Almost like a script from a medical text book.They sidestepped the main question I've been asking for the past two years & the question is "WHAT IS CAUSING THE HUGE PRESSURE I FEEL INSIDE MY HEAD"They totally disregarded the question with absolutely no reference to it at all.Talk about politicians being devious.

Dear Anne, thank you for your generous answers, listing of the immune support vitamins and for  your guidance. I just wanna cry when I think about all of us. So... I think I will and then get back to thinking about some new theories. I like everything you are taking. To that I would ask  if you are  including a Vitamin C, an Ester C that your body can handle without creating too much acid. Also do you have access to a saline pool, where you wont be chilled, and you can float above the water, neck submerged with stress off the spine? This will realign your head and spine in a very gentle way. The water will give you the buoyancy allowing the Eustashian tubes to balance. There is a machine I found made in Canada a few years ago, that helped me with arthritis. It provides electromag pulses into the joints. Again this is just a theory, but what if an electromag mask, could go deep into the jaw, and facial musles, angled toward Eustashian tube. The thought is that electromagnetics, can release blockages, but should probably be under supervision. Is there a wand emitting a type of light into the ear, that can warm the ear canal and make bacteria go bye bye. Are you taking a anti yeast herb. I found one, called Yeast Away, in the states that doesnt cause die off. With the rounds of prednisone you may want to consider that. The other thing I wanted to include was diving into Chinese medicine, pressure points, and associated herbology.

Hello Chelsea, you are a genius. This is what I think it is. My internist said,  He thought it was Patty's Lewis.   I call it Patty Lewiss tube. He has a very deep Phillipine accent, and with my hearing, I couldnt hear him. His nurse  said it loud enough, and now I am on a trail.

 

Dear Micheal, It is frustrating. I know, my family has tinnitus, issues, and typically there is a round of "What's the cause where does it begin, why did it happen?"   If I had a video of me when I go to see the docs, I would probably see the comedy in trying to be respectful and patient of folks practicing medicine. Sometimes we quite accidently or miraculously find a solution, or a least a queling of our situation  For my two cents worth and trying to unravel some of my own answers I am creating an alternative list including submerging oneself into a saline body of water up to your neck, to relax the spine. Wear rubber spongy shoes or sandals that rotate foot away from toes pointing and down. Look into an electromagnetic mask that sends slight electromagnetic pulse through the facial musles, and near the jaw joint. Read Annes explanation of the immune support vitamins she is taking, to include Curmumadin by solgar. and a high dose of Ester C. Chinese accupressure points?

 

Hello again Jewel,  Thanks for that info.  but not privvy to any of the above mentioned.  I'll go back to taking a good Vit C again.  Always used to, but defo doesn't help with ETD.  In fact I really don't think there are many options only surgery.  I had sinus surgery a year into my recovery....helped for a while!   I've tried accupuncture and my friend is a qualified reflexologist....nothing worked.  I've now resulted to using Flixonase Nasules, that are stronger than the spray.  At last the ear is clear, but sadly am only allowed to use these for a max of 6 weeks.  All these steroid drugs aren't good, but what else is available. I use NeilMed Sinus Nasal Rinse in the hope it will wash away mucus and pollen, doesn't help either.  I do regular head over bowl of hot water towel over head and sit there for 20 mins....still no help.  Having suffered this condition all these years, I give up !! A lady whom I've friended on face book is in to her 7th yrs of suffering too she suffers tinnitus as well.  Strange how these things start, as before the 1980's I was fine.  Maybe facial structure changes and tubes become smaller....who can say, sure a hell I don't know.  I managed to bring my ENT appt. forward from October to next Friday and I'll be asking him if there is anything else available.  Not too sure why he won't use Balloon dilation or tubes on me.  Maybe risky after my illness.  You certainly have been doing your research and good on you.  I even went to the dentist the other day in the hope that my back top left tooth that was heavily filled years ago, then eventually had to be crowned could possibly be pressing down on my eustachian tube.  One small X-ray, then a big one of the whole of my mouth....so a big dose of radiation for nothing, all was good and healthy.  I know I was clutching at straws, but that's how desperate I get, like many more people on this forum.

Anne 

That's quite a list Jewel & really hope you find an answer.If you do please let us all know.