Heavy ears and excessive sneezing.

[znaqvi]

Since I was around 12 or 13, I remember having sneezing attacks around August back in India. I used to sneeze and people counted. After the sneezing comes to a hold, my palate feels bruised that it is painful to speak when tongue touched it. My eyes water a lot. Also I have had my ears blocked since 2007. They always feel full like in common cold. I hold my nose tight and try to blow whatever it is in my ears, out. But it just makes sound n nothing happens. Sometimes when I have slept for long on my right side, the ear pains and feels as if swollen from inside and it pains to touch there. Ear problem started after I took medicines for scabies. I want to get rid of these 2 problems first. Sneezing and ears heaviness. Plz help!

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Understand your predicament. Try antihistamines they will help with your allergic rhinitis and also they will help to clear the congestion around the 'Eustachian  tubes'. Nasal decongestant drops too will help. Also take anti inflammatory medications like Ibuprofen, they will help clear congestion. Even with all this if the tubes cannot be opened up, then Eustachian  tube dysfunction needs to be ruled out.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[znaqvi]

Thanks for your response! This ear problem is too irritating. Isn't there a medicine which can open these up? It's been 5 yrs. I get exhausted doing this Valsalva maneuver. Feels like I'll burst my head but ears won't open. I have tried it a lot but it won't help. Plz tell me a med to open them up!

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

The constant runny nose, sneezing, and nasal congestion could be due to vasomotor rhinitis, in which the symptoms occur in response to a trigger, like eating spicy food or going outside in the cold.  The primary treatment is simply avoiding the things that trigger your symptoms. It is often treated with a drying nasal spray (like Atrovent) and antihistamines like chlopheneramine and lovatidine are effective. Nasal decongestant drops too relieve congestion.

There are tubes called 'Eustachian  tubes' which connect the middle ear to the throat, this balances the air pressure in the ears. This tube can get  blocked due to infections or allergies of the throat, which can give lead to a feeling of fullness in the ears. This can also result in infection of the ears. The blocked ears can be opened up by the valsalva maneuver, where air is blown into the cheeks against a closed nostrils, this sometimes helps to open up the tubes. Steam inhalations and warm salt water gargles can help clear the tube.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.