After Feeling Better, I Feel Worse...

[Mike K]

A few days ago the ringing subsided and I felt like all I had to get over was the clicking in my ears. I wasn't even waking up in the morning with my ears feeling full (I've had a sinus infection/clogged sinuses for almost 3 months now. I've taken amoxycillin and prednisone which reduced inflammation but it wasn't enough to fend it away for good). Yesterday I wake up and I couldn't even force air into my right ear when I blow through a plugged nose gently. Now, when I perform the same act to relieve the pressure in my ears, my right ear does not hold onto that vacuum.

Let me explain further. You know when you blow through your plugged nose to push air into your ears, and you hear the eustachian tubes open up and stay that way until you pop them or swallow? Well, my right ear doesn't hold that pressure. My left does, but my right kind of "closes" back up. If I push short spurts of air I can hear a slight noise of the tube opening and closing. Like I said, normally the ears fill with air until you pop them with a swallow.

The ringing is now soft in my right ear, when the only time I ever heard it there was when I would sleep on that side. Should I not be too overly concerned, and continue to let this sickness run its course? I'm planning to buy a decongestant that I can take daily to try to open things back up, because my nose is now stuffy and plugged, as are my ear (of course).

 

[glynis]

I would try steam inhalation to unblock your tubes....lots of love glynis

 

[Mike K]

I would try steam inhalation to unblock your tubes....lots of love glynis

Oh yes, I love myself some good steam inhalation! I can feintly hear my breath in my right ear as well, which makes me feel like my right E-tube is already open. After a workout at the gym I could really hear it, but I've felt that before when sick. I've just never heard it during the day. My right ear also doesn't click as much when I swallow, and I know it's supposed to make a very slight clicking noise. On the other side, my left makes a louder clicking noise.

Still having the sensation of my right ear not being able to hold the air when I blow through my plugged nose. It almost sounds like there is liquid stuck in there and it moving around as I push short bursts of air into my ears. This is a new sensation. Half of me thinks it's bad, half of me thinks that it is my right ear starting to clear up. Does anyone else get this feeling?

When at rest, I can vaguely hear myself breathing in my right ear. When working out I can really hear my breath in both ears. Is this patulous eustachian tube? I really hope this shit goes away...

 

[Dana]

Is this patulous eustachian tube?

With patoulous E tube you have to hear your own voice too.
Sound like patulous tube when you hear your own breathing, but test this: talk when you hear your own breathing and see if you hear the sound of your own voice "in your head".

 

[Mike K]

With patoulous E tube you have to hear your own voice too.
Sound like patulous tube when you hear your own breathing, but test this: talk when you hear your own breathing and see if you hear the sound of your own voice "in your head".

Very valid points; I'm not sure I truly have it. Like I said I've experienced this when having a cold and working out at the gym. As I type this now I don't really think I can hear my breathing, and I do hear the popping noise when swallowing again. When it has been happening over the last few days I can kind of hear my voice as well, so that must be some sort of reaction to my sinuses being very temperamental.

I'm just a bit concerned about my right ear when I push air into it. My left ear holds the pressure until I swallow, but my right does not. It's almost as if the air gets pushed right back.

 

[Nick Pyzik]

@Mike K Have you been given any antibiotics to treat this ongoing sinus infection?

 

[Mike K]

@Mike K Have you been given any antibiotics to treat this ongoing sinus infection?

I was given amoxycillin about a month in by a GP when my tonsils started to get white spots on them. The ENT gave me prednisone about 3 weeks ago which did help, but once I was off of it my body returned to it's normal slow rate of recovery. When I saw the ENT the second time (after the meds completed) I wasn't hearing any ringing so I wasn't prescribed more. He also didn't check my sinuses through my nose. But the ringing did come back as the congestion did not completely go away.

In the last week the ringing has significantly subsided, and for two days it was completely gone. I thought I was well on my way to being 100%, but in the last 2 days the T has come back about 60% of the time, and my ears just don't feel any better in terms of the loud clicking when I swallow.