Why Do My Ears Feel Really Full Like There's Pressure or Water in Them?

Does anyone with t have this? I know I have been told I have fluid in my ears and one dr told me that my ear drum looked "sucked" in ( ETD)

Sometimes my ears ache..but the drs told my ears don't look infected ( I'm still on antibiotics for another 3 days)

Also changes in T sound..
I feel like whenever I come out of the shower it's worse and gets better after a while..the last 2 nights it's been somewhat annoying :/ I also have bad headaches that are pressure like.

Anyone experience this? Anyone have advice? Again my situation sucks I've been to every urgent care here ( there's only 2) the er 5 different times..the on base clinic can't see me until next Tuesday I really want to go back to the er to make sure the infection didn't come back or something..
But I'm not sure what to do.

 

Hello Maithe,

Complete the course of your treatment for your recent ear infection.

It sounds plausible that you have a feeling of fullness in your ears during an ear infection.

I had mastoiditis/external ear infection and middle ear infection at the end of last november. I know the blocked feeling is annoying, but it is likely as your dr has suggested, that it is the fluid in your middle ear that is causing this. You could have a tympanometry that will tell you if there is fluid behind the drum, but i think it will settle down.

Give it some time (unless you feel you have worsening symptoms that need more urgent care), and see if it settles on its own. Mine has taken a few months before i felt better.

My audiologist has suggested to me that that blocked feeling can sometimes be due to spasm of the tensor tympani muscle of the ear. I have noted a number of people with t seem to experience ear fullness. I am not quite sure why but i would suggest you dont panic..just give the treatment a chance, and reevaluate in a few days time when you have finished the antibiotics.

Let us know how you get on.

 

Hey Maithe,

Don't worry, I have the exact same symptoms. My ears feel blocked, though not all the time, and a weird feeling of pressure :-( so annoying. I also get the pressure headaches too, and I'm sorry to say that mine stuck around for a long time. You sound like you have the same thing as I have - fluid in the ear and ETD because of it. Mine came on after a cold, so I think mine has been blocked up afterwards.

To help relieve the pressure headaches, try inhaling some methlyn crystals (hope I have spelt that right - go the pharmacy and explain the problem and what you want, they will no what you mean). This helps clear the sinuses and for me helped my pressure headaches. I also had two nosebleeds because of these headaches as a way of releasing it. Not nice.

I too have ear pain. I have looked it up online and they have said that ear pain can occur because of fluid, so don't worry. Take painkillers or if you don't I've read that putting something warm on them, like a hotwater bottle, can help.

Mine also changes in sound and I am so glad you mentioned that yours is worse after coming out the shower! Mine is too, and it feels like there is a screeching noise in both of them, but after a little while it calms down again thakfully.

Finish your antibiotics and go to the doctors, but to be honest it sounds just like mine. My doctor said that it did not look there was any infection, just the fluid - but your symptoms sound like a case of fluid in the ear. But just so you know the pressure headaches have more or less gone now (5/6 weeks after T) as has the ear pain which I get only now and again, and that's when I'm moving around and the fluid is moving too. It will get sorted, but it takes time. Hopefully yours will heal faster than mine will!

Keep us posted and good luck

 

Well I did have a bad infection I think that's what causes the fluids to stay:/ ugh what can they do to get fluids out?
I hate this..my ears can't "pop" when I drive it's even worse at times..same for you?

I hope the t goes away once the fluid is gone...

 

Ahh. I have all the same symptoms. I think for some reason the pressure won't equalize with me. Dr said my eardrums were fine and to wait it out for the pressure in my ears.

 

:/ I get told different at every dr appt..
Some say my eardrum is bulging with fluid, or that it's sucked it..sometimes they say it looks ok ( fluid moved around I know that)

I need to see a different ENT but there 2 hours away:/ the ringing has lowered a lot but it's still there and it's bad after showering not sure why that is:/

 

Me to different answer from every doctor. But I think the eustachian tube is not working properly it regulates pressure in the ears I do notice my t more after a shower to I'm gonna wait a bit then see someone else. There is a surgeon by my house maybe he'll have an idea.I guess we have to wait it outand hope for the best

 

Yeah:/ I know for a fact that I have some issue with my Eustachian tube..
Ugh this is a nightmare for me and probably for you too..I just want this to end

 

@cullenbohannon

 

Yes I had this pressure feeling for a few months now because of ETD ( also not able to equalize) and might need surgery for it this year. But Nasonex cortisone nasal spray helps with it so you might ask your doctor for it. As you are in the army you probably have health care I guess?! Because otherwise I heard it is really expensive, I heard @Neenie paid 150$ for it in Australia.
But again, I would try it for the ETD and the pressure feeling.

 

Maithe
I felt pressure in my ears for the first few months of my T; your ears are straining, eventually they will settle down. Clearing up the sinuses (all the cranial cavities) is a good suggestion (easy and harmless).

Mark

 

I hope so too. Remember you haven't had this for long, so there is a very good chance that your T is temporary. Yes, my ears are worse after driving - they really feel pressured afterwards, so annoying! And my ears don't pop either, and if they do they quickly block again - like in a few seconds. My doctor just advised me to wait for the fluid to be absorbed into the body, but I'm not good with waiting :-/

 

maithe maybe a nettipot or spending time in a steam room may help relieve pressure
and help if there is any fluid left?

 

@citigirl13 my ears do the same thing..yeah tomorrow marks 3 weeks..kind of breaks me but I keep telling myself that it's possible it will go away.

And denny I have a nettipot but I'm nervous to use it because I'm not so good with that kind:/ all I know is I have fluid and ETD :/

 

Etd was diagnosed by an ent? It may be too early to diagnose it?
Many times Etd is diagnosed after ruling out other things.

 

It was diagnosed with a er dr she said my eardrum was "sucked in"

 

Did she prescribe a nasal inhaler? Does blowing your nose give any relief?

 

Yes she did, I was also on steroids..didn't seem to help..ugh
She said that blowing your nose may make it worse so I keep trying not to do that.

 

You have ETD? Can you hear yourself swallow? I do..ugh and my ears ache and feel like there is fluid and pressure in them..it's worse when I drive :/ I think I may need surgery as well because I was on steroids which did nothing for me:/

 

you mean clicking sound during swallowing? I had this but it went away, actually I think this symptom is very much anxiety and stress related. How long have you bee on steroids, cortisone nasal sprays should be used for at least 6 weeks to work so don't stop taking them to early if you have the impression that they don't work.

 

I have to say this ...........I have for years thought i had TMJ problems and eustachian tube issues. After so much time and effort and money in seeing people I believe all this clicking stuffed ,pressure feeling is a symptom of having tinnitus and nothing else. If i put pink noise on for example and my ears lock on to it blocking out the tinnitis the pressure feelings ease right off, those same feelings that make you think you have the above problems. The clicking drives you nuts mind,I can put pressure on the back of my throat (hard to explain )and my ears will click etc etc .

 

I was on a steroid for 6 days than another 6 days after I found out I had a infection. I have a nasal spray but haven't used it everyday.

 

I'm exactly the same as carlover, I had several tests on my ears as I was convinced I had eustachian tube issues. Have had that pressured feeling plenty and my ears click all the time. My ears also get pressured after longer driving, I think it's the irritation of the road noise.

But apparently there's nothing wrong with them.

 

Yes but all my problem started after flying 4 weeks ago..and after about a few days is when my issues began..followed by finding out I had a bad ear infection in both ears and sometimes the dr says she can see where my ear drum is sucked in ETD.

 

Yes but the dr actually told me she saw my ear drum sucked in which means "ETD" on too of that I have fluid in my ears and had a infection a week ago in both ears..
I'm finishing up antibiotics now. I guess time will tell but I'm seeing a ENT soon.

 

Yes my eardrums are sucked in too but without the fluid behind the eardrum. In your case I would really see an ENT because he can drain the fluid if the other stuff doesn't help.

 

Yes I am making a appt with a ENT to try and get the fluid out or help equalize the pressure in my ears..
All my issues started when I was done flying I should have not flown..I was very sick 2 weeks before flying :/

 

Same.

 

You didn't know that then so don't reproach yourself for it!

 

Yeah :/ well I feel like I could of avoided all of this if I didn't fly

Now I have all this stuff going on and live not in the best area ( since my husband is in the military)
And the medical care sucks!! Only one ENT here and he's like 80 and not helpful what so ever so I have to drive 2 hours to see another ENT and audiologist.