Clogged Ears — Could It Be an Issue with Eustachian Tubes? Or What?

[Andy9214]

My ears have felt clogged for the past two months, along with a ringing in my right ear. At first the ringing was constant and now it's off an on. Some days it's bad, some days it's barely there.

I've been to 3 ENTs two gave me prednisone the other an antibiotic. Each doctor says my ears look good and there's no fluid. They don't really address the issue that my ears still constantly feel clogged.

I did some research and it seems that it could be an issue with my eustachian tube. Not sure, just self diagnosing myself.

Has anyone had this issue? I'm getting nervous since I've had no relief for two months and I'm not sure if it's safe to constantly keep popping them. What could I do for some relief with this?

 

[Contrast]

ETD is a common misdiagnosis for people who experience injury from loud noise.

ENT's don't recognize that noise damage can mimic ETD. They don't even accept the fact that noise can injure.

 

[Contrast]

 

[Andy9214]

What do you think I could do to get rid of the fullness feeling?

 

[Rb86]

@Andy9214 I'm suffering from the same clogged feeling. I have had random moments where it pops and feels relieved somewhat, only to have it close back up shortly after.

I have read on this site that this full feeling subsides after 6 months or so. Like anything else, it varies.

 

[eagerUser]

What do you think I could do to get rid of the fullness feeling?

If you didn't have noise trauma it may be easier to fix. Go for steam inhalation and check your TMJ. You should check with the GP before doing anything cause stuff like steam inhalation maybe dangerous for you if you have any health issue. If it's noise induced you need to relax and go for an anti inflammatory regimen. the best treatment for Tensor tympani spasm if it's your case is relaxation! Unfortunately!

Good luck.

 

[Extreme]

None of the drs have continued to try to figure out why you still have the fullness?

 

[Contrast]

i'm convinced it's noise induced.

 

[Andy9214]

So I went to the ENT today to follow up with everything and I brought up the fact that everything started happening after I went to a concert in June. The doctor kept saying that he doesn't believe it's from that incident which I'm not sure if I agree with him on.

He believes the tinnitus is from a high frequency hearing loss I've had since I was a child, but not sure how/why it started all of the sudden.

The clogged feeling he had no answer for and said that it just might be ETD and I should get over the counter Allegra D and follow up in two months...

Didn't really get much of an answer from the doctor, still left me in the dark. I feel so lost with this.

If it is noise induced, will the clogged/pressure feeling go away after time? I'm going on a trip at the end of the month and I'm nervous about doing more harm due to the airplane I'll be on. The doctor said not to worry because there isn't any fluid in my ears.

 

[Jim Goose]

I've had that clogged feeling since my tinnitus started full time in March. I was blowing on my nose to equalize my ears, thinking the same as you, Eustachian tubes. Or I should say, hoping, and that as allergy season passed it would go away.

The second ENT I saw actually gave me advice telling me to stop doing that, it puts pressure inside your ears. And it makes sense, because by the end of the day, my ears hurt.

So I stopped, and it's gotten better, but they still feel a little full.

 

[Andy9214]

Thanks! I'm going to give that a shot, I clear them all day. What did the ent say it was?

 

[Juan]

The second ENT I saw actually gave me advice telling me to stop doing that, it puts pressure inside your ears. And it makes sense, because by the end of the day, my ears hurt.

That's good advice.

 

[Juan]

So I went to the ENT today to follow up with everything and I brought up the fact that everything started happening after I went to a concert in June. The doctor kept saying that he doesn't believe it's from that incident which I'm not sure if I agree with him on.

Look for another doctor. That ENT seems to be pretty bad.

 

[Jim Goose]

Thanks! I'm going to give that a shot, I clear them all day. What did the ent say it was?

I was convinced I had fluid in my ears, (and that clearing it up would fix my tinnitus), but he did the pressure test and said there was nothing in there. And that blowing on my nose 29x a day was adding pressure.

I find relief by holding my nose and swallowing. Or yawning. That releases pressure.

None of this, unfortunately, has helped my tinnitus. But I was only making things worse as I went down another rabbit hole trying to reason as to why my ears were ringing.

Now I'm thinking TMJ, and will go pay another specialist for that. But heck! I'll try anything to figure out this nightmare.

Good luck! And stay positive.

 

[Andy9214]

I'm just trying to figure out - is there a difference between the feeling of clogged ears due to hearing loss and having a Eustachian tube dysfunction? What would each one feel like?

Thanks.