Ear Infection....
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hello! I had an ear infection about 3 weeks ago. My ears are doing significantly better! The muffled sensation is gone, pain is gone, etc. However, when I swallow, yawn and sometimes inhale sharply with my nose I can hear "Crackling" in my ears. There is also tinnutus. I have a flight in 3 weeks. Should I see an ENT? Is this normal? I'm not concerned about the tinnutus right now as much as I am concerned with flying and having potential issues.
1 like, 9 replies
mikescape jessie_57608
Posted
I had an ear infection that started over a week ago and flew with it. I had some pain landing. I went to an ENT one week ago who put me on 14 days of Augmentin. I still have the tinnitus and crackling when I swallow even though the infection is subsiding. The ENT told me not to fly until I was done with the antibiotics which will be next week. I should come back if I still had pain. He said the tinnitus is caused by infection and will be there after the infection is gone. He said nothing about the crackling when I swallow which I believe is normal until the fluid clears which could take months and you are subject to new infection should it build. Hopefully that helps somewhat. Good Luck
jessie_57608 mikescape
Posted
Hi mike!
Thanks so much for your response. I completed my 10 days of Augmentin about a week ago. I can hear fine and do not seem to have any pain. When I was still on antibiotics my ears were popping a lot and that has subsided as well. Did your ENT happen to say anything about the tinnitus ever going away? It's not really a major issue for me right now but it is a slight annoyance. Were your ears clogged when you flew or were they the crackling?
Thanks again for your response!
mikescape jessie_57608
Posted
Hi Jesse
My ears were partially clogged when my flight started. The first landing was fine but the second landing I felt pain and they wer clogged by then. The ENT said the tinnitus should go away and it was normal with an infection and fluid build up. He didn't know how long but said it could be a month or more. I notice mine is less after a week on Augmentin and much less annoying. In fact when around sound I barely notice it.
jessie_57608 mikescape
Posted
Thanks again for your responses! I barely notice mine now unless it's dead silent, I'm sure it will go away once all the fluid is out of my ear. Pesky little buggers ears, when they work perfectly you barely notice them- when one little thing goes wrong, however...
ihavenonickname jessie_57608
Posted
Your eustacion tube opens when you swallow or sharply breath in with your nose or mouth. The crackling is because the eustacion tube has a bit of fluid in it.
Should clear up in a week or so. If not, you may need antibiotics
jessie_57608 ihavenonickname
Posted
It's been about a week of crackling, I was on antibiotics when they were fully plugged and finished the antiobiotic last week.
ihavenonickname jessie_57608
Posted
hugs
Olizzieo jessie_57608
Posted
Hi Jess, it might be an idea to get the GP to look in your ear. There could be debris from the infection that needs removing. Can you pop your ear? If so then flying won't be a problem. If you are worried you can sudafed the evening before and a few hours before flying.
jessie_57608 Olizzieo
Posted
I do not know if I can pop my ear, when I yawn I think it does? My hearing doesn't seem to be muffled or anything. There was a lot of popping in the course when I was taking antibiotics but that has since ended. I will try to make an appointment with my GP.