Not sure if this is Eustachian Tube Dysfunction or not. Very annoying.
Posted , 3 users are following.
Like many of you I'm sure, I've seen so many doctors and do not even have a diagnosis. For over a year i have had ear popping, feelings of fullness in the ear, and just regular head tension that comes with it. The other symptoms are present in both ears and come and go randomly during the day. i can have one ear completely fine while the other pops or feels full. I have tried nose sprays, steroids a couple times, and muscle relaxers but none have given me a fix. I get pain down my neck too along with the headaches.
I have had MRIs, checked for TMJ, went to the chiropractor, and still nothing found. The thing is, the doctors say i do not have ETD because my ears look perfect. They have never seen any fluid in there and my hearing was and has been great. The ear never feels like it is clogged and cannot open, but rather i just get the feelings of fullness and popping. I have never been sick during any of this, it just started randomly one day. My nose is never stuffed up and i do not have typical sinus symptoms with it. That's what makes this all confusing.
It gets better when I lay down a little and I can relieve some pressure if i massage my SCM (muscle on your neck) and TMJ (though i do not have TMJ). I am just at a loss and do not know what is causing this.
Recently i had 2 instances of nausea and ended up throwing up from the pain that got worse on the back of my head so i am now being treated for migraines but went a whole year with the other symptoms beforehand. It feels like my ear problems are pressure related and if there is not pressure in my ears, then there is pressure in my head. The pressure makes me head feel tense. My forehead and back of head get tight as i talk or smile.
Thank you for reading this I just want some sort of explanation because I haven't gotten one yet.
0 likes, 4 replies
sarah74854 eric80096
Posted
Hi, thanks for sharing this is exactly what I've been experiencing now for about 2-3 months.
This whole thing started with intermittent sharp or dull pain in either or both ears when laying on them with feelings of being blocked/full. That has been going on now for over a year. I visited the nurse who said they were impacted with wax so I used drops to soften for a few weeks. It still felt the same so I went back, they said ears are clear and look healthy not inflamed etc. I was told to ring the practice nurse who could arrange referral to ENT if it persisted. But to try decongestant tablets.
Started on these tablets whilst waiting to see if anything was improving. I noticed pain was less, but I began experiencing loud popping and crackling whilst swallowing as though something was trying to relieve air/pressure but it was stuck. Now I know this is common so I stuck with it whilst trying decongestant spray followed by steroid spray and no improvement. I don't remember any point in my 44 years where 90% of the time I swallow or yawn I get this loud clicking in my ears often followed by a thud that radiates around my head. In fact I'm now feeling that tension you describe in back of my head and my forehead.
Going to try and speak to the nurse and get that referral cause this is driving me crazy and affecting my sleep. I also wouldn't rule out stress making it all much worse to be honest.
I'll let you know what they say. I hope your condition improves too
eric80096 sarah74854
Posted
thank you very much i appreciate it! Please let me know im curious if they have any answers. Like i know it's not anything serious but i shouldn't be feeling this way for this long. It also feels like it's something so simple and there must be some sort of cause that i just cant figure out
sarah74854 eric80096
Posted
Hi Eric, sorry I did not see your reply until now. I hope you are ok and you are managing your migraines.
I rang the nurse and she asked to see me. She said my ears look healthy and not inflamed or clogged with wax.
She explained that it can take months for the steriod spray to have an effect and that she knows that because she has the same thing. She said since it takes so long you might question whether the spray is doing anything but she thinks it is as if she forgets to use hers for a few days it starts to come back.
I don't know how long you have used the sprays for, but I am going to persevere. She did say to come back if it gets worse of course, but was not concerned that it needed any further investigation. Oh she also suggested anti-histamine too.
I hope it goes soon, daytime is annoying but it is night time that I find most unbearable.
sarah74854 eric80096
Posted
Hi Eric,
do you still have this? I eventually saw my GP who seemed to think it was arthritis in the bones within my ears causing the clicking sounds.
She thought the pain from laying on my ears is to do with my cartilage and not related.
I've had a blood test that showed vitamin B12 deficiency I am now taking supplements. No idea why I'm deficient or whether this might be related to my ear clicking but it's no better. I read that vitamin B12 deficiency can cause tinnitus so whether this is a kind of tinnitus I don't know
Have you found what is causing yours yet?