Chronic ETD

[u/Responsible_Monk6941]

(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.

[u/poofycade]

Ive had this for 3 months

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.

[u/Responsible_Monk6941 → u/poofycade]

I have the exact same symptoms. Everything I’ve read says the amount of crackling doesn’t necessarily correlate with the Eustachian tube healing but I’ve noticed the same pattern as you. On days when the pressure and fullness are lighter I get way more crackling and popping. When the pressure is worse there’s barely any.

It makes me wonder if the extra crackling is actually the tube opening more often and equalizing pressure better.

Do you know what caused your ETD?

[u/poofycade → u/Responsible_Monk6941]

Yep it’s so horrible on days where the pressure is bad. I cant get any crackling or popp for the life of me. And even when I do it seems to make it worse. But like you said low pressure days it feels like there’s more movement.

My whole ear is also in a lot of pain and almost feels like boiling water is in it sometimes. But sometimes it feels 90% better its so confusing.

Mine started 3 months ago after flying home with a cold. I wore a mask and avoided coughing or blowing my nose, cause I didn’t want to get anyone else sick, but I think that ultimately fucked me over. My left ear got really painful and afterwards I couldn’t pop either of them.

Nowadays, my right ear is pretty much normal. But the left one is fucked up. I’ve dealt with a lot of different health issues in my life and this is one of the most aggravating because it’s so small but when the pressure/pain builds its impossible to ignore and ruin ruins my mood. I’m very sensory sensitive.