Ear problems for past year.

Are you in the northern hemisphere? Is last summer a year ago, or a few months ago?

I would say hearing loss means go back to the doctor. If this doctor isn’t finding anything then get a second opinion.

Did the ear drops have a steroid in it?

Also, you might ask the doctor if he sees a large build up of wax. It’s unrelated, but might case some discomfort in the ear canal. Maybe you have two things going on at once.

@JLeslie Last summer was last year. The ear drops did have a steroid in them, and when I went two weeks ago they told me I didn’t have any sort of build up of ear wax or anything.

Does it feel like the hearing loss is similar to when you change altitude? Or, a different type of loss? Dizzy meaning the room was spinning? Or, lightheaded like you might pass out?

I’ll send the Q to our jelly who works in this field.

@JLeslie It’s like I’m wearing an ear plug in that ear. Like if I plug my left ear, it seems like both ears are plugged. It also feels full, and I was experiencing throbbing this morning. Dizzy meaning lightheaded, kind of like vertigo.

Lightheaded isn’t vertigo. Vertigo is spinning. Can you take your blood pressure? Do you have a cuff at home?

If the hearing problem persists I still say probably a good idea to go to the doctor.

You could try an anthitamine maybe if it is just your eustacian tube.

Try chewing some gum.

I’m not a doctor by the way,

@JLeslie I’m sorry, I’m terrible at explaining what I mean by lightheaded. But yes, similar to when you feel like you’re about to pass out. It lasted about 5 minutes then went away. I do not have a cuff at home with me.

Wait, are you still taking the antibiotics?

You felt like you might pass out for 5 minutes? Did you lie down? Didn’t the feeling go away when you lied down?

Have you been out in the sun today or might be dehydrated for some reason?

It might be Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. The main symptom is muffled or dulled hearing. You may also have ear pain because the eardrum is tensed and stretched. Other symptoms that may also develop include: a feeling of fullness in the ear; tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ear); dizziness. One or both ears may be affected.

I have this in my right ear. One doctor (I’ve been to four ENTs for it) explained that it sometimes occurs in people who were prone to ear infections as a child. A build-up of scar tissue in the Eustachian tube can cause the passageway to become blocked with fluid. Taking a decongestant seems to clear it up in a couple of days. Gad, it’s painful though. My heart goes out to you.

@JLeslie I felt lightheaded for a few minutes, then it went away for the most part. I wasn’t close to passing out or anything like that, I was just saying the lightheadedness that occurs before you pass out/or when you haven’t ate for awhile, was what it felt like. So basically I was a bit dizzy, laid my head down for a few until it returned to somewhat normal. :p

@Pied_Pfeffer That sounds exactly what I’m experiencing. I felt fullness this morning, then in the afternoon I had clear drainage from my ear, then I tried some ear drops for swimmers ear a few hours ago and that’s when I became lightheaded and realized it was very similar to how I felt last year when my ear drum became perforated. Right now I am experiencing a ringing in it as well, which started almost immediately after the ear drops.

Last summer when I went to the ENT they also mentioned that I had scarring on my right ear drum. I’m not in any pain right now, my ear just feels full. Two weeks ago they said the same thing, how there was scarring, along with my ear drum being deformed and extremely red, as well as part of my Eustachian tube being irritated, and fluid build up. They told me to start taking a decongestant, along with the antibiotics (which I finished) I felt fine for about a day, then everything returned again. Over the past few days the itching inside my ear would become unbearable and last 5 to 10 minutes. I’ll definitely bring that up to the next ENT I see, hopefully asap and not in a few weeks.. which is usually how long it takes to get in. :/

It won’t hurt to ask the doctor if it is possibly ETD. From what I understand, it isn’t uncommon. Why it took the 4th doctor to tell me what it was and the cause is still a mystery. The rest just provided a prescription for an antibiotic (if infected) or a decongestant if there was fluid build-up.

I recommend not using any type of ear drop. It seems like it would only be adding to the fluid build-up, in addition to the fact that it caused more problems for you. Another suggestion is to chew gum. I’m not a fan, but it does seem to help when the symptoms occur.

If it is ETD, expect to live with it for the rest of your life, albeit controlled. For the first year, it was constant, to the point that I wasn’t sure if I could continue living with it. At the time, I was traveling on planes several times a week, which is probably what triggered it. Now it only flares up when I have a cold. A decongestant clears it up. The rest of the time, it is just a slight nuisance.

Whatever it is, hang in there friend.

@Pied_Pfeffer I would have to say all of this started 2 years ago on my flight back from Europe. As we were landing my ear popped super bad and I lost hearing for a few hours. Since then I’ve been having problems on and off. Yeah I don’t know why they would prescribe me ear drops if I had fluid in my ear in the first place. I never chew gum since I was diagnosed with TMJ about six months ago? Never really chewed gum before that either. I hardly ever notice it affecting me, so I’ll definitely give the gum chewing and decongestant a shot. I’m all sorts of messed up. lol

Hello; I’m an Audiologist.

Based on your description, it seems that the eardrum may have ruptured again. Antibiotic ear drops are prescribed in that case because there is usually bacteria in the fluid behind the ear drum, and to help the eardrum heal itself – which is usually what happens. If the fluid that discharged from your ear was clear and odorless, it may not have been badly infected, though. What puzzles me is that your hearing and dizziness (despite your description of lightheaded/faintness, I would not rule out a vestibular reaction just yet) are being described as worse after the fluid discharge.

Sometimes ear wax can buildup in the canal and water can get trapped between the wax and the eardrum, which might breed bacterial or fungal infection that can be treated with ear drops. However, in this case, most people feel plugged and pressure for a while, and they get relief when the fluid drains out.

Eustachian tube dysfunction may well be a causative factor in what is happening, but the more immediate concern is to determine the current state of your eardrum and determining whether your decreased hearing is all due to the middle ear, or whether there is inner ear dysfunction. I hope that your appointment with the new ENT includes an Audiological evaluation. Were the eardrops you are using now prescribed for you since the drainage occurred? If not, don’t put anything in your ear until you have had your ears examined again.

Write down as many details as you can about what happened last year: did your ear bother you before the rupture? Or was it the pressure of the dive that caused the rupture? Did your hearing return to 100% after it supposedly healed? Does the itching in your ear seem to be related to allergies, or is it a constant issue? Since last year when the rupture healed, have you experienced periods of pressure, muffled hearing, tinnitus, dizziness or pain in that ear? Also provide as many details as possible about your current symptoms: do they come and go? Are there things that seem to make it worse or better – such as position changes? Have you ever had dizziness before? Is the TMJ issue on the same side as the ear problems?

Did your ear open up? Is your hearing back?

@hearkat Well I would to get it looked at by an ENT asap, but I have no idea how I’m going to accomplish this if every single place I call is booked into July or later. This is super frustrating.

@viainfested Did you tell them it’s an urgent matter?

@viainfested: Ugh! Where do you live? I’m suspecting it might be Canada with their socialized medicine, which is known for long wait times. What about getting an appointment with an Audiologist for a hearing test, without seeing a physician – is that an option that might get you examined sooner? I’m thinking that if the examining audiologist feels you need urgent attention, they might have a way to circumvent the waiting list.

Our practice gets people in within 2 days… it might not be in the closest office to the person’s home, but in acute cases, people are willing to travel ~30 miles.

@JLeslie yes, did not matter. I was finally able to get ahold of a place that was accepting new patients and booked an appointment for Monday. All of the ENT’s my friends have referred me to that are super awesome, are booked until July or August. @hearkat I live in western ny. I haven’t thought about that, I could give it a try? I’m just super worried, my ear will feel fine all day, then out of nowhere, like right now… I’ll get that fullness feeling again and the ringing… with slight drainage. I’m definitely going Monday, I would also like to try and find someone else that can get me in right away to give me a second opinion.

This is definitely going to be quite the process. I just have to try and keep my cool and not have a total freak out waiting for Monday to come. :P

You’re in the Northeast US and can’t get in with an ENT for over a month? Are you limited to certain clinics by your insurance? Does your insurance require referrals? Either way, I’d ask your primary Dr. to call on your behalf and see if they can get you in sooner. A sudden hearing loss and possibly ruptured eardrum are urgent care issues.

EDIT: I just read in your reply to JLeslie that you have an appointment for Monday… I’m glad to see that. Please keep us posted, and document your symptoms for the next few days. Good luck!

@hearkat I have trouble getting appointments at various different specialties depending where I have lived. I never understand why Canada has such a bad stereotype regarding that when it happens in America also. Most of the time if I am an established patient and it is urgent I can get in within a week, but not always. GYN, Derm, RE can easily be 2–3 months for a non urgent.