Well, the right one’s hit the one week mark - though I suppose it hasn’t been a full week since the infection resolved itself. This is just … super-frustrating. I don’t deal well with this sort of long-term disruption. Makes me anxious. Especially when the ENT didn’t give me information, reassurance, treatment, or more than five minutes of his time. And I’m sure that tuning fork test will cost a hundred bucks, somehow.
When I’m doing everything possible to make things better and they don’t get better, it just drives me up the wall.
Sorry don’t mean to be like that. My symptoms are just worse than usual and it’s really impacting my life right now. You will be fine soon. Most people recover from this in 1-2 weeks.
I did combine the neti pot with the valsalva maneuver yesterday, and got a BUNCH of gunk out… but still no change in the hearing. I just wonder if this is more inflammation or physical clog…
I wonder if I should try a neti pot? I have a permanent hole in my eardrum and I’ve read differing opinions online about using one in this case. Qadgop, what do you think?
On further reading, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction does not seem to be well understood by the medical community at large. The exact mechanism isn’t documented with certainty, but I saw at least one theory that pegs it on inflamed cartilage where the tube joins the sinuses. If that’s the case, neti pots and antihistamines and decongestants aren’t going to do much.
Yes, I’ve read the same things. ENTs get frustrated with patients who have this because there is no clear treatment that solves it. It’s different for everyone.
One thing I’ve found is that wearing an earplug in the ear that is the worst helps. I have no idea why. But it seems to cut down on the crackling and feelings of fullness.
If. That’s a theory, not demonstrated as definite fact at this time. While there is a lot of evidence that sinus rinses do improve things for a lot of people.
I was thinking of the shotgun approach, try everything. Now that I know I can apparently take double the recommended dose of Advil relatively safely*, maybe I can step things up.
First doctor I saw for this recommended 4 Advil every eight hours, in lieu of a steroid. Said it would be an effective therapeutic dose for me.
I think it’s mental for me. When I don’t have the plug in and my ear feels full and congested I am constantly tugging at it and trying to “fix” it. When the plug is in, it feels full, but it should feel that way because there is a plug in it. LOL. Make sense? I can then relax and not focus on it all the time.
That’s the sort of dose I would recommend if I wanted an appropriate patient of mine to relieve inflammation with ibuprofen: 800 mg 3 x a day for at least two weeks.
Yeah. Bottle says 400mg, so I was a little concerned, but then I figured that 800 was probably just bumping it up to prescription strength.
I have phased out the Claritin - it was making me a little too dry - and phased in the Advil. Left ear is now popping sometimes with a simple yawn, rather than requiring a Valsalva maneuver, and seems to be hearing better. Right ear still blocked. Oddly, laryngitis still holding on well past its expected expiration date. Maybe I still have a sinus infection, but with no pain or fever? Or primary nasal congestion for that matter…
Then again, I’m on Advil, Flonase, and Mucinex D. I may just be masking those other symptoms. My energy level feels good, though.
