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[Chris Hindle]

You can mix if you're blind...but not if you're deaf.

I dunno 'bout that Bob, some of the "shows" I've heard recently.........

[brian maddox]

Thanks to everyone for the responses so far.

I'm just really glad i haven't been stung by an 'unknown sea monster'.  that sounds very unpleasant. 

I've made an appointment for a local ENT who is also an audiologist so that i can see someone who is sensitive to the hearing issues of a professional as well as the normal medical issues.  I'm due for a hearing test anyway.

I have been on a daily dose of Claritin-D for chronic sinus headaches [which is almost certainly related to this issue], so i've been doing the Sudafed thing for a while.  And i recently had a round of prednisone to try to clear my ear.  There was some temporary relief, but nothing permanent.

Basically this is a chronic thing that has steadily gotten worse over the last several years and it's time for me to actually do something to deal with it.  The info here from folks that have already had this done is invaluable to me in figuring out the best course of action.  So thanks so much for that.

I'd love any other info anyone might have.  i'll keep yawl [autocorrect changed that from ya'll and i thought it was funny so i left it] posted on what develops...

[Art Hays]

Try a myringotomy with suction before you have tubes installed.

Myringotomies with suction were widely done many years ago.  Today not so much.  Make sure you get an ENT that is experienced.  I had one and too strong a suction was used.

[Hayden J. Nebus]

Three tips: If you are comfortable applying negative pressure to promote drainage, you can pinch off your nose, close your mouth, and swallow repeatedly.

You can also yawn with a vengeance to promote opening the eustachian tubes.

The tensor tympani muscle may also open them up a bit if you can control it. It's somewhere near under/behind your tongue, you know you've got it when you hear a rumble in your drums. 

The ENT should start by checking your eustachian tubes. If you have fluid/pressure building it's because they're not opening to drain/ventilate your middle ear. There's some structure (the adenoid) back there behind your tonsils that can block them off if it becomes inflamed. It's sometimes removed to improve drainage.

If you've had a tonsilectomy you probably don't have them anymore, but cutting some meat out of your throat may sound slightly more appealing than cutting a hole in your eardrum!

I had a reverse block in one ear two years ago on a scuba ascent. It  took two months until the wish-wash sound of fluid went away, and three months until I tested normal. I feel your pain!
 

[Karl Maciag]

I've had chronic infection problems since I was a kid and while I don't get them as frequently, they still do a number on me when I get them. Over the summer was a pretty bad infection causing all sorts of issues, including a perforation in my left ear. Thankfully it's healed and back to normal. During the process I consulted my ENT, and he said tubes would help the infection problems, but he couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to accurately hear below 150Hz with the tubes in. I did notice while the perforation was healing that my left ear was not hearing bass well at all, and as it healed, i heard bass better as time went on. My ENT scoped my eustachian tubes, and he said that due to the amount of infections I've had in my life, they are scarred pretty bad, and that's why fluid doesn't drain as efficiently as it should. Definitely find a ENT that you trust, that gets what you do for a living. Thankfully mine is a musician I work with on occasion, so he gets it. Good luck, I hope you're feeling better soon.

[Dave Aubuchon]

I've had chronic infection problems since I was a kid and while I don't get them as frequently, they still do a number on me when I get them. Over the summer was a pretty bad infection causing all sorts of issues, including a perforation in my left ear. Thankfully it's healed and back to normal. During the process I consulted my ENT, and he said tubes would help the infection problems, but he couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to accurately hear below 150Hz with the tubes in. I did notice while the perforation was healing that my left ear was not hearing bass well at all, and as it healed, i heard bass better as time went on. My ENT scoped my eustachian tubes, and he said that due to the amount of infections I've had in my life, they are scarred pretty bad, and that's why fluid doesn't drain as efficiently as it should. Definitely find a ENT that you trust, that gets what you do for a living. Thankfully mine is a musician I work with on occasion, so he gets it. Good luck, I hope you're feeling better soon.

When my son was 2 up till 3 years old we had to have a tube put in his ear 3 different times. Because of inner ear fluid build up. ENT told me that children's Eustachian tube don't drain as good as a adult because there more level.
With antibiotics and decongestants they solved the problem each time.
About 3 months after the first tube was installed he woke up one morning and I found this little rubber grommet on his pillow. It was green 1/8 across with about a 1/16 hole in the middle.
I called the ENT he told me that was the tube and that that was natural for it to fall out as the child grows.
So when they call them tubes that not really what they look like. More so just a vent.

[John Roberts {JR}]

When my son was 2 up till 3 years old we had to have a tube put in his ear 3 different times. Because of inner ear fluid build up. ENT told me that children's Eustachian tube don't drain as good as a adult because there more level.
With antibiotics and decongestants they solved the problem each time.
About 3 months after the first tube was installed he woke up one morning and I found this little rubber grommet on his pillow. It was green 1/8 across with about a 1/16 hole in the middle.
I called the ENT he told me that was the tube and that that was natural for it to fall out as the child grows.
So when they call them tubes that not really what they look like. More so just a vent.

Kind of like pne of these kick-ports for bass drum heads, but smaller? 

JR

[Bob Charest]

Kind of like one of these kick-ports for bass drum heads, but smaller? 

JR

Perfect - a kick-drum port for the tympanic membrane... 

[Phil Hornung]

Hi Brian.
My wife has a fairly rare (but becoming more common) condition called Meniere's disease, which is an inner ear condition. It isn't the same as what you likely are dealing with, but there may be some parallels to treatment. I can share some things we learned on a years long road we had to navigate to find a treatment that made her able to live a normal life again.
1- Make really sure that your ENT knows what he's doing. We went through 3 before even getting a correct diagnosis (granted, it is not easy to diagnose). But, as you say, you only have one set of ears - so you want to make sure that you trust who you're dealing with. Much like sound professionals - not all doctors are created equal.
2- As one of the treatments, my wife had tubes put in 2 years ago. It was a relatively quick and painless procedure that hasn't had any direct negative effect. They do come out after a while, and you may need to go back for another procedure, but it's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of medical treatment.
3- We found a simple device that has been far and away the best solution - and may or may not work for you - but you should ask your doc about it, because it can regulate ear pressure, is simple, non-pharmaceutical, and portable. http://www.enttex.eu/english/n300-for-blocked-ears/
4- We only found this device by doing our own research. Beware the North American Medical Complex! The device that we were told to investigate, which does the exact same thing, but is much fancier and automated costs <$5000. This one costs around $50.

Hope some or all of this advice is useful or helpful. Good luck to you, and hope you find a treatment that works for you long-term.

[brian maddox]

Hi Brian.
My wife has a fairly rare (but becoming more common) condition called Meniere's disease, which is an inner ear condition. It isn't the same as what you likely are dealing with, but there may be some parallels to treatment. I can share some things we learned on a years long road we had to navigate to find a treatment that made her able to live a normal life again.
1- Make really sure that your ENT knows what he's doing. We went through 3 before even getting a correct diagnosis (granted, it is not easy to diagnose). But, as you say, you only have one set of ears - so you want to make sure that you trust who you're dealing with. Much like sound professionals - not all doctors are created equal.
2- As one of the treatments, my wife had tubes put in 2 years ago. It was a relatively quick and painless procedure that hasn't had any direct negative effect. They do come out after a while, and you may need to go back for another procedure, but it's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of medical treatment.
3- We found a simple device that has been far and away the best solution - and may or may not work for you - but you should ask your doc about it, because it can regulate ear pressure, is simple, non-pharmaceutical, and portable. http://www.enttex.eu/english/n300-for-blocked-ears/
4- We only found this device by doing our own research. Beware the North American Medical Complex! The device that we were told to investigate, which does the exact same thing, but is much fancier and automated costs <$5000. This one costs around $50.

Hope some or all of this advice is useful or helpful. Good luck to you, and hope you find a treatment that works for you long-term.

Great information phil.  Thank You.  I'll look into that negative pressure device.  very interesting indeed.

My sister [age now 54] also suffers from Meniere's disease so that's something i am well acquainted with.  In fact, though no correlation between Meniere's and genetics has been found, i was frankly a little worried since some of my symptoms were very similar to what she experienced early on and she is now largely deaf in one ear.

So far my diagnosis has been good.  No serious sinusoidal issues.  My hearing test came back very positive for someone my age [i knew all the ribbing i got from wearing ear plugs all the time when i was in my twenties would pay off].  i've got a few more tests and then it looks like i'm going to have sinus surgery to correct some minor, but probably very significant, malformations there.  heck, if it fixes this, i'm totally fine.

I'll continue to keep everyone posted.  and thanks for all the support.

[ProSoundWeb Community]