I've been under the weather for a week now and last night the ear on the side I slept on has a complete fullness behind my eardrum. It clicks and pops when I swallow. This bothered me the whole day and wouldn't go away or drain no matter what I did.

After reading the comments for this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi6DdairDIo&t=2m15s I got an idea.

I took two Guaifenesin (brand name muscinex here in the States) this morning and have been drinking plenty of water. After a hot shower, I laid on my bed on my side opposite the side of my full ear. I took a portable massager (yeah) and wrapped it in a towel and held it up against my blocked ear which is pointing to the ceiling. For about a minute, I let it run, moving it slightly and swallowing and opening and closing my jaw, trying to suck in mucous from inside like I'm trying to hock a loogie when suddenly, a bunch of mucous came dripping out of my nostril on the side of my blocked ear.

My ear feels free now, seems like it drained, but since I'm still producing mucous it will probably get clogged again. At least this procedure keeps it flowing instead of getting stuck for days on end and leading to problems.

Posting this in case it helps anyone.

I wanted to share my recent journey battling a clogged ear resulting from a sinus infection. It was quite the ordeal, but I finally found relief, and I'm here to spread some positivity amidst the struggles many of us face.

At the onset of this month, a pesky sinus infection left me with a stubbornly clogged ear. I sought help from both a walk-in clinic and an ENT, who prescribed me a Medrol dose pack and a Z-Pak (steroid and antibiotic). While these medications didn't yield immediate results, I remained hopeful.

Over the following weeks, frustration mounted as conventional treatments like the Valsalva technique and Mucinex seemed ineffective. Tinnitus added to my woes, and I felt trapped in a cycle of discomfort. Seeking further guidance, I consulted another ENT, who shed light on the negative pressure in my middle ear and the resulting muffled hearing.

It was right after this consultation that I experienced a sudden release of pressure, offering a glimmer of hope. The ENT's recommendation of continued Mucinex intake, along with strategic jaw maneuvers, proved to be the turning point. Despite initial discomfort, the next day brought a remarkable 95% improvement, and since then, I've been on the path to recovery.

In hindsight, I attribute my success to the combination of Mucinex, jaw manipulation, and relentless yawning, which seemed to facilitate drainage. Additionally, steam showers and facial vibrations were attempted but fell short in comparison.

The ENT also diagnosed me with acute eustachian tube dysfunction, likely stemming from the infection and aggressive nose-blowing. However, with perseverance and the right approach, relief was attainable.

I share this not only as a personal triumph but also to inject some positivity into this space. Amidst the doom and gloom, there are success stories like mine, reminding us that there's always hope, even in the face of stubborn health challenges.

Keep fighting the good fight, and never underestimate the power of persistence and the right treatment regimen.

Cheers to clearer ears and brighter days ahead!

I have been experiencing fullness in my left ear for over 6 months now. Whenever I try to equalize the pressure I hear a squeak in my left ear. Sometimes the pressure is relieved temporally, sometimes it feels like there is nothing I can do to relieve the pressure.

My first primary care physician suggested a week of pseudoephedrine, which worked... until it didn't.

Then I moved and I saw a second primary care physician who said my ear looked infected and prescribed antibiotics (amoxicillin). After that round of treatment he said my ear looked fine, but I was still experiencing discomfort. He referred me to an ENT.

I went to the ENT and he inspected my ears, stuck a camera through my nose, and performed a hearing test. He said everything looks fine except there was some inflammation in my eustachian tube and said to use Flonase for a week. This again, worked amazingly, until it didn't. I was so relieved to feel normal again until the pressure came back.

Now he is telling me to try Flonase for two months, but it doesn't seem to be effective at all anymore.

I love music and its so frustrating to listen to it when your ear is bothering you. It also makes music sound different.

Has anyone ever had similar symptoms and ever gotten better? After googling I can't find any stories of anyone ever getting relief so I would love to hear a success story!

so a few days ago i randomly started experiencing this unusual sensation in my right ear and only my right ear. it’s basically a single, subtle thump or flutter or pulse that i can physically feel in my ear. it’s not rhythmic or pulsing, it happens pretty much at random, maybe roughly every 15-30 seconds. there’s no pain, no ringing, just a very annoying and concerning irregularly paced thumping sensation. it happened for several hours for one night, then i went 2 days without it happening, but now it’s happening again. quite honestly i’m a little bit freaked out about this because i am terrified of having any permanent hearing problems.

EDIT: i’m making this edit 256 days after i originally posted it, but just wanted to say it has now been several weeks, probably even a couple months since this last happened. in other words, i think it has finally stopped, it’s not something i deal with anymore. i didn’t do anything in particular to get it to stop, it just eventually went away. so for anyone struggling with the same thing, there’s some hope for ya.

Hey. So I've been dealing with a case of having unbalanced hearing the past few months. It'd be more noticeable in the morning. Some time last week, I used a Q-tip to clean my ears (I know, this is a very bad thing to do), and afterwards, the consequences of it that is warned so often with using a Q-tip happened to me. I noticed right after that happened that my hearing felt even more unbalanced and it actually felt like it was more noticeable. I might've gotten a bit more used to it since then, but I've been looking up things I could try to attempt to make it better. I tried hydrogen peroxide just right now and then after about 4-5 minutes of fizzing and bubbling, I stood up and tried to wipe it off but unfortunately... it just feels like my ear is just straight up blocked/clogged. Worse than before. I'll try to update if anything gets better/worse, but I was wondering why is that the case and if there's anything I can do to help clear it up better.

I'll be looking to see a doctor soon.

The last time I noticed this constant ear pressure thing(with a sharp pain on and off) I went to an ENT doctor who told me it was my sinuses causing this. I thought it would go away once allergy season went away. I was right. My ears popped. But then the pressure came back. I was like oh it's sinus season, it will go away afterwards. But we just had the hottest summer ever and it didn't go away. And there is no sharp pain We are coming up on allergy season again. I don't know what is causing it now. I can't feel the breeze on it. It just feels full. I'm not sure if it's a pressure thing at this point or if my hearing is going

Update I made this post 10 months ago after dealing with this for 1-2 years. The ENTs told me they couldn't tell if anything was off with my ears. Around 4 months ago my ear popped but the pressure immediately transferred to my right ear and then back again like some kind of horror ping pong. But the pressure is still there.

In the last 3 months or so there has been a surprising influx of new people saying they are dealing with this as well. I don't know what is going on.

Someone who DMed me said it might have something to do with their TMJ. I bought a mouth guard that I have not tested yet and that was to kill two birds with one stone because it seems like I seriously grind my teeth while I sleep.

Something new I learned the other day was that it might also have something to do with the acoustics of your living space. .

Basically I don't have a solution yet but I'm kind of hopeful someone new will have some insight.

Oh and something I have yet to do is a tympanometry test so there's that

I had COVID last month, and like with EVERY SINGLE TIME I get sick, my sinuses have been inflamed. Unfortunately, this time it has brought muffled hearing and tinnitus along with it. I also wake up with wet ears every morning. This has been ongoing for nearly three weeks, with only momentary, minimal releases of pressure when I yawn or swallow.

I was really worried about my hearing so I did some online tests, which I know aren’t always completely reliable. They all told me my hearing was likely fine. I’m able to hear frequencies from ~25 - ~16,000 Hz. Aside from this though, the muffled hearing does make things sound a little distorted.

My primary care doctor told me I have fluid in my middle ear with no signs of infection. He has recommended I use Zyrtec D to clear the congestion. I have an appointment with both an ENT and an audiologist in two weeks.

My two questions: does this sound like a typical experience with middle ear fluid, and what all can I do to try to release the fluid?

I recently had an ear infection and i lost most of my hearing in my right ear. I was on antibiotics for a week and the pain is gone now and i’ve recovered most of my hearing. However, I still can’t hear like i did before and i keep having the sensation that my ear wants to pop. I’ve been having the little ear crackling when I yawn or chew or try covering my nostrils and blowing out but still, my ear won’t pop. How long does this usually last?

I wanted to share my recent journey with a clogged ear caused by a sinus infection. It was a tough experience, but I finally found relief and hope it helps anyone going through something similar.

Earlier this month, a sinus infection left me with a persistently clogged ear. I went to a walk-in clinic and later an ENT, who prescribed a Medrol dose pack and a Z-Pak. The medications didn’t work immediately, but I stayed hopeful.

Weeks went by, and nothing seemed to help, Valsalva maneuvers, Mucinex, even checking with my Bebird to rule out wax. Tinnitus made it worse, and I felt stuck in this cycle of discomfort. Another ENT explained that negative pressure in my middle ear was causing the muffled hearing.

After that visit, I suddenly felt the pressure release slightly. Following the ENT’s advice to keep taking Mucinex and perform specific jaw maneuvers, relief started to come. The next day, I saw about 95% improvement, and recovery has been steady since.

ning combo was Mucinex, jaw manipulation, and persistent yawning, which seemed to help the ear drain. Steam showers and facial vibrations were less effective.

The ENT diagnosed me with acute eustachian tube dysfunction, likely from the infection and aggressive nose-blowing. Still, with patience and the right approach, clearing my ear was possible.

I share this to add some positivity. Even when things feel hopeless, persistence and proper treatment can work.

Here’s to clearer ears and brighter days ahead!

*Not inner ear, MIDDLE ear, my bad!*

- PLEASE don't just settle for one painkiller that just takes the edge off. Ibuprofen helped just enough to not make me cry my eyes out in pain. Go for a (SAFE) combination if you need to, like ibuprofen and acetaminophen. That's what I have done after several days of no relief and I BAWLED my eyes out shamelessly once I felt actual relief! Ibuprofen + acetaminophen made my ear pain go from 8 out of 10 on the pain scale to a flat 1.

- Warmth is your best friend!!! I found that colder temperatures made my ear hurt MUCH more, which was likely why I was hurting more at night and in the mornings. A source of heat felt like heaven when I was in a lot of pain (before I took my combo of painkillers).

- There are massage tutorials available that can help relieve some discomfort on respective pressure points. They may work for you, they may not, but they can at least help you relax and distract you from the pain.

- Do NOT be afraid to go to your walk-in clinic or reach out to a doctor! You are better off reassured and ''wasting time'' than being needlessly in agony. If your gut tells you ''This is NOT right'', always be willing to listen.

- Polysporin ear drops are heavily underrated! I am currently using the antibiotic + pain relief (Lidocaine) ear drops every 6 hours and the lidocaine in the formula helps numb the infected area a little more when paired with the painkillers. A lot of ear drops won't manage the infection well enough, but those polysporin ear drops can help you fight the infection!

- DO *NOT* stick ANYTHING in your ear other than medication. Nope, not your finger or cotton plug either. Let her breaaathe. I know it's tempting. You ear's plugged and stuffy and uncomfortable, but please don't do it because it hurts SO much more if you mess with your ear.

- Be kind to yourself! Eat some ice cream, watch a movie, relax under your blanket and take some naps. If your body is asking for some rest, then get some shut eye. :)

Went on a vacation and got sick a few days before leaving. Had bad nasal congestion, fatigue, etc, figured it was just a cold. This turned into a chest cold with bronchitis. I went to an urgent care and received an inhaler, antibiotics, and some cough suppressants. I spent another 2 days there before deciding that I needed to fly home even though it was risky. After the 7 hour flight, the descent was insane and my head felt like it was going to explode. When we landed I couldn’t hear anything out of my right ear or pop my ears. Within hours of being home that night I was in excruciating pain. I was up all night crying and was in the urgent care first thing that morning. Dr confirmed that I had a bad ear infection. Gave me a steroid shot and antibiotics and some tips to help the fluid drain. I received the steroid shot and have taken two days of the antibiotics but I have realized that they are simply not working with my body. The side effects were making me feel the worst that I have in my entire adult life. I will be calling the urgent care tomorrow to see if there is something different we can try. The ENT here cannot book appointments for another 2 months. Has anyone dealt with this and successfully avoid antibiotics and improve? Any suggestions or advice would be great. Still can’t pop ear or hear much out of it all and am getting desperate for relief.

I had surgery with general anesthesia yesterday morning, and noticed that today everything sounds lower pitched, especially music. It's very bizarre. I've also been taking ibuprofen and cephalexin. The surgery I had wasn't related to my head or ears.

Is this normal, and will it eventually go away? Thanks in advance for your responses.

EDIT: I can hear normally again. Everything sounds fine! Just leaving this here in case anyone else has a similar experience and needs an answer.

The last week or so has been a nightmare, I know there any many members here who have it way worse than me and I in no way want to take away from anyone but are we just meant to live like this? It's only been a few weeks for me, full/blocked ear sensation, robotic voices, constant humming from low frequencies such as the A/C condenser.

I somewhat self-diagnosed before going to the family doctor, everything I could find was pointing to ETD and I was praying it was just a chunk of wax built up but it was not. I explained to the doctor what i'm experiencing and he pretty much shrugged his shoulders, gave me an anti-inflammatory prescription and sent me on my way. He said to see an ENT which I have an appt on Monday but said to get used to it. Yesterday was a really bad day for me mentally, I couldn't focus on work, my wife/kids, didn't eat and when I did eat I just chose the junk food option (which is not like me at all). Today I had a better day but after seeing the doctor this afternoon I can feel my mental state slipping. This is still very early and new for me, but nobody understands what I'm hearing 24/7 in my right ear and thought someone in the community can offer words of advice.

From what I've read, is the fix really trying a bunch of different things and pray something works? Outside of that, is it just a matter of getting used to it? I travel internationally for work every two months and fly domestically every other week. I'm terrified of getting on an aircraft. I'm in aviation and have built a career of the industry. On top of this I am an audiophile, my family and I love music, have it on constantly. I splurge on the newest audio tech to get the best sound quality. Is this a cruel joke? Again, super early for me compared to others and I haven't seen the ENT yet but I just don't know if I can live like this for the rest of my life.

Bit of rant, I just feel helpless.

I was sick for about a week before I had insane pressure overtake my left ear. The pressure increased from nothing to very painful within a couple hours. I was at work so made a quick run to CVS’s minute clinic for an antibiotic. I’ve dealt with ear troubles my whole life so I know the drill here.

By the time I got home the pain was unbearable. Ultimately, my ear drum ruptured and relief occurred shortly thereafter.

I’m on a 10 day prescription of Augmentin but am concerned. Even though I’ve been through this before, I’ve never had my hearing sound this muffled and for so long. And the drainage is never ending. Google says I should drain for 2-3 days and I just crossed the 3 day mark with no sign of letting up.

I don’t have an ENT locally and calling around proved unfruitful. No one can even get me in until July! I guess I’m just looking for reassurance here. Those of you who’ve had ruptured drums, how long was your hearing affected? How long did you drain? Any info is helpful!

5/14 update: I wanted to come back and provide an update in case anyone experiences something similar and looking for a resolution. I ended up calling the ENT back and expressing my concern about my hearing loss and they were able to see me the next day. They ran a full hearing test and inspected my ear drum under microscope. Full of fluid but they determined no permanent damage which was what I really needed to hear. The appointment was April 23 and I was prescribed a 6 day pack of prednisone and a 90 day supply of Flonase. Also instructed to finish my Augmentin script. It took about a week of this combination before I started to feel marginal improvement. Each day thereafter I have been feeling better and better. Now, three weeks later, I have mild popping in my ear and my hearing seems about 95% restored. I have a follow up in another three weeks and was told if the fluid was still present they would entertain the idea of tubes, but I suspect it won’t be needed. A positive outcome!

So I’ve been sick with a virus for about a week now, but just today I started getting very bad congestion. I woke up to my left ear feeling “clogged” and it hasn’t improved at all. In fact, it has only gotten a million times worse. I’m currently in excruciating left ear pain, it’s ringing, and I can barely hear out of it. I went to urgent care already and they just told me to take decongestants. Well, I’ve done that now and tried everything else (swallowing, yawning, the vasalva maneuver that never works) and have no relief. I’m seriously considering going to the ER now because it feels like my eardrum is going to fucking explode. Is this reasonable??

I got a cold on 3rd January, as you'd expect, ears blocked like usual, I recovered from the cold around the 8th-9th January so it didn't last too long, I also had Postnasal drip the whole week too. When my ears popped and unblocked from the cold it didn't fully unblock. A few days later I got concerned and went to hospital, they told me I have ETD and it can take about a week or two to unblock and then everything will go back to normal. I'm now about 5-6 days in and I still have the pressure feeling in my ears, muffled hearing, tinnitus and constant autophony (if it's called that? Where the sound of my own voice is heard from the inside ear rather than coming around my face on the outside). No matter what I do to try and pop the ears completely, it just won't.

The doctor said it's unlikely I have PET because a cold would usually BLOCK the ET rather than keep it open, and I don't have any infections. Will this actually clear up and my hearing will go back to normal or am I like the many horror stories I've read where they never recover from it?

UPDATE (31/01/2024): My hearing has somewhat gone back to normal after 3-4 weeks of dealing with this issue. The hearing is not exactly the same as I had before, sometimes I still get the muffled hearing and autophony with fullness in my ears every now and then but it's not as aggressive as it was to begin with. I can SOMEWHAT.. cope like this, but I couldn't cope the way it was a few weeks ago.

My toddler got me sick last week and I just wasn’t kicking it for some reason so after being sick for 6 days straight I developed a wicked ear infection which hurt so bad and lost like 80% of my hearing in my right ear and had to go to urgent care for antibiotics. It’s now day 3 of the antibiotics and I definitely don’t feel the pain as much but I still feel so congested and my hearing is all messed up 😭 my doctor said it will come back once the antibiotics are done but 10 days sounds like such a long time without hearing. I panicked and made an appointment with an ENT in a week and a half just incase but I’m just curious if anyone else has gone through this?

Struggling to find any information on this.

I have had my ears checked by ENT, they’re are fine in hearing & pressure tests. Awaiting scans.

Been suggested I have tmj

When I lightly press my face on the left side I hear it in my ear.

My ear was inflamed months ago, I then got bad jaw pain on left side after ent tested my ears. Been in constant low level ache for a month since.

When Im listening to lowish volume music or tv, there is fluttering /distortion / like a buzzing on certain frequencies. Ear feels full/blocked

Can’t find anywhere that mentions touching face and hearing it . It feels like something moves in the ear making the noise.

To describe the sound it’s like when you have water in your ear and you get a short low sound as it move out

Thanks for any info it’s really stressful experience, I just want to make sure ent don’t miss any possibilities

I’ve suffered from sinus related issues all my life. I’ve tried everything under the sun. I’ve even done sinus surgery twice! Unfortunately ETD for me is chronic and does not permanently go away despite multiple treatment efforts. I’d just like to share my experience incase others out there might be going through the same thing.

My main symptoms are migraines/headaches, muffled hearing, ear pressure pain, and sometimes a jolt of stabbing pain that will last a few seconds.

The first treatment I did at the time were ear tubes. Back then there were no other treatment options besides tubes and myringotomy. I had accompanied tinnitus the first time around. The tubes were a blessing and gave me the longest period of relief, but unfortunately it’s only temporary as they do come out on their own as the ear heals itself.

The second treatment I did ended up being 3 years later. Now there were new developments in treating ETD and my ENT eagerly said it’s shown promising lasting relief. This treatment is known as balloon dilation. This was BY FAR for me the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I had sinus surgery done concurrently under local anesthesia (hello Valium and lots of numbing agents), but when it was time for the Eustachian tube balloon dilation I snapped out of stoned land real quick. I’d equate it to being as painful as my appendicitis pain. The pain is super brief, but it feels like you’re forcing someone’s jaw open until it unhinges itself. However, I felt INSTANTLY relieved ear wise after the procedure. My hearing was no longer muffled, all of my symptoms just disappeared. I thought what a miracle, right?

Well unfortunately barely a year later, my Eustachian tubes are closing again.

I’m having those same darn symptoms and the doctor agreed if I chose to do nothing, it wouldn’t get better. I asked my ENT could we please just do ear tubes? It gave me the longest lasting relief of three years. Sadly my ENT said it’s a potential option, but it has a limited amount of one time use. The membrane of the ear heals thinner and thinner each time so it’s not recommended to do it more than two or three times. Since I’m a chronic case, my ENT referred me back to doing a myringotomy and Eustachian tube balloon dilation combined this time around. Even though it’s only been a little over a year, they’ve made some advancements for the balloon dilation procedure; one of which the balloons have different size options now. We’re opting for the newer smaller size so it can have a better placement than last time. The goal is to create enough surrounding scar tissue to keep the Eustachian tube open for long lasting relief. I’m hoping the third go around will stick and give me at least five plus years of relief before having to consider doing this again.

For those that are wondering is it even worth it? 100% in my opinion it is. While it hurts, the pain is very temporary and afterwards your hearing is quite literally SO MUCH better. If you’re just doing Eustachian tube balloon dilation and nothing else sinus related, the maximum downtime I could foresee someone needing is around three days or less. It’s an easy peezy lemon squeezey procedure in itself.

I forget how things sound because I’m so used to feeling like I’m listening to the world underwater. But man, when those tubes are opened, for however long they want to stay open, sound has never been more beautiful. This has been 15+ years of suffering and healing in the making. While there’s no permanent cure for ETD, it makes me appreciate my sense of hearing immensely. If you’re suffering through something similar, stay strong! There’s still hope for future inventions.

I know how debilitating PET dysfunction can be, and how helpless it can feel when there seems to be no way to cure it. By pure chance, I have found two ways of addressing it - they may not be cure-alls for everyone, but they worked for me, and I hope my experience can help at least a few others.

1. AIR PRESSURE EQUILIBRATION
   What?: If you are ever on a plane, wear some well-fitting in-ear headphones or earplugs when the plane is at high altitude. Continue wearing them while the plane goes through descent and take them out only when the plane has fully landed.

Why does this work?: Some of us may know that symptoms of PET disappear when one is on an airplane mid-flight. My guess is that, in a low-pressure environment such as that at high altitudes, the external pressure is not high enough to "push open" the eustachian tubes, and they are allowed to settle back into a closed resting position.
When the plane is descending, external air pressure increases once again. Wearing something that blocks/reduces the rush of air into the middle ear during descent helps the eustachian tubes not be pushed back open again. Instead, they can afford to slowly equilibrate with the higher pressure while still being closed.

Note that I am not a doctor, and this is just an informed guess of what is happening based on four flights that I took. After my first, I noticed my hearing was back to about 75% of normal. After my second, which was just a few hours later, my hearing was pretty much restored. I took a third flight two weeks later where I did not wear my in-ear headphones during descent - the PET dysfunction returned and I had muffled hearing again. Thankfully, my fourth flight was right after and I made sure to wear my headphones during descent.

I acknowledge my proposed course of action will not be readily available to everyone, but if you do have the opportunity to fly, it does not hurt to try this out. I also need to add another disclaimer that, after getting PET dysfunction, airplane descents are very painful for me because I can feel the air rushing into my ears (yes, even with earphones/earplugs in, but still less so than without). I have not seen this mentioned anywhere else and wonder if this situation is specific only to me. If so, doing what I did may not help your PET dysfunction.

2. PET DYSFUNCTION EXERCISES
What?: Try the exercises in this video. I recommend going through all of it, even if you may find some exercises work better/worse for you than others.

Why does this work?: Some of the exercises literally create a suctioning force to "pull" your eustachian tubes close by manipulating the air pressure within your body.

Even after discovering my flight-descent hack, I still get PET dysfunction relapses when I have ENT infections/sleep in a weird position. However, I suspect the dysfunction is much "milder" in the sense that the tubes are not as open as when I first had it (my hearing loss is not as bad as originally). So while the exercises work for me, I cannot say if they will work if your eustachian tubes are wide open. There was a comment below the video mentioning that repeating the procedure daily helped someone, so maybe you can try that out.

I hope one of these works for you, as it has for me. All the best!

The Google informed me that I've suffered from P.E.T. for the majority of my 50 years. I've always had the "breathe in- eardrum flops inward and hearing loss", "breathe out - eardrum pops outward and hyper hearing". This occurs after exercise or particularly humid days (!?!).

I like the analogy of plastic windows on a screened window during a storm.

I know it is considered harmless, but it is mentally draining. Imagine someone having 2 plungers on each ear and plunging away with every breath you take. It drags my well-being and causes hearing issues.

My lifetime solution has been to take sharp inhales as I hold my nose in order to "lock" the drum in place. It only partially works.

I was hoping for some advice besides "see a doctor". I'm living in a country where this would be considered cosmetic and not covered with national health insurance.

Thanks in advance if I get any replies at all!

I’ve been struggling with constant fullness and pressure in my ears for years (31F), and it’s

really affecting daily life and even work. It feels just like airplane pressure that never releases. I

also get tinnitus, occasional sharp pain (left or right), and this constant sense of

dizziness/imbalance that never fully goes away. Weather or pressure changes hit me way

harder than they should.

I’ve seen ENTs and honestly keep getting shrugged off because they “don’t know.” I had ear

tubes in 2016 and during that time everything felt normal — the moment they came out, all the

pressure and fullness came straight back.

I checked for wax myself using a small camera tool (like Bebird) just to rule out blockage, but

nothing obvious there. So now I’m wondering if it’s more related to Eustachian tubes, TMJ, or

something inner ear–related.

Has anyone experienced something similar with:

● constant fullness/pressure

● tinnitus spikes

● dizziness or feeling unsteady

● symptoms worse with weather changes

Did you ever find a diagnosis or anything that actually helped? I’m exhausted and don’t want

this to keep impacting my job and reliability.

Any insight or direction to look into would mean a lot.

I have had a blocked Eustachian tube and major hearing loss in my left ear for more than 5 years. It started out periodic and then advanced to 24x7. Non-surgical treatments didn't help and I refused surgery. Suddenly yesterday morning I was back to normal. The ear doesn't feel any different, I just have full hearing again. Everything seems so much louder now. :) (I just dropped a plastic bottlecap on the floor and it sounded like a gunshot!) I never would have imagined that a Eustachian tube would spontaneously re-open after such a long time.

Hello everyone,

Need some tips or tricks as this is driving me insane. Im just getting over a major cold, and ive had some ear problems my tubes were getting plugged and not popping, so this morning i tried to hold my nose and popping my ears, but instead of doing the full pop, they went half way and now everything is super muffled, 80% silence. It feels like they are right on the verge to pop but arent popping.

Any help?

I got a bad cold in May 2022 and had popping/crunching in my ears whenever I swallowed. I developed tinnitus soon after. I saw an ENT and he said nothing was wrong and suggested sinus rinses and allergy medicines. I did what he told me but had no changes, so when I had a checkup with my regular doctor I told her about my issue and she told me the ENT diagnosed me with Eustachian tube dysfunction (but he never told me about it…so weird). I went back to the ENT about my tinnitus and all they did was give me a hearing test and offered no solution for the dysfunction.

I’m really not sure what to do because it’s been nearly two years of this and I haven’t been able to find a new ENT who will actually take this seriously. The tinnitus is driving me crazy, especially when I’m trying to sleep, and the popping is still there. I’m still regularly taking allergy meds and I do sinus rinses almost every day but none of it seems to lessen or get rid of the symptoms.