Can You Have ETD without Fluid in Ear?

So, the otoneurologist told me I have inflammation of the eustachian tube, but she didn't mention any fluids in my middle ear.

I was wondering if you have to have fluid to make that diagnosis.

Thanks.

 

My ENT says I don’t have fluid in my ears, but has diagnosed me with ETD and have also mentioned about surgery, so I don’t know for sure, it seems like you don’t have to have fluid to be diagnosed but I don’t know for sure.

I know what is weird is that my regular doctor says I have fluid everytime I go to her but my ENT says I don’t.

 

Hello! Chronic sufferer of ETD here! Just about anything and everything triggers my ETD so I always have it to some degree.

That being said, ETD doesn't always equal fluid in your ears. ETD is the malfunction of your eustachian tubes for whatever reason (inflammation, malformation, etc) which causes a whole host of problems including ear infections, fluid in the ear, pressure in the sinuses and ears, etc...

 

My Doctor says the same thing. Everytime i go to him I have fluid in my ear but the ENT says I dont. However he did say my nose was rather inflamed inside which he think was also causing Inflammation in my ET. I guess both can cause it.

 

Do you know what triggered your ETD problems? Do you ever get dizziness with it?

 

I'm not entirely sure but I had a bad head cold the autumn before I got my tinnitus. After I got over the cold I had a feeling of pressure that just refused to go away in my right ear no matter what I did. After that, my sinuses have never been the same. There are times when it seems that my ETD is gone completely but it always come back quickly.

As for dizziness, it's rare but every so often I wake up and get really slight vertigo that usually goes away for the most part by the end of the day.

 

Hmm. I just had a bad head cold and bilateral ear infection this October. Since then I've been having a hard time clearing my ears and some lightheadedness. I'm hoping this isn't the beginning of a new problem.

With the ear pressure could you pop your ears at all by yawning, valsalva, etc.? Do decongestants or dietary changes help you?

 

I rarely do valsalva because it's so easy to do it and damage your ears further. If I do choose to do it, I only use slight pressure and if it doesn't work or pop then I stop immediately. Sometimes popping my ears works but the pressure immediately comes back because my eustachian tubes are inflamed.

For me personally, decongestants don't help but if I do happen to get an ear infection, a low dose of antibiotics works wonders. Also an air purifier in my room helps cut down on pollen and dust that can cause my ETD to get worse. I also try to stay away from inflammatory foods (you can search google for lists of inflammatory and non-inflammatory foods) and I incorporate ginger into my diet which sometimes helps.

Honestly, it's all about finding what works for you I'll always have ETD but it can be manageable.

 

I was traumatised this time 2 years ago (our Spring) with my left ear full and weird for just over a month. I believe it kicked in after being heavily congested and then the drop coming down in an elevator from 20 floors stuffed my ET up. My left ear has played up a few times before after a cold but this was far worse. It really effected me - having T for so long has weakened me a bit mentally I feel.

 

Thank you to everyone who responded. It was very informative.

PS: 5 mins ago i had a very very sudden loss of balance, and i was sitting in a chair, and it still felt like i was going to fall down.

I dont like this.

 

Inner ear infection ? Blood pressure ? Have you had all this checked out ?

 

Does it damage your ears further? I've tried asking my ENT and they said it was okay, but I'm not sure. I just tried the otovent and that was a big mistake! It felt like more pressure on my ear than anything I've ever experienced before.

My problems arise when flying with plugged ears. I've taken more than 30 flights (segments) this year and it's never been a problem until now. I hope this isn't an ongoing thing as my job requires regular travel.

Thanks. I really like ginger in food, drinks, etc. I recently found these ginger snacks that I think are great. They're called Gin Gins: Spicy Apple, they're made with real ginger and seemed to help a little when I was feeling light headed.

 

You can also try turmeric if you get tired of ginger. You can put it in food or if you dislike the taste of it, you can buy it in capsule form and take it as a vitamin

As for the valsalva maneuver, ENTs will say it is safe but there is some risk to it. Don't ever try to force it. Only ever do it gently and if it doesn't work then stop the maneuver and try something else. Remember you are forcing air through your eustachian tubes and into your middle ear where your eardrums and cochlea are. I can't stress enough how careful you should be. There's a member on here that got their tinnitus or made it worse (I can't remember which) from doing it too hard.

 

So, when the plane was descending while my ears were plugged up there would have been a lower pressure in the ear that would not clear. I had to use a bit more force with the valsalva maneuver to open it up, but it's either that or live with the discomfort / muffled hearing for however long it takes to resolve on it's own. I feel like it's a lose lose situation with no clear answer.

Do you think it was ETD that has caused your progressive hearing loss, or was some of it noise induced?

Just searching online it seems most cases of ETD following a cold are self limiting and go away on their own, but here on TT there are a number of people that got it and it never went away. This puzzles me a bit, maybe it is more of a chronic inflammation.

 

For me, it was all noise induced but I think the ETD made/makes me more susceptible along with a whole list of other things my body doesn't do correctly.

I think inflammation has a lot to do with chronic ETD but if you're like me, literally anything from the air quality to the weather can trigger inflammation so there's really no beating it completely in my case.

 

No inner ear problems according to the doctor. She did diagnose me with ETD, but i thought you had to have fluid in your ears for that. But i guess not.

 

classical example of doctors guessing a diagnosis.

 

You can have ETD without fluid.