Could Mold/Fungi Cause Ear Infections?

I discovered mould in my two goose down pillows. I have been told by a friend, that by tumble drying them on a daily basis incorrectly, that I actually made the conditions ripe for moulds/fungi to reproduce in the natural fillings! I have of course thrown both pillows out and purchased new ones and did a boil wash of all bedding to kill any 'spores'. I now use special dust mite covers plus normal pillow case on top on my feather pillows and just air them properly every day. Maybe the old mouldy pillows could be the cause to my blocked up, and full of 'wool' like feeling inside my ears? Apparantly fungal ear infections are not easily diagnosed from what I have read on the internet. Any comments or personal experiences on this subject will be most welcome.

 

@adrian_london I don't think so. The fullness feeling is typical in people suffering with tinnitus but I can't see mould being the cause. Having said that it can be very bad for the lungs so it's definitely sensible to get rid of anything mouldy.

 

I doubt you have fungus or mold in your ear canal. But who knows? When you said the 'wool' feeling, that rang a bell -
I had the fullness years ago, around 1980. A doctor prescribed pills and drops for a year, to no avail. A chiropractor looked in my ear and felt around my head and said I had congestion. He told me to grab my earlobe, pull it outward and go clockwise and counterclockwise a few times, a few times a day. I must've had faith, it looked ridiculous but I kept doing it for weeks. One day I was sitting in the car doing it while my wife was in the store, I remember it well. As I was twirling my earlobe, I felt something 'let go' and then my hearing was gone!! I scared me bad. But then I realized my ear canal was full of junk, white, icky junk. Not pus, thick white junk. I told the chiropractor later and he said, "Yup, you had congestion inner ear infection that was mastetizing. (whatever that means)" I don't know why this would come out my ear canal, but it did, and it was gross. But the fullness was gone and it never came back.

 

This is what an allergist told me. If you have an allergy to mold, it is possible that it can settle in your ears and cause congestion.

 

Hi Marcini, Michigan and Teri, I really appreciate your replies. I am willing to listen and try anything to free myself of the blocked up feeling in both my ears. I have never had it before in my lifetime, so I know something isn't right. I have a confirmed allergy to Aspergillus Fumigates Fungus - I found the letter from a GP yesterday - dating back to 1988, so maybe there is something in what Teri says? I will try the earlobe exercises, but won't hold up too much hope, but worth a try. Regrading Michigan comment - I don't have any chesty cough or breathing problems, but thanks again for all your replies.

 

I recently saw a Medical Herbalist who also thinks it could be congestion due to my allergies to dust and mould (maybe from my old pillows I threw away ) When he looked at my ears with the Otoscope, he said my tympanic membranes looked like they have pressure from within, as they looked flat rather than slightly concave. Either way I am going to try some ear drops made by Higher Nature - Herbal Aloe Gold - so will see what happens. Then I see the ENT specialist in March - my MRI scan results showed up nothing sinister. I tried something which helped a bit based on the same principal as the Otovent Kit on Amazon. It has kind of helped the congestion a bit, but the tinnitus remains as permanent as ever - in both ears! I just hope the drops may help a little - will let you know

 

@adrian_london
How did you get on with the ear drops? I'm wondering whether to try them myself as my tinnitus has suddenly got considerably louder - and there's the feeling of fullness that the docs tell me is "probably mucus in the ear drum", but none of their treatments for that have made any difference.

 

Hi Sally, the drops didn't really help me personally as I found the experience all a bit too gunky. What I did find helped was using Mack's Silicon Snoozers Earplugs. I used one ear plug at a time, and the ears way to rebel for being 'blocked up' by the ear plug, was to produce more natural wax, lubricant, from within, which seemed to clean out my ears over time. If you think about it, nature has it's own way to try to rid of something that is blocking it up. The ear canal needs to breath so with ear plugs in, it can't, so hence it produces it's own natural way to clean or expel the silicon ear plugs. Thats my own theory, it has worked for me to get rid of the blocked up feeling. I still have tinnitus, but I have learnt to live with it now. You might find the drops work for you, but I wouldn't want to encourage something that didn't work well for me. Hope that helps?

 

I don't really understand... Could you explain further how you did the earlobe exercise? And did the stuff in your ear just 'escape'?

 

Yes I would be interested more in how the exercise works. Does it come from a particular adopted orthodox treatment used by a practitioner?

 

I did it for a month, as recommended by a doctor.
He said to do it every time I thought about it, which was 10 or 20 times a day.
I just pulled my earlobe out and went in forward cirlcles, then backward.
I had annoying stuffiness, no hearing loss. It took about a month and one day a bunch of icky stuff came out and that was the end.

 

So you 'massaged' your earlobes in that circular motion? I thought you actually spun around in circles after grabbing your earlobe. Silly me. May I also know whether you let the stuff come out on its own, or did you use a cotton swab/bud to remove it?

 

The doctor told me to PULL my earlobe out from my head and do it.
The gunk came out all at once, it was nasty. No QTip required, a couple kleenexes though. It was so much gunk that it plugged my ear and I could not hear. At first it scared me til I felt it, it looked and felt like cream cheese. Gross, huh?
I told him about it and he was not surprised. He simply said, "You had congestion."

 

Sounds nasty. Can't imagine what it would have looked like. Might try it myself. I can't even imagine how it would come out. Feeling my ears get blocked and not hearing properly, even just for a short while, is sure to make me panic.

 

The ENT used a special vacuum to remove gunk so he could get a better look inside. I was very hesitant of this at first, but it helped me hear better for a little while. Omg a lot of gunk come out that day that really shouldn't have been in my ear.

 

Hi Patty thanks for your reply and experience. I have discovered I have to be barely in the shower as water seems to find its way into my ear canals.