Fluid behind eardrum - anyone else had this and same symptoms?

[worrybum]

For about 3 months my left ear has felt blocked almost constantly. It very occasionaly clears if I yawn but the relief is very short lived, sometimes only a few minutes. Sometimes my right ear feels a little blocked but not much. I get pain on and off either behind, in or infront of the ear in my face. I have 2 small raised glands behing the left ear. Also have had dry cough at night and itchy sore throat since it all started but not really bad throat IYKWIM, just niggly. Went to the doctors a few weeks ago and I have no ear wax, he believes the problem is fluid behing the ear drum and has given me a nasal spray - it hasn't done anything to clear it.

Don't know what is causing the fluid. Do you think it could be viral (have little glands coming up and then going back down within a day or so in my armpits. The glands behing my ear are there all the time)? Sometimes I can hear sticking noise in my ear when i'm moving my jaw. It's just getting really annoying now and I don't know how to get rid of it. Does anyone know if perhaps hopi ear candles would work for this sort of thing and if they are safe if you have this?

Thanks in advance ladies

I have this, i have had recurrant ear infections for a long time which has damaged my hearing in one of my ears now. I'm waiting for an appointment with an ENT specialist. Have you asked to be referred?

I had to go to the doctors in the end as i fly quite a bit and it was getting to be absolute agony when the cabin pressurised.

Thanks NSFOG, do you think i should ask about ENT? What are your symptoms? I was diagnosed with recurrent glue ear as a child and had my tonsils and adenoids removed and seemed to grow out of it. It's just getting so annoying and uncomfortable, the pressure inside my head feels weird as well

Have just rang docs again because it's getting on my pip so much and he's prescribed some nasal drops instead of the spray that have an antibiotic in them in case there may be any bacteria in there. He also said I can give the hopi ear candles a whirl if I fancy it! Thinks it might be post viral in which case I might be stuck with it for a while grrrrrrrr.

SNAP!

I had glue ear as a child as well, had gromitts and also had adenoids out.

Sometimes my head feels like it is floating off my shoulders and other times i feel like it is filled up with air.

I also have the recurrent sore throat, glands on and off and the pain around the ear as well.

Every now and then (this is yuck) i can massage my neck under the jaw, something pops and the pressure eases for a bit. BLEEEURRGH!

I would get a referral to ENT if i were you. I left it too long and now i've lost a lot of the lower register of my hearing.

I had a recurrent blocked & painful ear & sinuses over two years, and several visits to doc, antibiotics and nasal spray, which made it go for a while, but it returned.

Then in May I saw a different doctor. He told me to pinch my nose & blow gently as if about to dive into a pool. (You might have to swallow afterwards.) Do this four times in a row if necessary.

I did this constantly for a couple of days and within 2 weeks the pain & block had gone.

So you could try this. It's free and it might help!

THO thanks for the advice but already tried that one! In fact I think I've been pinching my nose and blowing down it for 3 months lol!!!! How on earth did you put up with it for 2 years? It's so uncomfortable isn't it?

Yes, it's horrible. Mine recurs when I go in the car & DH drives with the window open, though strangely it's my left ear, not the right as you'd expect. The doc told me to keep out of draughts.

Anyway, sorry that the 'miracle' for me can't help you.

another possibility is a bony growth in you ear. it's caused by prolonged exposure to cold air or water. The grwoth can be removed, but surgery is painful and carries the risk of facial paralysis.

Either way, your GP should refer you to ENT.

HL growth !!! Hope it is just fluid. Do you think that the fact that I get at least a little bit of infrequent relief would mean that it is just that? Hate the idea of it being anything else!

I had the fluid behind my eardrum suctioned out of my ear (I was 20 at the time). Hurt like mad when they did it, but instant relief.

For a few days afterwards, when I bent down my head felt a bit funny, but that was all.

You need to see an ENT consultant.

thanks CK, think I will try these nasal drops and hopi ear candles and if still no improvement will ask for referal to ENT consultant. Just don't want to seem like a pain in the arse to gp, have had to be seen there too much in the past year or so. Pain is quite bad this eve, getting strange headache and facial pain on that side too. Googled the growth thing and I think HL might have been referring to something called surfers ear which is a growth you get before you get to the eardrum by the sound of it so I don't think it is that because down to my eardrum is clear apparently just something going on behind it.

Thinking back though I have had a lot of ear and face pain before the blocked sensation started.

bump -just in case anyone still lurking this time of night that may be able to offer some suggestions for relief - can't sleep with it tonight

This is really starting to worry me now. the glands that I had come up in my face a few months ago (in front of my ears -the one on the right is bigger) are more prominent today as well. Reluctant to ring the doctor yet again with the same problem , the don't seem too concerned. It will be just a viral thing won't it?