To puncture my ear drum?

[LilQuim]

I realise anyone remotely medical / sensible will say "ffs woman, STOP!"

I get recurrent sinusitis, got eustachean tube dysfunction & have constantly blocked feeling (plus reduced hearing) in ear. Most of the time ear drum is retracted.

Today ear is so painful. Equalising pressure doesn't work. Sinus spray etc no help.

I am fantasising about puncturing the drum with a needle to relieve pressure. I mean, how can it be worse than if it perforated? Had that happen few times before.

Only time ear has felt ok is when I had grommet in or when on long term antibiotics.

Let. Me. Jab. My. Eardrum!

I get what you mean op.
I had sinusitis a few years ago and ever since then any sort of cold like infection has caused me ear pain and congestion.
In January I caught flu and then a few weeks later I caught it again - or something very like it. Just as I was getting over round one my ear became very painful and I lost most of the hearing on that side. I spent days holding warms mugs of tea up to the side of my face to relieve it.
Just as it was starting to ease round two hit and my body decided that what I really needed was more mucus, on my lungs and in my ear. My nose was perfectly clear, but my upper sinus on one side was just solid.
I was debating not only puncturing my ear, but drilling a hole just above my eyebrow to let the pressure out. Then one day, having given up all hope of any relief, I turned my head to look at something, there was a weird noise in my ear and it suddenly cleared! Enough to get my hearing back, anyway.
It was weird. I'd been almost deaf on one side for so long my brain had got used to it and I could suddenly hear all the joints in my neck creaking whenever I moved my head.

Wouldn't one of those metal BBQ skewers be better? Or perhaps one of those ultra thin beading needles? I've got some somewhere if you'd like one.

@Capricornandproud thank you! I was thinking about ditching dairy. Did it make a big difference?? And tbh I could use a water & lemon detox too!

The best I've felt with mine was on 3 months of clarithromycin - my ear was clear!! And with grommet in - was painful & leaked fluid, but felt better.

@dancerdog oooooh that's an interesting tip. I'll try anything! I've taken codydramol & ibuprofen just so I can sleep!! off my tits lol

@CigarsofthePharoahs omg your story has given me hope! Weirdly (or not), I have been trying to click the top of my neck, as it feels like that might help.

A skewer is a perfect implement. I've been watching videos on YouTube of them perforating eardrums & suctioning our the fluid. I'm so fucking jealous!!!

Honestly Lilquim it does make some difference. The weather and a cold will always fuck my hearing up but another avenue worth investigating is allergies.

I know now that I’m allergic to pet hair and dust for example; not the sneezing and itching bit but it irritates the lining of my nose etc and without salt rinses those same allergens are trapped in my airways. That then causes the sinus problems and build up for me.

Re the dairy... dairy can produce excess mucus in the body. It absolutely has a knock effect for my tubes. Also the general damp climate sometimes doesn’t help; I often do work in hot, dry countries and my ears aren’t as bad. Could be worth trying a dehumidifier??

Luckily I've only been in this situation once but the pain was all consuming. I treated my blocked sinus with First Defence Nasal Spray. I was desperate so I used double the dose on each nostril & tipped my head to the side while I sniffed it in. To spread the spray around I even wound up tipping my head upside down. It was like the fires of hell in my sinus for about ½ hour afterwards, but then my nose started dripping & the pressure changed. The next morning the pain in my ear was less & it spontaneously equalised all through the day.

I was on allergy meds full time for ages, but didn't help. So they put me on the steroid nasal spray, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. ENT did say my nasal passages & inside sinuses are really inflamed - she agrees that it's some sort of allergy. Got tested & it only came up with grass & tree pollen (not birch).

Might try dehumidifier. Actually, sleep with CPAP machine, which does dry out tubes. My sinuses on the left side hurt in the morning. Think they are aggravated by actually getting air in during the night.

Fellow Eustachian tube dysfunction sufferer here.
I totally get what you're saying about the pressure.
Totally weird, but works for me (most of the time) to relieve pressure is to pull the earlobe sideways away from the neck and then yawn. Give it a try.

@shazkiwi I've got that stuff - only ever used it if feeling a cold coming on. Man does it burn!!!! But fuck it, I'm trying that in the morning! Thank you!!

@mineofuselessinformation I do that! How funny that we seem to find things instinctively. I've been doing that, valsalva manoeuvre & trying to click very top of neck. I can feel it equalises a little bit, then POP goes back.

I haven't Rtft, but my mother suffered ear infections and sinus problems for decades, poor woman.

Acupuncture has made an enormous difference, initially she had to go weekly but after 6 months or so it reduced and now she goes every few months.

She never gets infections or sinus headaches now, it's such a relief for her. Hope you feel better soon, op

@Outnotdown oh really? That's interesting. One of my GPS does acupuncture- I'll ask her about that.

Oohh and another totally random one... when I had the allergy testing done she also said I should avoid bananas . She said the consistency of them when they break down (and quite naturally gelatinous) is as bad as dairy for sufferers with my ear complaints. Who knows but I do avoid them now and if I just eat a few for handiness I notice my ETs getting blocked up. Bloody annoying because I loves a ‘nana.

I feel your pain OP I have suffered with my ears since I was born constant ear infections have done that much damage to my ears that am now hard of hearing one ear I’ve had grommets, T-tubes and skin grafts on my ear drums. I know the pain that you mean it’s horrible and so uncomfortable but the relief when you ear drum pops is immens but please don’t pop your ear drum yourself that’s a really bad idea I know your in pain but you could end up doing more harm than good. Get yourself back to ENT and see your GP.

Any relief today OP? My right one is goddamn blocked this morning. I want the dentist suction thingy and shove it up the back of my throat to suck the gunk out

@Capricornandproud bananas???? How random. Ok. I'm currently not having dairy st home - switched to almond milk at Xmas - but I do occasionally have it when having a coffee out. Thought about it when I couldn't sleep last night & I had coffee with dairy yesterday.

I'll be more consistent now. And no nanas!

@Shootfirstaskquestionslater oh no! I'm so sorry you've had it so bad! That sounds horrendous. I didn't do anything rash, it was just the fantasy of that relief!

I'll see GP this week & get referred. It's bloody miserable.

@Capricornandproud it's still really blocked but pain isn't as bad. Though barely effing slept!

Oh crap! Hey, speaking of dentist suction thing - I found something last night when googling, about eustachean tube massage (for osteopaths I think). You massage the tonsil bit at the back of the throat. I'll try to find the link. I didn't do it as I was in bed & cba to get up & sanitise hands! Lol.

I'm also going to ask ENT about balloon dilation of tube. The thought of it sounds awesome.

Yeah I spotted that too when Googling last night! I was under ENT for a few years but had no joy or progrression with this absolute loon of a doctor... I gave a GP appt in the morning so going to start the ball rolling again.

Luckily I don’t have any pain unless I force the valsaver move - then it can be sore. Do you steam, like they all tell you to do? 🙄 I could never be frigged setting it all up but picked up this brilliant device for £5 in the chemist, will try and take a pic. And I find it sort of goes up the back of your throat and clears from that side and you’ll feel the gunk coming away into your throat.

Fwiw my actual ears are always clean as a whistle when the doctors check them. It all collects and gets stuck on the other side of the drum. Was it very painful getting grommets fitted OP?

This is it... no faff just boil the kettle and a dollop of Vick.

I'm going to try that. Thank you!

Mine can vary between them seeing bubbles in fluid, eardrum being retracted (several times) or nothing. But I can feel the pain from ear down to back of throat and my sinuses are always sore. Had CTs, cameras up there - sometimes full of pus, sometimes nothing on CT, but always "inflamed".

Getting grommet fitted was a wee bit sore, but they put numbing cream in. There was one bit that didn't numb. It was bearable though - she wanted to stop (had done incision & suction), it was just getting the grommet in place. Told her just to carry on. After that, they give you antibiotic drops & those burn like hell - all the way ear to throat. But in a way that you know it's getting directly to where it needs to be.

Am use to it all but thank you. I really hope you manage to get some relief from your ears I am so sorry your suffering so much at the minute I know how sh*t it is. I can’t think of anything that you could try because am sure you’ve tried it all already. Really hope you can get your ears sorted out.

Reading this has made my right ear hurt

This won't help you right now but have you looked into getting eustachian balloon dilation in the future rather than grommets?

@Shootfirstaskquestionslater thank you darling. It's miserable, as you know. Going to get referred back to ENT.