Double Ear Infection While on Travel

[Alue]

I've been on travel for work for the past week, and on Friday I started feeling awful. I started feeling dizzy, light headed, and weak and decided to take myself into the clinic thinking I was coming down with the flu. Flu test was negative, but it turns out both my eardrums were very inflamed and bulging outwards. Doctor said it was a double ear infection (otitis media), and I was given a high dosage of amoxicillin.

The strange thing is, I have zero pain with the ear inflammation/infection, and (knock on wood) my tinnitus isn't any worse. I decided to stay the weekend instead of spending all day flying home then flying back on Monday, and I'm very glad I did, but I'm a little nervous about my flights home next Friday. I hope my ears are cleared up by then. Staying in a hotel while ill sucks, but it beats flying.

I'm not quite sure how I got the ear infection to begin with, I asked the doctor if earplug use could have contributed, and she said although my ear canals are a little irritated from using earplugs it would not have caused a middle ear infection. I started feeling a mild cold coming on Thursday, but that's about it.
The absence of pain also makes me wonder if the otitis is bacterial. I kind of hope it is, that way the antibiotics can do their job.

I would like to give my ears a rest from using earplugs so much, but I feel stuck having to use them. I work around equipment that is noisy enough to be bothersome after long periods of time, and I've been forced to use them to sleep in the hotel at night without being woken up by random noises.

 

[Red]

Can you postpone your flight in case you don't get better in time?

 

[Zeneth]

Good news that your tinnitus isn't worse, hopefully it passes and you'll be fine.

 

[Alue]

Can you postpone your flight in case you don't get better in time?

Possibly, but it's my company paying for the flights, and I'm not sure what I'll be doing the following Monday, so it gets complicated. It would not be cheap changing the flights. I do have plenty of hotel points that I could stay for free for a few nights if needed. I really hope it doesn't come to that.

 

[Alue]

Oh man. I can tell my ears are very sensitive to pressure changes right now. I tried to put in silicone earplugs instead of foam ones, and I had to stop because when you push them in they can cause a slight pressure change in your ear and that alone was causing a sharp pain.

Not good.

 

[Red]

I'm surprised the ac keeps you up, Alue. Can you ask someone from the front desk to see if the ac settings can be adjusted?

 

[Alue]

I'm surprised the ac keeps you up, Alue. Can you ask someone from the front desk to see if the ac settings can be adjusted?

It's a wall mounted AC/heater unit and it's cold here. I was able to sleep putting earmuffs on and laying on my back (which is probably a good position anyway so drainage doesn't flow into my ears).
I'm taking a high dosage of guaifenesin (also recommended by the doc) to help loosen things up. I am concerned about too much Guaifenesin giving me kidney stones as I already have a propensity to form them.

 

[Alue]

So I decided to get an ENT to look at my ears before I decide to fly back home. I hate paying for it (seems like a waste) and normally I have no problems flying, but I don't want to risk it.

 

[Red]

So I decided to get an ENT to look at my ears before I decide to fly back home. I hate paying for it (seems like a waste) and normally I have no problems flying, but I don't want to risk it.

Good idea. You don't want to rupture your eardrum. Take care of yourself first.

 

[Alue]

Well I went to the ENT. Felt like a waste, they looked in my ears and told me they looked better, did a tympanogram and blew puffs of air into my ears with the otoscope which was a little irritating. They told me that it's probably okay to fly, but if I had the flexibility it might be better to wait a few days. As it turns out I found out that I might have to be back out here next week, which I'm not thrilled about.

O' and I noticed a new? feint tone in my left ear this evening... lovely. Maybe it's stress related and it will fade away.

I don't know why I'm posting this all here. Just feel the need to vent.

 

[Red]

Well I went to the ENT. Felt like a waste, they looked in my ears and told me they looked better, did a tympanogram and blew puffs of air into my ears with the otoscope which was a little irritating. They told me that it's probably okay to fly, but if I had the flexibility it might be better to wait a few days. As it turns out I found out that I might have to be back out here next week, which I'm not thrilled about.

O' and I noticed a new? feint tone in my left ear this evening... lovely. Maybe it's stress related and it will fade away.

I don't know why I'm posting this all here. Just feel the need to vent.

That's why most of us post about our spikes, isn't it? When you think about it, there's almost nothing we can do when a person gets a bad spike. We know there's not medically much that can be done so we turn to the people who are experiencing the same thing for help and reassurance. Yet, there's also nothing we can do besides talk.

 

[Alue]

Well I decided to take my flights today. Here's hoping all goes well. My ears crackle and pop when I yawn. I don't know if that means my e-tubs are opening up, or if it's just relieving pressure temporarily with jaw movement meaning my Eustachian tubes are blocked. I don't feel as plugged up as I was earlier in the week.

 

[Alue]

I had a hard time equalizing my ears on the flights. Ascent was fine, but during descent it was difficult to open up my Eustachian tubes despite moving my jaw around as much as possible. Heard my sinuses make a squealing sound and had a plugged right ear until I eventually opened it up by gently doing the valsalva maneuver. The weird thing is I had zero pain throughout and my nose is completely clear. I'm feeling a little light headed now. T is no worse.

I guess that answers my question, the crackling sound while moving my jaw around doesn't mean my ears are equalizing.


I'm supposed to fly again on Monday...

 

[MidnightOilAudio]

I had a hard time equalizing my ears on the flights. Ascent was fine, but during descent it was difficult to open up my Eustachian tubes despite moving my jaw around as much as possible. Heard my sinuses make a squealing sound and had a plugged right ear until I eventually opened it up by gently doing the valsalva maneuver. The weird thing is I had zero pain throughout and my nose is completely clear. I'm feeling a little light headed now. T is no worse.

I guess that answers my question, the crackling sound while moving my jaw around doesn't mean my ears are equalizing.


I'm supposed to fly again on Monday...

Hey man, I read your second to last post on Friday and wondered how you got on with the flight. Good on ya for following up.

I am supposed to take my first flight since aquiring T 3+ years ago (going from CA to FL). I'm nervous as shit.

 

[Alue]

Hey man, I read your second to last post on Friday and wondered how you got on with the flight. Good on ya for following up.

I am supposed to take my first flight since aquiring T 3+ years ago (going from CA to FL). I'm nervous as shit.

Flights on Monday weren't fun at all. I had a real hard time equalizing my right ear. Moving my jaw didn't help. Eventually I got it to unplug by tugging on my ear and doing the valsalva maneuver. When it finally did equalize I heard a loud squealing sound as air passed through my plugged/swollen Eustachian tube. I still have to fly home in a few days...

If you can equalize your ears just fine, wear hearing plugs / muffs or noise cancelling headphones, and you don't have extreme hyperacusis, flying is a no big deal. It's been manageable with T and H for me, I've taken more than 30 segments in the past year and this is the first time it's been a real problem.

 

[Jack Straw]

@Alue I hope you are doing better! From your posts it seems that your tinnitus hasn't gotten worse at all due to infection and antibiotic use which is fantastic news!