# Seeking Advice on Clogged Ears, Post Sinus Infection **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711 "2017-10-24T13:23:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/21 "2017-10-24T17:57:02Z")
Bah. ENT says to keep up with Mucinex and Flonase and give it time, should resolve in a couple of weeks. That was not time or money well spent. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/22 "2017-10-24T18:14:26Z")
Read all the suggestions here and went and bought a neti pot. Read the directions, heated the water to about 100 deg., according to my thermometer. Placed my head just so tilted it left and put the nozzle in the right nostril and poured. Nothing. Waited a bit and readjusted the head angle, still nothing. Tried tilting my head back some and finally got some water to go down my throat. Finally gave up on that side. Blew my nose and tried the other side with similar results. A little water came through but not much. I finally got tired of failure and quit. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/23 "2017-10-24T18:20:47Z")
You must have a lot of blockage and/or inflammation! Mine always flows through like a waterfall but it I am stuffy it stops. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/24 "2017-10-24T18:27:47Z")
What is funny is sometimes I can breathe through my nose. I use flonase daily, I take claritan daily, nothing helps. This has been going on for at least 10 years. My daughter in law got her sinuses roto-rootered, she said it didn’t change things much. The VA pays me a disability payment for hearing loss, I often wonder how much is actual nerve damage and how much is everything being plugged. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/25 "2017-10-24T18:35:04Z")
I was talking to my friends and their teenage son this weekend, about dogs and skunks. The son said the dog ran away and he went and got it and brought it home, and his mom could smell the dog from the other side of the house as soon as he walked in the door but he couldn’t smell it AT ALL. Skunks are PUNGENT, believe me. Poor kid has some very bad sinuses ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/26 "2017-10-24T18:43:40Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I was talking to my friends and their teenage son this weekend, about dogs and skunks. The son said the dog ran away and he went and got it and brought it home, and his mom could smell the dog from the other side of the house as soon as he walked in the door but he couldn’t smell it AT ALL. Skunks are PUNGENT, believe me. Poor kid has some very bad sinuses ☹ Anosmia (lack of sense of smell) is not always due to sinus problems. More often it’s caused by a wide range of other disorders, many poorly understood. Including diabetes, alzheimer’s, parkinsonism, and ordinary aging. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/27 "2017-10-24T19:06:43Z")
The daughter in law that got her sinuses roto-rootered lost her sense of smell when she got pregnant with their last baby. The sense of smell didn’t come back when the baby was born. Right now she can’t smell if the kid has crapped his diaper. She has to look or someone has to tell her. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/28 "2017-10-24T19:24:35Z")
What are everyone’s thoughts on the valsalva maneuver, forcing the tubes open by pinching the nostrils and applying breath pressure? Am I going to irritate the tubes and prolong my suffering? Am I going to push the gunk further up into the tube? The ENT suggested it was okay, but I thought I’d get some additional experiences. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/29 "2017-10-24T19:39:25Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > What are everyone’s thoughts on the valsalva maneuver, forcing the tubes open by pinching the nostrils and applying breath pressure? Am I going to irritate the tubes and prolong my suffering? Am I going to push the gunk further up into the tube? The ENT suggested it was okay, but I thought I’d get some additional experiences. I support the ENT suggestion. It’s a common maneuver for unplugging ears, and as long as you don’t go nuts with it and try to blow your brains out, it can be helpful. I learned to do it as a snorkler and scuba diver. Very handy! Remember, you can both exhale AND inhale as you do the maneuver, pushing air up into the middle ear, then pulling it out. ---
**Author:** ![mind\_the\_gap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@mind\_the\_gap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mind_the_gap)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/30 "2017-10-24T19:46:49Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > how long did it take? Sorry, at the shop and haven’t been online. It took 3-4 months as I recall. I remember being really excited when I could hear gurgling noises coming out of my ear and then the occasional clearing up. It’s a damn slow process, at least for me. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/31 "2017-10-24T19:48:46Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I support the ENT suggestion. It’s a common maneuver for unplugging ears, and as long as you don’t go nuts with it and try to blow your brains out, it can be helpful. I learned to do it as a snorkler and scuba diver. Very handy! > > Remember, you can both exhale AND inhale as you do the maneuver, pushing air up into the middle ear, then pulling it out. Good thought. Yeah, I’ve tried to simulate “inhaling” pressure that way too, doesn’t seem to do much. At this point, my guess is there’s some gunk up there in the middle ear too big to go down the tube, so me opening and closing them doesn’t do much. I just have to wait for the gunk to start being reabsorbed by the body. That said, I still plan to try the neti pot. Thoughts on cold compress (to combat inflammation) vs. heating pad (to re-liquefy congealed gunk)? ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/32 "2017-10-24T20:11:54Z")
CandidGamera, I feel your pain. I’ve had chronically stuffed up ears for the better part of 20 years. No ENT has ever been able to fix it. It’s horrible, but it’s normal to me now. Finally an ENT told me I had patulous eustachian tube, which means the eustachian tube is always open. It’s hard to diagnose and the usual treatments for congestion make patulous ET worse. One of the treatments is nasal drops that intentionally thicken your ETs which also congests your nose. I’ve been relatively ok for the past couple years but about a month ago my ears felt more clogged up than usual again. I assumed it was the patulous ED, but I have a discharge from one ear and slight pain. So the ENT put me on antibiotic drops. It’s the second day and I am no better yet, but the ear isn’t as wet inside as it was last week. Hoping the drops get me back to where I am not thinking about this every minute of every day. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/33 "2017-10-24T20:14:24Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Thoughts on cold compress (to combat inflammation) vs. heating pad (to re-liquefy congealed gunk)? Unlikely to help either way. Do whichever feels better, or neither. Or both. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/34 "2017-10-24T21:26:15Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Unlikely to help either way. Do whichever feels better, or neither. Or both. All is futile, check! 🙂 ☹ Tried the Neti pot, it occurred to me that the conventional angle wasn’t getting the saline near the tube openings, most likely, so I did a round of advanced neti pot / simulated ocean drowning with my head tilted back and my throat constricted. Got a tiny bit more neon yellow gunk out that way, so yay? muldoonthief - thanks for the tip about the shirt. I’ll probably do a second round later this evening, either before or after steamy shower. I really want at least one ear clear before I go see the Mads this Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/35 "2017-10-24T23:37:20Z")
Purely anecdotal, but I and many of my scuba students over the years have noted the benefit of chewing gum for sticky ears. Lots of jaw movement throughout the day makes those valsalva maneuvers more effective during the scuba dive. Seems to help the Eustachian tubes open more frequently and easily. Might be worth a try as an adjunct to the drugs and Neti Pot. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/36 "2017-10-25T01:22:04Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > I’ll probably do a second round later this evening, either before or after steamy shower. Advanced Neti Pot user tip: you can vary the salt concentration, to better achieve the effect you are shooting for. If you are dealing with very swollen, congested oto-naso-pharyngeal tissues you may choose to increase the amount of salt (or salt-bicarb mix) added, making it hyperosmolar compared to the tissues it’s bathing, in order to draw more moisture out of the tissue. Conversely, if you’re horribly dried and crusted, you can decrease the salt some, and make it hypo-osmolar compared to your tissues, to re-moisturize them. If you choose this pathway, I’d advance by slow increments, increasing or decreasing amounts by 1/4 or less at a time. But you may be best just going with the standard solution for the first dozen rounds or so, and see how that works. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/37 "2017-10-25T02:27:29Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Advanced Neti Pot user tip: you can vary the salt concentration, to better achieve the effect you are shooting for. If you are dealing with very swollen, congested oto-naso-pharyngeal tissues you may choose to increase the amount of salt (or salt-bicarb mix) added, making it hyperosmolar compared to the tissues it’s bathing, in order to draw more moisture out of the tissue. Conversely, if you’re horribly dried and crusted, you can decrease the salt some, and make it hypo-osmolar compared to your tissues, to re-moisturize them. > > If you choose this pathway, I’d advance by slow increments, increasing or decreasing amounts by 1/4 or less at a time. > > But you may be best just going with the standard solution for the first dozen rounds or so, and see how that works. Good tip! The salt packets might not make precise measuring easy, but I will make sure not to skip to two full packets. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/38 "2017-10-25T16:32:36Z")
I think I’m going to add Claritin into the medicine mix. Just a hunch based on an itchy eye, but I think the neon yellow remnants of the sinus infection battle are actually irritating my sinuses. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/39 "2017-10-25T17:08:31Z")
I think we have a winner : > **[Eustachian Tube Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes, and More](https://www.healthline.com/health/eustachian-tube-dysfunction#overview1)** > > Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) can usually be treated on your own, but depending on the cause or severity of symptoms, you may need to see a doctor. Typically I should expect this to resolve in 1-2 weeks, it seems. Joy. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711/40 "2017-10-25T17:49:14Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > I think we have a winner : > > [Eustachian Tube Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes, and More](https://www.healthline.com/health/eustachian-tube-dysfunction#overview1) > > Typically I should expect this to resolve in 1-2 weeks, it seems. Joy. you could be an outlier, and get better in 2 days. Or two months. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-clogged-ears-post-sinus-infection/799711.md?page=3)