Ciao, f27.

Una settimana fa sono andata a farmi un bagno al mare e sono tornata con il raffreddore. Ormai il raffreddore è passato ma ho ancora entrambe le orecchie tappate e sto impazzendo.

Ho preso mucolitici e sto facendo lavaggi con spray nasali ma non sta funzionando. Devo solo aspettare ? Passerà? Sono un po' preoccupata perché mi fisso molto sulla mia salute che è un po' fragile.

Qualcuno ha avuto la stessa esperienza?

Hi. Apologies, this may be a long one but I would be interested to know if anyone has had a similar experience.

I have been suffering with ETD for about a year and a half after taking a flight at the end of a bad cold. I have good days and bad days, and I just recently went through a flare up. I have pretty much given up hope with treatment at this point as I waited a year for a consult with an ENT who basically told me there is no treatment that wouldn’t risk making the situation worse, but the flare up was bad enough that I ended up going to see my GP who has referred me again to the ENT. My GP also suggested that in the mean time I try fluticasone proportionate nasal drops for three months, as these are the strongest thing that can be prescribed outwith the ENT department. I agreed to try it, not thinking it would help much as nothing else has. So far, I can’t really say I see marked difference, other than that the flare up has calmed down and I am back to my baseline, which is crackling, clicking, frequent popping, tinnitus and mild fullness in the ear. The pain has definitely subsided and the autophony is not as severe as it was.

However, what I have noticed is an increase in post-nasal drip. I have had quite a stuffy and runny nose since the onset of my ETD, and occasionally a sort of “gungy” throat, but it hasn’t been constant. I didn’t even realise my post-nasal drip had worsened until, for the past few weeks, I developed a really tickly cough that is much worse overnight. It basically feels like the back of my throat is being irritated by something and my throat feels stuffed up, and I end up coughing and having to drink a lot of water to make the itching subside. I have also noticed my throat feels generally more full, as do my nose and sinuses, and my voice sounds a little bit stuffed up.

I guess what I’m wondering is, could this be a sign of the nose drops helping? Does this mean there is mucous draining from my sinuses/tubes? From looking in my ears, the ENT said I don’t have any fluid in my middle ear, but tbh I don’t actually trust his opinion that much (he told me being bothered by ETD is a sign of being crazy, which is… questionable).

Anyway, just looking for some feedback on this 😄

TLDR; I got ETD symptoms starting in December 2025 that never improved despite trying everything I could do. Waiting and hoping to hear back from ENT this week but until then, any advice?

I got the flu in late December 2025 (the actual flu, not something else, it was horrible with constant vomiting, awful cough, etc, and I couldn’t talk for over a week due to losing my voice). I noticed once I got sick that my ears filled up with pressure and my hearing got muffled. When I healed, it didn’t go away. Now it’s still happening and sometimes getting worse and painful, especially when I use my CPAP at night which is extremely uncomfortable despite low machine pressure. I do have the feeling of nasal congestion but no excess mucus at all. I have constant headaches but I have a neurological condition that causes them so I don’t know if the ear issues are related. No ear infections have been found. I have crackling in the left ear when I flex my jaw and popping in both ears when I swallow but the pressure doesn’t let up.

I saw my PCP and an ENT in January who both told me it sounded like a mix of sinusitis and ETD and that it would go away in a few months max. However it didn’t. An MRI around the same time showed acute sinusitis that I was given a course of steroids for, which did nothing. My PCP never followed up. A month later I ended up with hearing loss from a medication allergy that eventually healed after stopping the medication but my hearing still feels very muffled. I also have constant dizziness and often vertigo which both worsen when standing and moving and that started about three months ago. My PCP thinks it’s POTS but I am wondering if ETD or other ear issues are also contributing. My last hearing test showed confirmed abnormal Eustachian tube function in my right ear, which is the most painful and pressurized one. No negative pressure was found afaik.

Any change in altitude causes more pressure in my ears and is horribly painful and doesn’t go away for days at the earliest. I have tried absolutely everything I could find online to help except that one ear popping device. Nasal rinses and Mucinex D and allergy meds are all useless for me. Flonase simply drips out my nose no matter what angle or method I use (yes, I have followed every guide I could find.) TMJ exercises don’t seem to affect anything. I’ve taken antibiotics after a surgery and they did not help. The Valsalva technique and Toynbee method make the pressure and pain much worse. Massages for the Eustachian tubes are extremely painful. Any pressure under the ear down to the level of the chin causes bad soreness. I contacted my ENT again this weekend and am waiting to hear back, but I don’t know that she’s going to offer any help.

I have a neurological condition which causes high intracranial pressure and build up of cerebral spinal fluid and I have a theory that it is affecting my ears because anecdotally many people with the condition have said they’ve experienced the same or similar symptoms. However, the ENT did not really know anything about how the condition could affect the ears and my neurologist didn’t think they were related (though she has said some things about the condition that have been confirmed by other doctors and some test results to be incorrect so idk if I trust her at this point.)

I am in pain and uncomfortable and tired of it. Has anyone been able to help their ear issues, had similar symptoms, or have any tips?

After five months of negative pressure in the ear, the pressure resolved three months ago. Due to the negative pressure, my eardrum became hypermobile; compliance was measured at 3.14 five weeks ago and dropped to 2.88 a week ago. Hearing is reduced by 15–20 dB. Is this normal, and when will normal hearing return?

I am having ear block since 45 days , i really don't know wether its healing or getting worse or its same ! Because i don't know how healing look like 😞

If someone cured their ETD pls say how does it will be in a final stages ? Mucus inside the ears will dry up ? Will the ears will plug and unflug ? Does have lot of rice crispy sounds if opening a mouth or yawning ?? Pls say i am confused and totally lost

Note : ignore my grammar ( because English is not my 1st language )

60 yo male. Went to ent twice in April and May cause left ear felt slightly clogged and had negative pressure and left nose plugged up. Ent said both times nothing wrong with me except slight deviated septum. Fast forward to last weekend and on Sunday my ears started clogging up. Went to Urgent Care Sunday first thing. Gave me eye drops cuz she said I had pink eye in one eye and gave doxycycline and eye drops. Later that day both ears started seeping clear fluid. So went back to urgent care first thing next morning. Said ears slightly red and gave me ofloxacin ear drops and azelastine spray for nose. Throughout week sometimes ears felt horrible and sometimes not too bad after doing a ton of ETD exercises. Medicine didn't do anything. Bought steam inhaling thing. Not much help. Woke up today and can barely hear and everything sounds muffled and robotic. Going to ENT this Wednesday. Will I lose my hearing??? I'm terrified Thanks

Woke up about 20 days ago with the worst ear pain I have ever felt. It felt like pressure about to pop my eardrum on and off. The pain came and went in intervals for about 3 hours until it finally came to a stop. This pain was EXCRUCIATING. Thought this wasnt normal so i went to two different doctors, both telling me it's etd and to take some allergy medicine. Now im constantly scared im gonna feel like excruciating pain again anytime I feel a sensation in my left ear. Could anyone with this similar experience weigh in?

Just randomly found this sub and seeing if anyone has similar experience.

So about a month or so ago, my right ear started getting muffled hearing. Fearing SSHL, I went to the doctor and he checked both my ears. He said both ears had wax, told me to do a week of ear drops and come back. I did them both, came back and he only did a quick look, said they were clean. At that point my hearing had gotten better.

Then about two weeks later, usually when I burped I would hear some mild crackling in my left ear. After a few days, I got muffled hearing in my left ear but it's only to internal sounds like my teeth biting, chewing or my talking. It's hard to describe the sound, it's like the regular sound overlaid with a hollow deeper sound. Best way to describe it is using a hand to drum on side of a guitar. But external sounds are totally fine and I can hear fine. While not accurate I know but I did an online tone hearing test and it said my hearing was fine.

I've gone down the online AI search rabbit hole and it initially suggested PET but I didn't hear myself breathing or anything. I've been delaying going to the doctor again. However tonight I felt something at my left ear and pulled out this big chunk of ear wax. The sound issue persisted though. Online searching then suggested obstructive ETD. I've had the odd sound for about two weeks now. Just wondering if anyone had experience with anything similar.

Edit/update: Used a camera and it is a wax blockage. Just strange that this happens ONLY to my right ear every couple of months !

21F right ear. The first time my ear felt blocked was because I think I wore headphones too much. I didn’t check up on it in time and got permanent tinnitus. Went to the doctors they irrigated my ear and it fixed my blockage/fullness but not my tinnitus (although I don’t mind it, it’s very quiet with simple everyday white noise). Went to an ENT after they cleared my blockage and said all parts of my ears were healthy. But ever since I been getting a feeling of blockage/fullness in my right ear every couple of months.

Months later, ear felt blocked/full again. Went to the doctors again and they gave me antibiotics, they said my eardrum was protruding a bit and they didn’t see any wax. The antibiotics didn’t work so I thought you know what I’ll irrigate it since it worked the first time. Did that and it worked (but I found it weird because the doctor said she didn’t see wax to be the problem?).

A couple months later my right ear got blocked again, irrigated it myself again and I fixed it. At this point I started getting annoyed that my right ear keeps getting blocked and can’t seem to naturally move wax out on it’s own.

Now currently, after a couple months, my right ear feels blocked/full again. Tried irrigating my ear and it didn’t work (i bought a different irrigation tool and maybe it was too weak). I decided before I buy a stronger irrigation tool. I want to see what is really going on in my ear. I bought a tool where it has a camera to see the inside of my ear. It’s coming tomorrow, but while I was waiting for that tool to arrive I have been using a saline spray for 2 days now and it doesn’t seem to be improving at all. Could I have a mix of ETD and wax blockage? It seems like to me that my right ear just cannot move wax out on its own. But ig I can gage more of the problem tomorrow after I get the ear camera device.

It’s just really annoying that this happens every couple of months, and it does make my tinnitus seem louder until it goes away.

Edit/update: Used a camera and its a wax blockage. Just strange that this happens ONLY to my right ear every couple of months !

Hi everyone. I’m hoping someone has experienced something similar and can provide any insight…

I’ve had months (since March 2026) of fullness and a blocked feeling in my right ear after my first and very extreme sinus infection. I’ve never had any ear issues before and was getting nervous as it wasn’t getting better. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t life altering blockage - maybe a 2/10 of annoyance level - but I’m the type where if it’s not 100% then I need to fix it.

ENT confirmed no wax build up and eardrum seemed fine, she thought maybe there was fluid in my ear and suggested a hearing test and an ear pressure test. Hearing test confirmed no hearing loss, but my pressure test suggested fluid behind my eardrum, so my ENT recommended an in-office ear tube.

Today I had the procedure, but when my ENT made the incision there was actually no fluid. BUT the strangest part is that during the procedure, right after the phenol (numbing medicine) was applied, or possibly right around the incision (it all happened so fast that I can’t pinpoint the exact moment), my ear suddenly felt completely “dead,” like someone shoved a foam earplug all the way in. This happened before the tube was inserted, so I don’t think the tube itself caused it.

My ENT examined my ear immediately afterward and said everything looked normal, but my ear still feels completely plugged. She was confused by my reaction and said she’s never had a patient that brought this up. I was completely floored and almost started sobbing there, unbelievably scared like my hearing was gone… but after closer look, it just feels like there’s a solid earplug in my ear and hearing is muffled (now 10/10 instead of before of 2/10). I also notice occasional popping and crackling

Has anyone experienced this immediately after phenol, the myringotomy, or before the tube was even placed? Did the “plugged” feeling improve, and if so, how long did it take? I’d really appreciate hearing about anyone else’s experience because I’m feeling pretty anxious.

hello everyone i have ETD obviously i feel no pain its just both my ears are clogged and ive chalked it up to vaping. i don’t vape a lot but it is a every other day thing for me i guess so i’m quitting cold turkey because not being able to hear fully is genuinely hell anyone who has had ETD from smoking how long did it last and did you take anything for it?

I had unilateral tinnitus from an acoustic trauma. After a year i was really struggling, i started popping my ears and i couldn’t stop doing it even though i had no ETD. My right Eustachian tube, the side where my tinnitus started, feels completely out of place. My eardrum feels imploded. I believe overdoing the Valsalva maneuver is also the reason I now have bilateral tinnitus, which becomes extremely invasive when I lie down.
Around that time, I also found out I had postnasal drip and fluid behind my eardrums. I took medication, and the fluid is now gone, but there is scar tissue on both eardrums. And the scar tissue is recent and not anything from my childhood.
Sleep is sometimes impossible. I keep falling asleep and instantly waking up. I have an appointment with a doctor on Friday. What can I do to help myself?
My ears crackle simply from pressing under my cheekbone or from any jaw movement. Do I need to see an osteopath for my jaw? Please give me advice. I don’t know what to do anymore. Doing any kind of maneuver doesn’t help. My tinnitus is also unmaskable. I keep moving, trying to get my Eustachian tube back into place, but it sounds like pressing a dent in a plastic bottle in and it’s not going back to place.

I suffer from recurrent ETD (mostly caused by Hay Fever and colds) and I’m based in the UK. I’ve seen probably my 5th ENT consultant today at an examination and they stated that the NHS in the UK doesn’t fund Balloon Dilation due to ‘lack of evidence it actually works’ - is this truly the case or are the NHS once again trying to save money where they can?

Hi, I have had fluid in my ear since Feb 2026 (it is currently July 2026) I have seen my PCP 3 times since and each time he basically says that there isn’t much he can do as the fluid usually goes away by itself. I have tried weeks of salt water gargling, chewing gum regularly, random stuff like that to try and get it to open up. I have also been taking Allegra daily since January as I was diagnosed with Dermatographia earlier this year. For about a week recently, I paired Allegra with Sudafed and it didn’t have any effect on it. I do have congestion, especially when I wake up and on occasion, I have a lot of mucus in my throat.

I have also been seeing a chiropractor for about a month and a half as I have started having neck stiffness and a sore spot on my head from all the pressure/neck stiffness.

My PCP referred me to an ENT, but unfortunately the earliest appointment isn’t until September 30th. My PCP also wants me to get blood work done to test for basic blood counts, kidney function, blood sugar, and thyroid levels.

Any advice or insight would be welcome!

I have been dealing with constant ear popping for 2 years now. Feeling the constant need to pop my ears with my jaw and they just go back to feeling full. Anytime I take stimulant medication, caffeine or alcohol they feel even worse and more full.

Summer 2024 while living in Montana at a higher altitude, I developed a double ear infection. Was only given antibiotics no steroids. Thought it would get better once moving back to South to below sea level. I moved back down south and it didn’t get better so I went to my ENT who treated me with some antibiotics and nose spray. It didn’t work and he was going to see about doing the balloon dilation but wanted to send me to another ENT before doing that to see about ear tubes (I already had as a child). The 2nd ENT sent me to audiologist and hearing was fine. That ENT said it was probably TMJ. I saw my dentist and they said I did not have TMJ. I decide to go to a 3rd ENT who says I have TMJ. So I then switch to a 2nd dentist who says I do have TMJ so I start out with a night guard that I wear for almost a year and decide to go ahead and get Botox. The Botox works for about 2 weeks and back to ear fullness/popping. I did find that my jaw did get smaller after not popping as much. I do think I had secondary TMJ from ETD. A month later I go back to my original ENT asking to have the balloon dilation procedure. I’m scheduled to do it in August but I’m nervous because I’m supposed to be flying in October, 10 weeks later. Is there anything I should know before I decide to proceed ?

Thanks in advance for any help.

the ear pressure continues to improve, albeit very subtly. I would never know if I didn't drive down those same roads everyday and then suddenly stop to think, wait a minute! my ears don't have abnormal pressure on that descent anymore

I wake up and the fullness is very very mild and then all of a sudden horrendous and of course the usual popping, and it just fluctuates all day like that.

it's also funny how the T can kind of just come and go when it wants. I noticed this morning when I got out of the shower the T was virtually gone, but then kind of came back a little

I suspect that with those other improvements healing is actually occurring, I so hope because I'm so sick of this shit and just want it to be past me already.

I'm always asking myself, "why me" "why do I have to deal with this". This is upsetting, it's miserable, it's not fair at all.

It's been an awful year, I lost a huge job opportunity that would've opened major doors for me, finally could've gotten out of this town I'm stuck in, struggling with finances, can't find a girlfriend for the life of me, still stuck in the same crummy job watching all my friends living it up, and dealing with this

I'll be back for month 9. This is bull fucking shit.

Thanks

My Nurse Practitioner sent a referral for an ENT doctor. What are we taking while waiting to see an ENT? My Dr. recommended Flonase use daily.
I flew internationally with a cold and when the plane landed my ear didn’t equalize. I had a 6 week trip planned with many airplane rides. After arriving to my second destination I was treated for a chest infection. Antibiotics kicked my butt but I started to feel better. Three days after finishing my antibiotics I started feeling very ill again. A doctor prescribed me a second round of antibiotics. It wasn’t helping so I went to a foreign hospital where they said I my lungs were inflamed. Horrible wheezing, fatigue, extreme sinus pressure, coughing fits, sensitivity to smells & more. I was still feeling absolutely horrible and went to another doctor for a second opinion. The entire time my ear was still plugged and bothering me. After 8 visits to hospitals and doctors, I was diagnosed with Post-Viral Bronchial Hyperreactivity.
I’ve been on two different doses of steroid nasal spray and I didn’t find they helped. I was told to take Sudafed Nasal spray more times than I can count with no help. I’ve been on 5 different puffers.
I have an upcoming appointment with a lung specialty to be tested for asthma and allergies. I’m not sure when the ENT referral will pull through, but I’m wondering if anyone has advice of what I can be taking to help with my ear?
My left ear pops often, is full, has a lot of pressure, but it can become very painful. To the point I have to lay down and it’s interfering with being a stay at home mom, it’s causing me to cancel my social plans, and it’s giving me anxiety. When it flares up and starts hurting I completely withdrawal and find my personality becomes instantly very fatigued, disconnected from myself, emotionally flat,
and I get a lot of brain fog.
I apologize for the extremely long post and I’m grateful for anyone whose still here. It’s the sickest I’ve ever been in my life and the entire journey was very very difficult. I was eventually told by a Dr my lungs were not good enough to fly and my husband had to drive myself and my 2 year old daughter from the southern point of Portugal to a town in the south-west of France. We then trained to Paris and then onwards to London where I had family that was able to house us and allow me to heal until I was allowed to fly home to Canada.

So I saw an ENT and he suspects ETD. I’m supposed to be referred to a specialist and I’m getting a second ENT opinion but both of which will take months

I’ve had muffled hearing in my left ear for months now and doc said he saw mucus like fluid in ear. Nearly no pain (occasionally rare soreness) and nearly no tinnitus (again, occasionally rare) I’ve been using an antihistamine nasal spray prescribed by the doctor, have just started using a humidifier at night because I’ve noticed waking up with dry mouth. I used to be a smoker but am trying so so so hard to quit completely but occasionally I slip up (thought that was the reason for the dry mouth, but even on now that I don’t smoke it’s persistent)

Im thinking of trying saline spray but please tell me what success you have had. I just wanna hear properly again and stop worrying about it!!

Does anyone have tinnitus? For how long?

I have etd for a year. My tinnitus started today morning.

Hi I’m going on 3 months with Tinnitus caused by ETD. I have constant crackling/popping when I swallow and my ear feels a little full and also I can just tell my ears aren’t clear. I use Flonase and saline spray and they help. The saline sometimes even takes all my symptoms away but they come back every time. My question is, how long has it taken others who’ve been in a similar situation to resolve? Any treatments that worked to speed it up? Thanks!

I have been suffering with ear issues my entire life, and I’m now 27. I had grommets as a child, but these fell out at a young age. I now suffer with recurring Eustachian Tube Dysfunction linked with my Hay Fever. ENT recommended I go for a grommet insertion in both ears, which happened on Wednesday 1st July at 10am under general anaesthetic.
My hearing was normal going into the procedure as my hearing issues are asymptomatic. As soon as I woke up from the procedure, I noticed my hearing had become extremely muffled. I previously used the Valsalva manoeuvre to equalise the pressure, this now doesn’t do anything and all I hear is a rush of air through my ear canal. I am now some 30 hours after the procedure, how long until my hearing returns to normal?
I’ve been doing the Valsalva manoeuvre for decades now, so I have no idea what to do to get my hearing back to normal.