The words I've been muttering for the past week. I've got a plugged right ear. This situation is new to me. Started with a sore throat, evolved to an ear infection which lead to a plugged right ear. I saw the Dr. last Wednesday. He gave me anti-bios and nose spray. Finished the course yesterday. I barely have any cold symptoms left, a few drips here, my ear is completely pain free yet it remains plugged. It's really annoying. I'm never sure if I'm yelling or whispering. I just feel a little off. More so than my usual offness. Did a little Google searching about plugged ears (I know, I know - getting medical information from the computer can be a dangerous sport) and was shocked to read about people who have had plugged ears for months on end. What?!? Found a few home remedies to try. Which I did. My ear is still plugged. Here's what I've tried:
1) Chewing gum
2) Plugging my nose and blowing out
3) Steam
4) Rinsing my sinuses
5) Yawning
6) Yawning really big
7) Ignoring it
I'm giving my ear until next Wednesday and then I'll go back to the Dr. I just have a feeling, though, it's one of those things they can't do anything about. Maybe I should find a mime who could pull the invisible wad of cotton out of my ear. Yeah. That's what I'll do.
13 comments:
No fun! I had a plugged ear for about a month and a half and it was so annoying. Made me sympathize with old people. I have no advice. Hopefully it will go away soon! :)
ARGH, I feel your pain, mine has been plugged for 5 weeks and nothing helps! I hold my nose and blow (the valsalva maneuver, a great word I learned way back in Speech Path and Audiolgy classes!) Steamed them up over boiling water, lots of Ocean spray, deconestant, warmed up oil and the doc just gave me prednisone to kick start it, and it still isn't better! I think a trip to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doc is next! You find a miracle cure please let me know.
In Europe they have a simple treatment for this. It's a needle through the eardrum. Instant relief. Mildly icky. (I had the same problem when we were traveling in Germany ten(!) years ago and that was the solution!)
Good luck!
Have you tried a hot potato in a sock? Take it to bed and it'll often get things flowing again :)
My daughter gets this a lot. All the things you listed can help. Have you tried allergy medicine? A mild allergy could cause the congestion. good luck1
just reading this made me have to pop my ears! I hope it remedies soon
I have been fighting a plugged right ear all winter. Sounds like that ear is under water. So annoying! My doctor just said to take an antihistamine (which I take most of the year anyway for allergies). It helped a lot.
The best temporary solution I found was to hold my nose (and opposite ear) and swallow.
Seeing that diagram gave me shudders thinking of all the audiology courses I took. The other week I had a plugged ear and it just made me miserable. I suggest running warm water in your ear during your shower and also more chewing/yawning.
Hi! I have a couple suggestions... one thing that has worked for me and my kids is to lay down with the offending ear up and have someone pour in a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide. It crackles and makes weird noises and then it usually clears. OR, if you cut an onion in half and boil it and then cool it until you can hold it but it's still steaming, hold it over your ear until it cools or you can't stand it. I don't know why this helps with ear things but it does sometimes.
I have this problem alot! My doctor told me to drink alot of water and humidity, as in a humidifier. And, it does help:)
Also try blowing up a really "stiff" balloon. You know the kind that make your face turn purple when blowing it. My doc recommended this to me just recently and after 3 weeks of discomfort it was gone! :)
i had blocked ears (from wax i think.. ewww) and the dr syringed them out.. with water.. anyways the relief was immediate.. i could HEAR.. it was fantastic.. i felt like i had a helmet on before, got headaches, and even had a sore neck from holding my head funny because i couldnt hear
anyway what came out was so disgusting.. i didnt think that much stuff could fit in your ears!!
I can't resist revealing one more ear solution that
my mother, your grandmother, had me do once for
a plugged ear. She had me lean over the bed with
my hands on the top, arms stiff, and my head tilted
so the plugegd ear was facing the bed. Then she
had me kick out hard with the leg opposite the ear three times. It worked then...why, I don't know.
mom
Hi there,
This is my first time commenting. I really enjoy your blog. :-) I love how creative you are with your crafts.
I also had a plugged ear this winter. It almost felt like I was VERY close to not hearing anything out of that ear. Two weeks after taking my antibiotics, I still couldn't hear out of it.
I went to an ENT (ear nose throat doc). He did the strangest thing to help diagnose the problem. He chimed a tuning fork and placed the base of it in the center of my forehead while it was chiming. If the offending ear can HEAR the tuning fork more than the good ear, then you have fluid trapped in your ear.
He prescribed flonase and prednisone for 3-4 days to decrease swelling in the eustacian (sp?) tube. It helped quite a bit. The doc did say if the meds didn't work, that they would have to poke a small hole in my ear drum to drain the fluid out. Yikes!
Good luck with your ear. I feel for you. It's no fun not being able to hear very well.
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