jenni9033

Hi, I understand your frustration. I just went through 48 days straight of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction horror show. It started with a flight I took when I had a cold, then progressed to a middle ear infection with fluid. The fluid went away after antibiotics, but I was left with clogged ears, pressure, and ear ringing so bad I thought I was going out of my mind. A few nights I hid in the bathroom and wept and wept, which only served to clog my ears even more! I cut back severely on my social activities because I couldn't sit there and focus with my ears ringing, my head buzzing, and my tubes so plugged I couldn't hear half of what anyone was saying. I'm relatively young, and I began to suspect this would be how my life would go from now on.

But...on day 48, my ears FINALLY opened, the ringing went almost completely away, and I could hear again! I feel like I've been given a new lease on life. Seriously!

Here are the things that helped me...please note that consistency is key to make it work, so you can't skip steps or you'll lose ground in your recovery. Also, I am NOT a doctor, so *please* check with a physician before trying anything new. I can't say this will work for you, or how long it will take, but I was told that ETD can take weeks and weeks to resolve, and boy, they were not lying.

--Flonase nasal spray 2 sprays each nostril, 1X day...visit the link below to see a diagram and explanation of how nasal sprays help ear congestion. This site will also show you the correct way to use a nasal spray to help your eustachian tubes, because otherwise you'll just be helping clear your nose! I was using my Flonase completely wrong at first because I had no idea there was a special way to spray it! I actually had no clue how a nasal spray could help my ears, until I looked at this site and figured out the anatomy of the middle ear and how it connects to the nose.

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--Sudafed PE 12 hour, 1X day (VERY HELPFUL! But take with food and water to avoid feeling dizzy!) This is the behind-the-counter stuff that contains pseudoephedrine. If your state has restrictions like mine, you can ask your doctor to write you a prescription so you can get it without hassle from the pharmacist. I like the 12 hour time release version, not the 4 hour, because the 4 hour kind made me really dizzy/woozy

--Neilmed Saline Sinus Rinse, 1-2X day...this is not the most pleasant thing to do, and I avoided it for a while, but finally caved in to my doc's pressure and bought it...it does help!

--Avoid dairy products, especially milk, because they can lead to further sinus/nasal/ear congestion

--Warm showers...the warm steam can help open your sinuses, which in turn helps lower swelling that keeps eustachian tubes blocked

--Try throughout the day to gently pop your ears using the Valsalva maneuver...gently!

--Chew gum/suck on hard candy and/or yawn throughout the day

--Last thing...what caused my ETD to totally turn around? What made me feel normal the very next day? AFRIN...that's right, the plain old nasal spray you can buy at any drugstore. On a tip from a friend, I tried it one evening...spraying it in my nose trying to hit the E-tubes. By morning, my ears were open. I wanted to sing. I wanted to dance. The ear ringing was/is almost gone, too. Now here's the BIG caution...DO NOT use Afrin for more than 3 consecutive days in a row. It can and will cause a rebound effect that will make your condition worse. (You can Google "Afrin addition" and see what I mean.)

Since my ears opened, I've continued all the things I've written above, and only had to try Afrin once more on a night when I felt like my ears were starting to close. I will not even try using it twice in a row, I'm so scared of "Afrin Addiction."

When you fly, you can take Sudafed and use Afrin spray, chew gum, and wear special earplugs (I think they are called Earplanes?) to help keep your tubes from going haywire. You can read about it by googling "flying with eustachian tube dysfunction." I'm flying in about 10 days, so I'm getting prepared to do everything possible to keep my recovery intact.

Again, it took 48 days for my ears to unclog after this ETD nightmare started. But you can get better. I know people rarely revisit the boards to let everyone know they're feeling better, so much of what you read are accounts of people in the acute stages of their illness, and it can be scary. I've also read that if none of the things I mentioned above work, then prednisone can be tried. And if prednisone fails, ear tubes/grommets are sometimes used. But prednisone has some nasty side effects. And if surgery can be avoided, you should avoid it, because I've read quite a few stories of adults having trouble with their grommets.

Alright, hope this helps...feel better soon, have a safe flight, and don't worry!