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ears feel blocked and muffled - help

golden

Senior Member
Messages
1,831
Apart from ripping my ears of - which I am coming close to doing as I have had this for over a year now, has anyone had this and cured it? can't think of what to do.
 

Seewell

Senior Member
Messages
234
Ive had this in the past,it went after about a year, now im the opposite,i could hear i pin drop!
And bass sounds are exaggerated..

I thought it was an ear infection,i did try Grape fruit seed extact.
And also long wax candles that you put in your ear,and set on fire with a lighter.That pulled the
excess wax out of my ear ,and did help for a while.
 

golden

Senior Member
Messages
1,831
Thanks SeeWell
Ive had this in the past,it went after about a year, now im the opposite,i could hear i pin drop!
And bass sounds are exaggerated..

I thought it was an ear infection,i did try Grape fruit seed extact.
And also long wax candles that you put in your ear,and set on fire with a lighter.That pulled the
excess wax out of my ear ,and did help for a while.

My multi-anti-oxidant tablets have been making it rustle and occasionally give me a small window of relief - an ear infection! ok - didn't think one could last that long.... the pills do contain grapefruit seed extract....

I will try the ear candling - definitely :) THANKS
 

Chris

Senior Member
Messages
845
Location
Victoria, BC
Before doing anything radical, get a doctor to check whether your canal is filled with wax--my canals slowly fill with wax and I periodically flush it out with a simple, small rubber syringe that I fill with warm water that I spurt into the canal and after a few flushes it washes out the wax and I am OK for another 3-6 months or so. Chris
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
You might try an antibiotic golden. After a high dose course of Amoxcillan (for suspected tooth/root infection and removal) I found it did wonders for my sinuses, blocked ears and GI tract all at the same time, so I guess a bacterial infection could be involved.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
golden

I deal with this by putting a half dropperful of warmed (body temperature) hydrogen peroxide in the ears and holding it there for a minute or so. This has cleared up years of ear infections.

Sushi
 

caledonia

Senior Member
Have you had your doc take a look in there? It may simply be a bunch of ear wax. When I try to get it out on my own, with a syringe, I always get water in my ear. The doc has a special syringe that shoots water towards the side, not into the ear drum.

You can also try over the counter Debrox drops (basically hydrogen peroxide and oil) to soften the wax up first.

If you use earplugs like I do, they can really get compacted.

If your ear is not hurting, simply clogged, it's not an infection. An infection should hurt like hell.

You can get a copy of the doc's special syringe on Amazon if you want to try that first to save money.
http://www.amazon.com/Ear-Syringe-M...id=1363462588&sr=1-7&keywords=ear+wax+removal
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I've had problems with itchy ears, blocked ears and tinnitus for many years. I recall my late father having some sort of problems with his ears - he used to clean them out with matchsticks! Please don't do this.

What seems to happen with me is that when my ears get itchy - which seems to start mainly in the evenings so I have wondered whether dust mites might be involved - I often can't resist poking at them, and then I can feel fluid in them, which runs down the back of my throat and I have to cough it up as phlegm.

I am trying very hard to resist poking at them. My new technique is to use a metal head massager every time I get the urge - it's relaxing and distracting.

But what I can't yet work out is whether it is the poking that causes them to fill with fluid, or whether it is fluid that makes them itch. Whichever is the case, poking at them always makes it worse so I MUST STOP!

Another suggestion for clearing blocked ears - dilute vinegar. You may have to do it twice a day for a few days, but I find that it works eventually.
 

Seewell

Senior Member
Messages
234
I forgot about the Hydrogen Peroxide Sushi & Caledonia,yes yes yes,i remember now(was about seven years ago)and i think from memory it worked better than the Ear wax candles.
But not as much fun

 

IreneF

Senior Member
Messages
1,552
Location
San Francisco
My son had compacted earwax as a result of using earbuds. We tried getting it out with various liquids, then he went to the drugstore and got a rubber ear syringe, and it got the wax out right away. I used body-temp water in the syringe and he sat in a chair and held a big bowl to catch what came out. I squirted it at the side of the ear canal, not directly toward the back. We had already tried various softeners, including a stool softener (ducosate sodium, or Colace), which probably made the extraction easier.

Unless you have something serious, such as a perforated eardrum, squirting a little water in your ear won't hurt you. If he ever gets clogged ears I will do that first, before using anything that might be irritating.

When I get itchy ears, which is often, I use a little olive oil or something similar.
 

golden

Senior Member
Messages
1,831
Going with poking them with matchsticks followed by setting fire to them with the radical flaming chimneys ... :)
 

golden

Senior Member
Messages
1,831
Seriously though, thanks for all the suggestions, everyone :)
its been driving me nuts for ages so i now have the motivation to try to resolve it... i want my head back!
 

Allyson

Senior Member
Messages
1,684
Location
Australia, Melbourne
it is a common symptom i note on the EDS pages
i have it too atm - I saw my GP and she said it is blocked eustacian tubes

mine comes and goes so I am going to ask her about treatment next time - when she told me it was a common problem and not serious i took no further action at the time.
Annoying though.


Seriously though, thanks for all the suggestions, everyone :)
its been driving me nuts for ages so i now have the motivation to try to resolve it... i want my head back!
t i
 

valentinelynx

Senior Member
Messages
1,310
Location
Tucson
I get this when my allergies act up. Happily, it readily responds to antihistamines! Yes, it is from eustachian tube blockage, which can be caused by allergies in the same way that allergies make your nose stuffed up.
 

golden

Senior Member
Messages
1,831
It co-incided with the worst bout of dizziness and visual disturbance I have ever had. I had tremendous pressure build up in my head and this finally eased up a bit when some lumps appeared around my ear....

these lumps went after a few months.... i went all numb on the left side of my face and head (particularly front left skull) and my left eye felt really weird and buldgy. My left arm went funny too (all improved since then) i have not been able to drive since and my moment to moment memory vanished which was awful.

i do remember pain in one of my ears after being in the bath and since then my ears don't like water which is unusual because i used to love lying in the bath underwater.

Since then a muffled feel which is disconnected me has remained and is driving me bonkers .

They do get itchy- it could be ear mites - i have a terrible crunchy neck which i try to stretch to release pressure.

my actual ears feel dry like there is no fluid in them.

I can't think of any new allergy substance i may have come into contact with.

Because its so all encompassing its really making things alto worse so i am finally tackling it this week!! :)
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
My brain finally remembered something I had come across about ears, and after searching in various places I found it in Erica Verrillo's e-book on ME/CFS. Unfortunately it doesn't seem possible to cut and paste text from it, so I will have to type it. Apologies if I make any mistakes.

"The left ear, in particular, seems to be susceptible to itching, which, because of its location deep in the ear, cannot be relieved. The itch and occasional accompanying pain do not, in most cases, signal the presence of an ear infection.

The likeliest source of the itch is lymphatic fluid congestion. The lymph system drains at a point just above the left collar bone. If the fluid backs up, it can produce swelling along the left side of the neck, left-sided jaw and molar pain, and itching in the left ear. In some cases Candida overgrowth is also implicated..."

The book also refers to sinus congestion causing muffled hearing. It also says that tinnitus can be caused by blocked Eustachian tubes, and that people with allergies get tinnitus during the 'allergy season' (by which I presume is meant the hayfever season).

There is a whole section on tinnitus, I really do recommend the book!

It is my right ear that is currently itching...
 

Allyson

Senior Member
Messages
1,684
Location
Australia, Melbourne
My brain finally remembered something I had come across about ears, and after searching in various places I found it in Erica Verrillo's e-book on ME/CFS.


"The left ear, in particular, seems to be susceptible to itching, which, because of its location deep in the ear, cannot be relieved. The itch and occasional accompanying pain do not, in most cases, signal the presence of an ear infection.

The likeliest source of the itch is lymphatic fluid congestion. The lymph system drains at a point just above the left collar bone. If the fluid backs up, it can produce swelling along the left side of the neck, left-sided jaw and molar pain, and itching in the left ear. In some cases Candida overgrowth is also implicated..."

yes it is my right ear too MESci.
Interesting in that lymph is a connective tissue which may be why it is an issue in EDS.
(and ?why lymphatic massage helps us).

Mine is not due to allergies I don't think.
I recall now i also used to get - when i was in my 20 s - a feeling like an itch inside my ears where i had to make a kind of gurgling/clearing throat noise to get rid of it. Still get that very occasionally.

Ear pain can also be related to TMJ i think
.I also get an outer ear pain sometimes like a crampping aiin that hurts more if i physically move /pull on my ear - i had thought it came after my b 12 injections but not always; lasts a couple of hours or more then goes away entirely.
 

golden

Senior Member
Messages
1,831
mesci -

thanks so much for typing out that info - it really is helpful.

i was told my tinnitus was caused by daily antibiotic usage - but that makes sense.

i will get the book. with ears itch but the left is worse, but the lumps appeared around my right ear...

i do have a grizzly lump that hides just under my left collarbone and sometimes when it gets bigger becomes very noticeable - i bet that is the lymph problem. i am having the perrin technique and he does talk of this 'left' issue too but i have only just connected the dots and understood it.

Tinnitus could also be a thyroid issue. its so complicated.

:)


The ear candles did 'something' only minor - but i am going to give it another go to see - thanks!!!
 

golden

Senior Member
Messages
1,831
After feeling strongly that it was a lymphatic problem, I looked up ear drainage on You Tube and learned some outstanding techniques that have been working.

I had been doing the head drainage, one way, from top to bottom, but not doing the ears correctly.

Its all coming right now! Again, thank you :)