Could there be something else?

Hi guys,

So many of my symptoms mirror what you guys talk about that I certainly think there is some sort of migraine variant associated with all the shit that I have gone / going through.

However, there are also so many things that DO NOT match what others suggest that I often think I have another issue going on.

Has anyone had any major issues with their Eustastian Tubes that contributed / or manifested their issues?

I have temporarily (hopefully temporarily) lost about 75% of my hearing in my left ear and my right ear gets completely full / stuffy unless I CONSTANTLY do the valsava (plugging my nose and lightly blowing).

As soon as I do that, it just opens up my right side and I feel a bit better…albeit it is short lived.

So…anyone with any Eustastian Tube Advice / Comments that they would like to interject to my trials and tribulations.

tcs

As always, thanks guys! Cheers!!! :slight_smile:

Hi Go Ganza,

I can’t relate to the ear stuff but I had a friend that had some barotrauma that complained of eustachian tube problems. Although he did not have hearing losss. Did you ever have any trauma to your ear? With regards to the hearing loss, my doc tested me for this to rule out meniere’s. Does your doc think you could have this too? I think with meniere’s you have to have true vertigo where the room spins though.

Hope you can find some relief and answers from these symptoms,
Christine

Ok…if the answer is “Yes”, I have had trauma to my left inner ear:

  1. 2 surgeries to repair a suspected perilymph fistula…both saw nothing in the inner ear to repair.

  2. 3 surgeries for stapedectomy to help repair minor heaing loss…(this is where they implant a small prostestic into your inner ear to help with hearing. (completely regret this now…but what the fuck can you do :? )

  3. Gentamiacin shot in my left ear to completely destroy all balance in that ear in hopes of having my right side take over and provide normalcy…failure again.

So, I would say I have had trauma in my ear :mrgreen:

When I am truly feeling at my worst, I always feel a spasm/seizure type feeling in my left inner ear (the ear that has had all the work done) When it is quiet, I feel pretty good :smiley:

So…what the fuck do I do know? I have exhausted the majority of the migraine meds…none of which seem to do shit for me.

How is that for a good Sunday night rant. (and i left out 57 of the other curse words that I wanted to put in here so I don’t get banned…ha :slight_smile:

todd

Todd -

Not exactly the same thing, but recently I had a plugged left ear (which is the same side where I had most of the rhythmic ear thumping in when I was dizzy). I thought it was ear wax - I’ve had problems with that in both ears - so I did the baby oil and ear bulb flush but got nothing, so then I graduated to over the counter wax softener stuff (it bubbles in your ear) and that didn’t get anything out either. But each time I’d use the bulb a few times, I’d eventually get my ear “unplugged” even though I didn’t get any wax out. It was as if something moved in there, and I wondered if something tiny had been at the tip of the Eustachian tube. I did this a couple times, and after the second time it didn’t plug up again.

Todd,

Not quite what you describe but the latest new bit of fun I am experiencing for the first time is waking in the morning with my left ear feeling VERY full and my hearing feeling quite diminished by about 25-30%. It all burns off by noon and I’m cool again. It seems to happen when I’ve had a big hit of garlic but that could just be a coincidence too. Happened again on Saturday morning. Like you, even before all of this crap really launched into orbit in 2003, I have always had the feeling like I need to “click” or clear my ears a few days a week, hold my nose and blow hard and I get a feeling of relief for about 5 minutes.

If I’m driving in a car on the highway, it all starts where I continually feel like I have to clear my ears from pressure changes, yet there really aren’t any. Flying in jets are the same deal and colds really set it off.

Think it’s just all part of this migraine crap and the weird stuff we have going on in the ears.

S

I also have problems with my eustatic tube. But no hearing loss. I get “full in my nose”(?) a couple of times a dag and then pain in the aer. I had a strange feeling in the mouth, and my ear needed presure equalization all the time. And said funny sounds.
I again and again doubt the MAV-thing. Because my symptoms are very centeret in my left ear. But now I also have alot of headache…
Someone said inhere that in the “heal your headache” there is something about migraine causing eustatic tube problems.

Best from Line

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I get this a lot, the other day, it felt just as thought I had a bucket over my head. Sometimes my left ear just keeps popping on its own, its all quite disturbing. Two things that help me. Painkillers. I take half a painkiller with codeine and caffeine and it can clear my head and my ear. If you notice that your nose is blocked at the same time (as it often is with me when I lay down at night) vick up side of the nose that feels blocked, hold other side of nose and keep breathing and the popping stops. I think the eustachian tubes get involved just like the vessels in the nose. If I talk on the phone too long my nose blocks like I have a cold, then clears itself within 15 minutes of getting off the phone.

Christine

— Begin quote from “cmoc”

Sometimes my left ear just keeps popping on its own, its all quite disturbing.

If I talk on the phone too long my nose blocks like I have a cold, then clears itself within 15 minutes of getting off the phone.

— End quote

Ra!! Christine, my left ear got screwed with MAV. MAV hit in Nov 2010 and then the ear thing started 2 months later in Jan 11. My left ear got full/blocked and then kept popping continually all day long. It drove me homicidal :twisted: Now, since the meds, it has calmed down by 90% and I now just get the rare block/crack in my left ear from time to time. My right ear however started with this thumping (rhythmic ear thumping - maryalice) like a bird was slapping its wing in my ear. But now again, that is 99% gone.

Now as for the phone thing - I mean, SERIOUSLY!!! :shock: HOW can this occur? I think we all need to move to an island together where there are no phones, no lights and no computers!!!

Todd buddy, my only advice to you is Van Gogh :twisted:

Now regarding what you said about the shot you had in your ear to kill off the balance (I wanted to have that done), did they not follow up with things you needed to do in order to ‘help’ your right ear compensate? I.e. in your case, would VRT not work?

What meds are you now on (besides probably all of them blended into a berry smoothie)? :smiley:

Hi Todd,
Just like Muppo, my doc suggested a gent shot to my weaker ear after I too failed med after med. I was all set to do this but then we repeated the ENG and it came back normal. He then said I was no longer a candidate for this procedure. My doc was doing this as a last resort as he was at a loss as to how to help me. It does sound like your ear might be trauma related and hopefully will heal with time.

I was also wondering how you have been doing as I remember your great enthusiasm from way back. You had such a great attitude that was so inspiring. Can you also tell us a little more about this gent procedure and the course it took you. I too was wondering if vrt would help you as I know if I had this done I would have to do a course of this to help my brain compensate.

Hang in!!
Christine

Todd,

For me it’s usually my right ear that I’ll hear the majority of the ringing and other ear symptoms. My dizzy’s are definately coming from the right ear too. My ear’s would need to pop and all sorts of other annoying symptoms. Sometimes I’d get some tinnitus for a few seconds and then my hearing would drop drastically for about 10-20 seconds. It would scare the hell out me.

Over the past month, I’ve cleaned up my diet and have put together a solid exercise program involving weight training and cardio for about 45 minutes sessions 5 days a week. Although I still have the dizziness, it’s lessened to some degree, but it wax and wanes. But more importantly for this thread, nearly ALL of my annoying ear symptoms have disappeared. No more ear pressure, haven’t heard a whole lot of ringing, no drops in hearing or anything that would cause me to panic a little bit. Pretty normal feeling ears now. It took about 2-3 weeks for the ear stuff to go away, but they are gone right now and I’m happy about that. If only the dizziness would take such a back step, I’d really be happy. It does get pretty good at times though. I have no problems driving now whereas before, I’d get pretty nervous at times in the car, but I don’t even think about nervousness in the car anymore.

My biggest improvements seem to come after the days that I do leg training. I have no idea why, but the day after I do legs, I notice a HUGE improvement in all symptoms.

Greg

Hey Todd,

I’m another one with ear issues - relatively recent (coming and going since November last year). Fullness, muffled hearing, humming/buzzing sensation, some pain and very brief relief if I ‘pop’ the ear either with the valsalva maneouvre or with my finger. Both ears but mainly in the right. Apparantly all still migraine.

I also constantly (like for the last 15-20 years or so) get a stuffy nose. I use OTC sprays which give rebound effect after about three days but every single time I’ve weaned off them I still get a stuffy nose so I say ‘to hell with the rebound’ now and just use them whenever I need to.

To complicate matters I have very bad TMJ - I still get jaw and face pain (which could also be migraine rather than the TMJ) and used to get popping ears all the time until I got a splint.

It’s very confusing and frustrating trying to tease out what is the cause of what with so much symptom overlap.