How Does One Deal With ETD?

I'm pretty sure the fulness I'm feeling in my right ear is ETD. My ENT's mantra is wait and in time it will heal. I've had it for about 3 months. It's much better than it was 2 months ago when I couldn't pop my ear at all, but I still have a swollen patch at the back of the throat, pain in the ear when I talk for more than a few minutes and that full feeling that many of you out there are more than a little familiar with. Just wondering if anyone out there has a trick or two to help improve things even more

 

I don't have any tricks but I think I am in the same boat as you on some level, both in terms of when my T started and how it started (infection) and having some residual ETD issues. My left ear still feels a little full like you say--in particular I can hear my own voice a little bit (mostly low frequency) and still feel a little negative pressure there. Like you I could not pop it all the way when I yawned and now it pops with probably half the force as my right side, which is mostly not affected by T either. Hopefully it is the kind of thing that keeps getting better with time as it has so far (very very slowly but gradually.) I have always had ETD issues in general so I'm sure that is a factor in all of this.

 

Could this be Eagle Syndrome? It has a symptom of sore throat and T... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_syndrome

 

Do you get any pain and itchiness in the ear when you speak for any period of time?

 

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.

 

My ENT has no solutions for this one. I will get a new night guard, go to the chiropractor, I'm thinking some physio, or massage to loosen up the jaw and face muscles a bit. Itchy E tube and the ear feels full pretty much 24/7. Will post when there is improvement. Your ear was full of white junk, was the eardrum was intact?

 

You may have just answered what's been happening to my ears exactly what you put ,I always thought it was eczema that was doing it ,will do what you were told to do .Just thought my ears were hot from laying down ,just junk ,always got ear fullness,again thought it was down to allergies plus eczema .Will keep doing the ear pulling see if it works as well for me ,really would help me a lot .Hope it will maybe in turn ,help me balance up .

 

A very good chiropractor here who has knowledge of all kinds of ailments recommended this. He told me to 'keep at it' until it cleared up. It was a drag, it took several weeks, but I had faith that he knew what he was talking about. He helped my dad and grandpa out in the upper respiratory department many times.

 

how did the junk end up In your ear canal though?

 

I have no idea what the junk was or how it came out that way. But the doctor was not surprised at all. Boy, it was years ago and I'm glad that feeling is gone.

 

I have ETD and for me it's been almost a year now. For me the total sense of fullness all the time comes and goes. If I get sick it kinda hurts. If I move my jaw too much and aggravate the muscle there it inflames my tubes. If I eat too much salt/sugar it inflames my tubes. If my very very slight allergies act up it inflames my tubes. Really my ETD is always there but there are some days were it almost feels like it isn't. Try to figure out if there's anything about your lifestyle or habits that worsen or relieve your ETD in increments.

 

Derpytia ,give this ear pulling a go ,you never know ,I've been doing it since I read ,my rhinitis is quite bad ,gone through what dr said to do on keeping a diary ,for food still non the wiser .So this ear pulling worth a try .
Always say to people ,I've learnt so much from souls on TT .
Hope everyone on TT today are having a better T day ,a coping one .

 

You pull your earlobe out and go in forward circles, then backward circles. That was how he explained it. I did if for weeks. It didn't gradually get better or do anything, then one one day ... whoosh ... all at once it was gone. Sounds simple. Like I said, I had been to the family doctor a few times, an ENT, and in one year I was prescribed different pills and drops which didn't do much.

 

Step one would be having it diagnosed. I thought I had ETD for years with a full feeling in one of my ears... turns out I have TMJD instead lol.

I'm guessing your ENT did the tests required. Did he offer you any medicine? Nasal steroids have helped me get rid of that unclogged feeling. I also would take many hot showers and breathe in through nose, out through the mouth to loosen things up. Also over time you learn how to manipulate your jaw so you can pop your ears and clear 'em out better.

Can't hurt to try. I would advise against the Valsalva maneuver however.

 

The ENT gave me a prescription for some comfort drops and told me where I can get TRT. He didn't seem too interested in pursuing it any further. I will likely have to pass on TRT as I can't afford it. I have Flonase too. I too am thinking there might be a TMJ thing going on. Just did some reading on ibuprofen, looks like this can cause T for some. I took a whack load of this in the last 4 months for the sore ear. I did lots of ear popping by gently blowing with the nose plugged. This helped a lot in getting the sore ear to behave in a more normal fashion. I only do it a couple of times a day now. NEVER push hard when doing this for sure.

 

I did a couple of things last week that I think may have helped to stabilize the sore ear. I went to my dentist to rule out nerve problems in my teeth and he found my bite to be way off on that side so he did an adjustment. I also went to a chiropractor who adjusted my neck and jaw. He said my jaw was out of alignment on the sore side. He also showed me a sleep position that is better for the neck and ear pressure on pillow. It's only been a couple of days but it feels like my ETs might be a bit happier.

 

Hi Kevin ,how did he explain the pillow bit ,I've had neck pain 9 yrs ,had 2 bones put back in after a scan 2 yrs ago ( painful ) but still neck pain .So any help would be great as I've got balance problem ,I've changed pillows ,had no pillows etc to no avail .thanks

 

http://activebackcare.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Side-Lying.png
This is the way, important that the arm facing the mattress is not tucked under the body or arm under the pillow or hand under the head. Also good to tuck a pillow behind you to further support the back. He said to never sleep on your stomach or back.

 

Thanks Kevin ,will pass info on to friends with same trouble including my next door neighbour .Every bit helps .