| Chronic Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
Ok, I went down to the Bay Area and saw Dr. Roberson at the California Ear Institute. He determined that I don't have Otosclerosis. He said that I have Chronic Eustachian Tube Dysfunction and that hearing loss can be caused by this. So he put a set of T Tubes in, which should last for 3-4 years and should help with my ears. This explains it pretty good: "The eustachian tube (ET) is a muscular tube that connects the middle ear to the throat. Most of the time, the ET is collapsed; when it opens (when you "pop your ears") air can flow through the tube into the middle ear space. This causes the air pressure in the middle ear space to become equal to the air pressure in the room. When the ET fails to open, however, a pressure difference can build, and a varied array of symptoms may arise. Ear pain, hearing loss, ringing (tinnitus) and dizziness (unsteadiness, or even true vertigo) are not uncommon. " With chronic eustachian tube dysfunction, your eustachian tubes stay closed most of the time, if not all of the time. I have started doing research online since I got home from our trip down to the Bay Area and this doesn't look like a good thing to have. It's not a real common thing to have (at least for so long), and it doesn't sound like there's a lot they can do besides tubes. Hopefully these tubes help. I am going to be doing more research online, cause I find it hard to believe that there is nothing that can be done. If there is anyone else out there with this, I would love to hear from you!
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