Help with Eustation Tube Dysfunction

[kidnurse81]

Hello.  My fiance has been suffering with eustation tube dysfunction for a little over 6mths. now.  We have tried numerous decongestants and nasal sprays as well as a round of steroids.  His ENT did allergy testing on him, however, he did not have any significant allergies.  Our last resort was to have PE tubes placed.  This only made his symptoms worse and they took them out after a couple of weeks.  Suprisingly after they took the tubes out and his ears were healing, he was symptom free.  When the holes closed up he began with the same symptoms all over again.  He has constant pressure in both ears, a fluid-like feeling (though the doctors say there is no fluid), and a stuffy nose.  He is completely miserable and losing all hope of getting better.  We are at a loss.  He has thought about having the PE tubes put back in and giving it a little longer this time to see if they will help.  We are both scared and upset and have no idea what to do at this point.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Is there any other treatment at all for this disorder??
Thank you so much,
Amy

[brownstone111]

i am new but what i've read everyone suffers from the same basic problems.my family doctor told me about a rinse to try.i've been useing this for 3 years and it helps me very much.you take 8 oz. of warm water 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of baking soda mix it together.cup one hand and pour a small amount in it then close off one nostril and snort it up.do the same for the other side.this should be repeated 3 times per side 2 to 3 times per day.you should blow your nose after the second snort then wait a few minutes and do the last one.it will burn badly around your ears and your nose the first time couple times you do this.hope this helps good luck

[JazzinJanzen]

I just want to check if my diagnoses is right.. though after reading a lot of these comments, it certainly seems it is.

A month ago, I got...er...well... I'm not sure.. a fever for a week, and then a juicy cough the next week. So whatever that is! About 5 days into the cough, my ears clogged up..and in a way I've never experienced. I could hear ME just fine..in my head.. and my breathing.. heart beat...and chewing.. oh the chewing! Good luck having a conversation at the dinner table. It's comical how I have to stop chewing whenever I want to hear what someone is saying to me. Well.... almost comical. So I can hear that..but having a hell of time hearing everything else around me.

The first doc I went to thought ear infection. I thought...ehhh... don't think so, but took the antibiotics anyway. They did nothing but wreak my insides.
The second time I got a different doc, who rolled her eyes at the idea of an infection and said ETD. This is a county clinic (CRAZY poor college student here), so I'm not sure if either where an ENT.

So now I'm spraying steroids up my nose twice a day (I bristle at the name "steroid"... from being on Prednison for two months for an autoimmune disease). So far.. so nothing.  And I'm really starting to worry.. I'm a musician (I play piano for a living) and not being able to hear is really messing with me. I'm worried the longer my ear drums are concave, the less chance they have of healing. Am I way off here? Is there permanent hearing loss with this? I recall the second doc quickly mentioning something like that.. she breezed on by it like an after thought!

[JimBean315]

  I have been dealing with this for years and one thing I learned is that being emotionaly upset makes the problem much worse because it tenses up the jaw and other muscles in the head and neck.  I relax in bed by taking in a slow breath to the count of twelve and holding for the count of four, then exhaling to the count of 12 again.  If I can't make it to the count of 12 then I just go to what ever.  Also make sure that both the chest and stomach rise on the in breath.

Just recently I got a doctor to give me a muscle relaxant (Methocarbamol 500 mg). It gave me gas and and upset stomach but not much muscle relaxing so I quit taking it.

   I expected the ENT to be like a God that would wave a wand and I would be well; but his help consisted of taking a $3,000. allergy test and another $700 test to rule out Menaires disease.

[XxLost_In_New_YorkxX]

hey im a typical happy 27nyear old female from upsate newyork but for 3 months had anger problems due to ear clog then doc fixed an had otitis fixed had dbl ear infection fixed and now have fluid in them from self treating what can i do to stay calm anytime its quiet i hear the fluid have tv on 24/7 plz help me stay calm till i see my ent on monday december 13
ps i will prey for those whom r suffering with ear eye nose problems and any other symptoms cause this is down right scary at times prey for me or give me info on how to stay calm ty

grace

[worried_panic]

i had been having what they call ed eustachian tube problems for about 2 mths noone knew what was causing no fluid or anything i finally found out by using a vibrating pillow that my prob was my neck. i suggest that you all consult a doc on this fact it could be your problem after all.

[JimBean315]

Proof that my ETD was caused by my posture.

I have been doing some things that open my ears so I can drain them.  My thought was I would be well once I drained the ears.  In any case it did provide me some temporary relief.
   One of the doctor’s positions for clearing our ear rocks was to lie on a bed on my back with my head over the end of the bed.  Fast forwarding ahead I told my chiropractor about the woman with a flat neck and he showed me an exercise to correct a flat neck and the exercise was to lie flat on my back on a bed with my head hanging over the end of the bed.
    So we have cause and effect.  The crane neck was preventing normal drainage from my Eustachian tubes.  The posture was "cause" and ear fluid buildup was "effect".  The effect of this fluid is vertigo.  All the medicine was aimed at effect instead of cause and that is why all the different medicines helped but did not cure.
   The physical exercises for the fluid was actually affecting the cause (posture) and that is why I have been slowly getting better as my posture gets better.