Still having left ear problem for 2 months

It seems anxiety goes hand in hand with ear problems. I waited 4 months to see a consultant

And was told that there was nothing wrong with me. I had all the above problems in both ears. After 3 years I had grommets inserted. Can't say they have helped a lot. Had a very heavy cold beginning of January and my ears are even more blocked and getting tinnitus off and on. Summer should sort it out a bit. Just one thing it is very frustrating to keep being told by doctors that they can't see anything wrong so we get dismissed.

Hello Catherine,

?Not too sure whether you are seeing the posts I've been writing to other people with this problem.  Try not to worry as there are so many of us experiencing the same,  Eustachian Tube Dysfunction.  Mine started in 1984, on and off, but more on than off.  I too suffer severe sinusitis and allergies problems.  I see my ENT consultant twice yearly, due to the fact I contracted bacterial meningitis with the problem of blocked ears.  The mucus sat in the eustachian tubes too long and it turned bacterial, crossing the blood brain barrier, which I might add is very rare, so don't go worrying about that, just be aware if you get ear infections due to this problem, then get yourself onto antibiotics.  You wil know if it's an infection because your ear will ache.  You shoud then be prescribed antibiotics. Unfortunately in 1994, suffering the meningitis, a young junior doctor took me off the antibiotics and that's when everything turned nasty.  The meningitis took hold and I lost the sight in my left eye and hearing in right ear. Due to the build up of presssure sometimes my eardrum bulges, resulting in a perforation.  I then pay and see my consultant privately ( to get an appointment quickly) and he then uses microsuction and sucks all the mucky fluid out, leaving me feeling wonderful, until it all builds up again.  I've been very congested since the beginning of December and it continues.  This is probably due to the mold and damp of our Winter months.  House dust (which is impossible to get rid of) is one of my allergies.  One of the people on this web-site doesn't recommend some of the medication that I've had to be on, however,  Something like blocked ears can drag on for months and months if it isn't sorted.  This at the height of my suffering is what I've been prescribed.  Your GP will obviously know the exact amount of time you should be on Prednisolone steriod tablets, but these are what I take when my ears are really clogged to get rid of inflammation in the tubes and dry up all the fluid.  If on these tablets for longer than a week the reducing method of them is used.  Once I've taken maybe a months course I'm then able to breath again, my sense of smell and tastes returns too.  After finishing them to keep everything at bay, I then use Aqueous Flixonase Nasal Spray and this should help a lot, like it did for me.  Before Christmas I had almost five months free of this problem and it felt so good.....something that groanes on for months and months can drag us down. I've been blowing down (sounds crude) quite a lot of mucus that has streaks of blood in, however I don't worry about that as I think it's normal. I've suffered this problem now for over thirty years and becoming used to it now.  But when it gets too bad that's when I take action and use either Prednisolone tablets, or the slighty stronger Flixonase Nasules and that sorts ears out for a while, which gives me a break from it.  These particular nasal drops also mustn't be taken for too long (recommended for max of six weeks) but they do the trick for me.   If you don't get to grips with it now, in my experience it will drag on for quite a long time. 

?I really hope you get sorted soon and I'd like to hear back from you how you get on.

Kind Regards

?Anne

When my ear problems started on New Year's Day I was so anxious I couldn't sleep.  I would go to 24 hour stops and walk around all night and never sleep.  My family doctor gave me Klonopin to take as needed.  I just take a half dose and only need it about every other day.  If one ear is clogged up I am usually ok but if it happens to both and it feels like my entire face is being sucked in when I swallow I need the Klonopin.  

At night I take two benadryl before I go to bed and then watch/listen to sleep relaxation videos on you tube and do deep breathing and muscle tensing/relaxing until I fall asleep.  

I didn't have the clogged up feeling today but both ears were wet all day long!