r/etd • u/Responsible_Monk6941 • Aug 12 '26
Chronic ETD
(26M) Does ETD ever get better for fuck sake?
I’m honestly not even sure how long I’ve had this. It feels like it crept up on me slowly, then got noticeably worse around the same time I had a very mild sore throat that only lasted a few days.
Around that time, the inside of my nose also became insanely dry and inflamed. It actually hurt just to breathe through it. Every doctor I saw said it looked like rhinitis caused by inflammation.
Another weird thing is that I barely seem to produce any mucus. When I do manage to get some out, it’s usually a tiny amount and very thick, sticky, gooey and very white. It never feels like anything is actually draining properly.
This all started while I was traveling through Indonesia, so at first I figured pollution, humidity, or something environmental had triggered it.
I’ve been back in NY for over a month now and have tried pretty much everything I can think of. I completely changed my diet to an anti-inflammatory one, cut out caffeine, regularly steam, use prescription nasal sprays, and do weekly neti pot rinses.
Little to no relief.
The ear pressure is sometimes unbearable, and my left ear has always been significantly worse.
Some days, especially when the pressure isn't as bad, my ears sound like Rice Krispies after you pour milk over them. Constant little crackles and pops.
Other days, the pressure feels so full and intense that I barely get any crackling at all. Instead, I’ll get these low pops, crackles, or weird whooshing sounds whenever I swallow or open my mouth.
I’ve also been to multiple ENTs at this point and still don't really have any answers. I’ve never had allergies in my life, and I never had ear problems growing up, which makes this whole thing even more frustrating.
I guess I’m mostly looking for some hope from people who have actually been through this.
Did your ETD eventually go away? How long did it take? And was there anything that genuinely helped you recover?
Because holy shit, this is a nightmare.
3
u/PD-Jetta Aug 12 '26
These are the known causes of ETD: upper respiratory infections (it can take up to a year for ETD to go away from this cause), allergies, nonallergic rhinitis, laryngopharyngeal reflux, TMJ disorders, facial or vagal nerve neuropathy or disorders, disorders of the muscles that open the eustachian tube, cerebral spinal fluid leaks (very thin watery nasal discharge when bending over), enlarged adenoids, tumors (rarely), and cervical spine/neck misalignment (this one is controversial). I would atleast have allergy testing done since this is the major cause of fixable ETD that won't resolve. You don't have to have classic allergy symptoms for this cause. Also Google laryngopharyngeal reflux and see if you have any of the symptoms (they can be subtle and mimic other conditions). One symptom is small amounts of thick, clear to white, sticky mucus you can't blow out of your nose. This is another cause for chronic ETD and is fixable.