ETD and tinnitus and a question about touching ears.

I have what I think to be ETD caused T for 2 1/2 months. The reason I think this is because I had an ear infection at the onset of the T. I also have had sore ears when I burped, coughed or hiccuped for a few weeks. Ever since the onset of the T, whenever I sniff, my ears will pop and whenever I swallow, they'll crack back. Both of them. I've asked a lot of people whether their ears pop whenever they sniff or swallow and they have all pretty much said no. The only person who said theirs did was my sister but she has a cold at the moment. I've been taking decongestant (hay fever) nasal spray for about 5 weeks.

A few weeks ago I tried inhaling steam from vicks and that seemed to help a lot. I was also taking actifed and/or antihistamines. I stopped to see how my ears would be and they seemed to get worse. I developed pulsatile tinnitus then.

Prior to T, I would crack my neck almost 4/5 times a day because it was stiff. I since have improved my posture and have stopped cracking my neck. Could it be related to my T?

I started again with inhaling vicks yesterday and am continuing to take antihistamines for my allergies. The T was a lot better for at least a little while yesterday following work. I generally can't hear my T at work as I work outside (unless I go into the staff room and listen for it). Normally after work, my T is louder as I work in a gas station and the car noises seem to make T louder, however yesterday while I was walking home (night time), I had to plug my ears to hear the T. It was short lived as when I went out later that night for a walk (12:30am) it was there again. Just curious, hopefully it's a good sign.

Also I have a question for everyone. Whenever I pull my ears, either pull up from the top or pull down from the lobe, my lower T get's loud for a millisecond and then disappears. The high pitched T stays but isn't really as noticeable. Does this happen to anyone else? Just an interesting find as I know some people find relief from the valsalva maneuver.

Anyway, hope everyone is coping well today. I'm feeling a slight bit more positive today. Natural stress relievers such as valerian root and hops seem to be working on me anyway.

 

I'm not doing the valsalva maneuver, but could my ears popping in and out from sniffing/swallowing damage it too?

 

valsalva maneuver is for opening up blocked tubes to equalise the pressure. If you over do it, it can cause damage to your ears. (it's just common sense.. If you blow the membrane long and hard it is gonna rupture.. Aka barotrauma).
You probably have fluid build up in ur ear causing it to pop often cause of pressure difference.

 

could I have fluid in my ear for two months? I have seen a GP and they said I had an infection of the outer ear. My tympanometry said my ear drum was a slight bit stiff.

 

Google glue ears..
You will see how worst the mucus can be.. (yucky too)
You definitely should steam.. It will help soften the stuff inside your inner ear..
It can last for very long time.. Doctors will give antihistamines to help reduce mucus production at the beginning of an infection that stuff causes drying of mucus which causes further problems.
In short to answer your question yes you can have fluid build up for few months.
Sometimes they dry up inside the ear and can last for very very long time. Sometimes might need to do minor surgery to remove those stuff..
To help your body absorb the dried up fluid and regenerate damaged membranes faster.. Steam regularly drink plenty of water and exercise and keep your room clean can invest in a small humidifier if you. These tips are given by my doctor.

 

Should I stop taking antihistamines then? I've been taking them for my allergies (which haven't actually flared up in weeks). Thanks for the advice.

 

You better consult your doctor before stopping any medication. Stopping medication half way can cause even more problems. If you have allergies, steaming, keeping your room clean, cleaning/changing pillows and bedsheets regularly, humidifier will greatly help reduce the symptoms of allergies.

My advice is that you steam and drink plenty of water to counter act the side effects of antihistamines.

 

The antihistamines aren't prescribed, I just take them because I know I have allergy problems.

Do you think my tinnitus could be from ETD and that steaming will help it go away?

 

Could be but it's only a fair guess, forums like this is to help gain knowledge to help understand better, not an absolute source of information or diagnosis.
The things I told are the things I gained from my own experience. etd also causes T, but extent of damage to your ears only be determined by an experienced doctor along with several other tests.
Hope for the best. That is how you handle this. I can't promise that steaming will help your T go away. But It may help you reduce the symptoms of etd there by indirectly help you by stopping further damage to your ears.
The stiff membranes may soften and earing loss might comeback. But will it help stop the T... It's a big MAYBE only.
But don't lessen your hope, keep doing what you can.. For many people T has disappeared after few months to few years. You may be one of those lucky ones.

 

When my T started, I could hear myself talking in my ear. I'm experiencing that again after a day and a half of steaming. Hoping it's a good sign.

 

I had a steam bath with albos oil and a large clump of thick mucus came down from behind my nose. I also can hear myself talking in my ears now after the mucus came down. I'm thinking this is a good sign?

 

Have you tried the earpopper?

See here:

Home Version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00449CW36/?tag=tinntalk-20

Pro Version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FCBTGW/?tag=tinntalk-20

 

I never even heard of it until now but a quick google shows me it's 130€ in my area.

 

Hi there:
Seems to me like we both have ETD. Literally, I fluid going down my throat and my ear still constantly. ETD definitely causes ringing and it will go away....eventually! It just takes a while to drain.. You have to be patient! I'm using a nose spray that really helps and taking antibiotics to reduce inflammation. My glands were swollen =/ I've had ringing for almost 2 months but I believe it's on its way out. I hope yours it too!

If you can't blow out your ears, you definitely have fluid. That's what my doctor told me. It's definitely a pressure issue!

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement! It's not that I can't blow out my ears, they just constantly pop and crack whenever I sniff/swallow, which is quite annoying, but nearly as annoying as T! Taking a steam bath with albos oil seemed to help so I'm going to continue doing that.

I've no doubt that it's a pressure issue as I'm popping and unpopping my ears all day every day. My ears are actually hurting now after all of the mucus has come out, I don't know if this is good or bad, maybe it's a good sign. We'll see.

 

At least you know there's a reason causing your T, that's what I tell myself. I know, the mucus is pretty gross. I honestly believe it's a good sign. I know, the T is verrrrrry annoying. Has yours gone down at all? Good luck!!

 

Does any fluid come out of your ears or just your nose/mouth? This is the first time I experienced fluid coming down. It hasn't gone down much really, it went down the first week or two after antibiotics but then I got another cold and it stayed and got worse. Since then it's been fluctuating, hard to tell really! Yours?

 

It comes out of my ear and down my throat (it comes from my middle ear)... I notice as the fluid comes out of my ear the ringing gets worse and then goes down again. Mine definitely fluctuates too! At least loud noises don't effect me anymore... my ears used to echo really bad at first!

 

Probably dried up mucus is coming out from your sinuses and nasal cavity.I would recommend you continue taking antihistamines maybe slowly reduce the dosage and stop, reduce to half dosage for few days and then half of it again and so on before you stop. Its called rebound effect if you stop suddenly your body might go into over drive and produce lot of mucus.
Its also important that you keep your bed and pillows clean. Basically you will spend 8-10 hrs laying down on a bed and inhaling the air, in due time the pillows and bed sheet accumulates so much dust which we don't usually care about. So while steaming its very important to keep your surrounding clean.

 

Okay thanks, I will change my sheets and dust my room later!

 

I have had tinnitus for 6 years,a high pitched ringing in my left ear,which i have got used to and it dosn't bother me,a few months ago i had ETD,and my doctor said i had fluid and i needed to pop my ears,which no matter how i tried i could not do.
I looked at the ear popper device which was over £100,which i thought was too expensive especially as it might not work.
Someone suggested i try the Otovent device which is only about £8.00,it is a plastic nozzle with a balloon attached which you inflate with your nose,you can see it on you tube and google.
Sounds strange but it did clear my ears,although i still have tinnitus.

 

Did you tinnitus improve after you cleared your ETD?

 

No my tinnitus is still the same,some days seem worse than others,i try not to focus on it,but i did notice that when i was on vacation recently i hardly noticed my tinnitus at all,maybe it was beacause i felt relaxed.

 

I have purchased the Otovent from amazon and it should arrive within a week. I'm really hoping this helps somewhat.

 

Sounds like what this device does is artificially inflate your eustachian tubes, hence "popping your ears." I had it done when I had my barotrauma, and my right tube sealed up. But I had it done by an ENT.

This is just my opinion: but doing this yourself with something you bought off the Internet sounds like a really, really bad idea that could permanently damage your ear drum or auditory system, as @Max_fcktr says. Time to call in the professionals.

 

I'm going to talk to my GP later/tomorrow and I'll see what he says.

I'm having a really tough day today, I've cried so many times.

 

I'm having a really tough day today, I've cried so many times.

So sorry, I feel for you. Hang in there. Bad days suck (I had one yesterday), but good days follow.
I would just hate to see you do something that would hurt your ears even more. Eustachian tube dysfunction CAN be treated, that's the good news. But you need a doctor.

 

As far as I know, otovent is a fairly safe treatment for Eustachian Tube problems? It was never confirmed that I had ETD, just an ear infection and a retracted ear drum at the onset of the T. My ears are constantly popping in and out whenever I sniff and swallow and I had a retracted ear drum a few weeks after my ear infection, this is why I think I have ETD. My ear is actually getting pains and feeling very full the past few days after beginning to inhale steam again.

Another bad day today, when oh when will I feel back to normal.