To ask about blocked ear/eustachian tube dysfunction - desperate!

[fortunatelynot]

Sorry to be incredibly boring but does anyone suffer from ETD?
Had it on and off for a few months after getting a rotten ear infection a while back - it seems to have made my ear susceptible?
Some days I am fine; others I wake with a completely blocked ear, ear pain etc. It (not surprisingly) gets bad if I have a cold/sinus issues etc but also seems to be present at other times. I try to clear it by pinching my nose and blowing and get lots of crackling.
I take decongestants, blow regularly etc. I have seen the doctor occasionally but they don't really say a lot apart from keep using decongestants.
I often now hear ringing and to be honest, its really getting to me. It is only ever one ear (and the same ear)
Any other sufferers/tips etc?

Just to add, you get the otovent balloon on Amazon. No prescription needed. Lots of videos and instructions online and there are no drugs etc so you can't cause harm trying it out.

I have had this twice in my life and it lasted for months each time and another short burst. Been seen by ENT etc and they all say I can hear 🙄 What solved it for me was taking the antihistamine Fexofenadine for hay fever! I still have a lot of nasal backdrop though and I think this can contribute too.

Saline rinsing and the balloon thing didn't work for me.

This is going to sound stupid but have you actually had your ears checked to see if they themselves are blocked.

I need mine microsuctioining twice a year or all manner of drama occurs!

I have tried many of the suggested options over the last few years and nothing helped every time. ENT referral not helpful at all but suggested I would never be a scuba diver as couldn’t equalise pressure in my ears!
I am currently going dairy free which seems to be helping - time will tell.

My consultant fitted vents which has helped me a lot! Mine was chronic though.

Omg I cannot believe all the suggestions of using gadgets etc when you have no idea what it going on.

Nasal irrigation etc is obviously fine, but after this long, really shouldn't be taking decongestants, and need a referral.

The equalising by holding my nose and blowing never worked for me, but what did was holding my nose and swallowing - not a cure but eases it definitely.

Not sure if it's the same thing but my 9 year old has glue ear in both ears and has recently had surgery to remove a cholesteatoma in one ear.

Otovent are great. It is a kind of balloon that you inflate with one nostril. Bizarre but works wonders. Cleared my ETD

Try a guaifenesin based medicine. It’s essentially a laxative for your respiratory system and loosens the goo so that it moves (either by draining or coughing it depending on where the goo is)

Daughter (9) has this problem. Otovent balloon helps but she refuses to do it. Strident massage of opposite bit of nose above nostril and pull that ear lobe have worked to clear it sometimes. Odd but it does seem to work. Saw it on YouTube will try and find a link.

Had a bad chest head cold, ? covid , back in the day before testing available. Left with this in one ear, pressure and such loud crackling it was awful.

I went for private consultation as was getting no where, Avamys ( fluticasone) steroid inhaler was prescribed ( £££ on private prescription but I was desperate) and really helped. You can get this on NHS though too. Bought the otovent and the ear popper too and this combination def got rid of it. It’s a horrible thing but now ear back to normal.

I have developed this and wasted money on an appointment at a ear wax removal place who couldn't help as I had no wax. They also recommended otovent which has given me some relief

I suffered with this after getting some kind of virus. My GP was sympathetic but could offer no help other than to assure me that it would go away by itself in time. Antibiotics and ear wax removal weren’t offered because there was no infection and the problem was the other side of my eardrums to where wax collects. I got so deaf at one point that I couldn’t hear somebody talking when they were standing right next to me. TV subtitles became my friend.

It did clear up by itself but it took nearly two months.

I can’t see what that balloon thing can do that simply pinching your nose and blowing gently can’t. It is doing exactly the same thing.

I've got this too, trying to be patient but it's driving me nuts. Someone upthread mentioned a sinus massage, any links?

When I had this (acute, rather than chronic) what I found really helped was one of those cheap face sauna things which allowed steam to soften things up.

However, if you are having chronic issues you should insist on a referral to ENT from your GP rather than being fobbed off with decongestants.

I had it a few years ago. Went completely deaf in one ear for about 6 weeks. GP sent me to an ENT who after sticking a camera up my nose told me he could give me a prescription for a nasal spray or I could snort warm salty water up my nose twice a day (it was as delightful as it sounds) took a week or so but it did work.

Steam, steam and more steam. I have had ETD my whole life, it’s total rubbish every time I get a cold, but the last time I tried steam and I’ve never had it clear up so quickly. It’s not quite a quick fix, still took about a week but better than the months on end that I’ve experienced previously. Even better with some Vicks Vaporub melted in. Hope it works for you, it’s horrendous.

Re steam, there doesn't seem to be any congestion, it's just waiting for the ear to pop. I had one attack of sinusitis, years ago, which seemed to be similar, and after three weeks, I was about try the doc again, and it just went "pop" while I walking to the station. It's like you've got to hit the exact right point in the ear. I get vertigo, so my ears are prone to disruption.

Thank you all so much for your messages! I have not had to chance to check the last couple of days as very busy at work, but I did not expect any replies! It seems that quite a few of us are having/have had ETD issues.

Your suggestions have given me plenty to try - I think more steam, possibly the balloon.......!

I had this, had to have a grommet fitted under a general anaesthetic which totally fixed it.

@fortunatelynot hi, how are you?

Mine is ongoing. One ear feels like it's got water in it, everything is echoey and weird.

Hi, did anyone have any joy clearing up their ear problems?

I've tried Sudafed, Actifed, Amoxicillin, Dymista, Betamethasone, Flonase, Otavent, antihistamine, Otrivine - all without success.

I have fluid behind the eardrum, no pain but a rumbling, fluttering feeling in my ear, sounds are distorted, some sounds appear more loud whilst some sounds are completely muffled. It's been like this on and off since the end of April and it's driving me nuts.😊

I had this after an ear infection. My sinuses have been shot since I had to travel on a plane with a sinus infection whilst pregnant six years ago, thought my head was going to explode.

Anyway, GP prescribed two month course of steroid nasal spray. I was sceptical but it worked. Very occasionally still get a blocked right ear but if I hold my head to one side for a few minutes it sort of drains away.