ear problems..who can help?

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

i've been hassling plugged up ears since allergy season early this year. one ear will get congested and plug up to almost deaf while the other is pretty ok. then gradually the good ear will start to plug up and with luck the bad ear starts to get a little better. i've been down to almost deaf in one and only half deaf in the other. i've seen the ENT several times, taken antibiotics and anti-inflamatory nose drops yada yada. wax was never the problem. they plug up and sometimes ache with very occassional ouchy pain.

granted, my ears weren't great anyway for the last twenty years with tinnitus and high end loss.
plus i have a somewhat compromised immune system due to this and that.....but geez...the ear plugging is really screwing me up this year.
i'll get another ear appointment next week but just wanted to know if others have dealt with this and found any remedies. thanx!

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Afrin. Use the injection pump spray, not the squeeze bottle... you can refill the pump from the bottle when needed (the pump is more expensive).

And blow the mucous *out*, don't hork it back in... but you have to loosen it first, with the Afrin. If you can work the spray back into your Eustacean tubes, so much the better. Don't fly in airplanes when afflicted like this, or you'll find your pain threshold pretty quickly. Yawn, chew gum, pull earlobes... do all three at once.

Good luck... allergies are a bitch.
_________________
Too much junk to list... always getting more.

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

Ear ache and tooth ache are really bad pain .Children often have this problem and my 3 kids all had to have grometts in their ears . These are a very small tube , surgically inserted into the ear drum .
Chris I have no idea if you have a similar problem , just saying what they did for my children .

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=in+ear+grommets&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr

Glenn Uhler · From: Trenton, New Jersey, USA

When your ears clear up, do they "pop" too? If so, your Eustachian tubes (like Steve said), running from your inner ear to your nose, are clogged up. Ask the ENT for some saline nose drops. Have him show you how to tilt your head back and to the side when you take the drops. If the tilt is just right, you will feel the drops running across the Eustacian tube opening and may get instant relief. If not, be patient and repeat until your ears clear up.
_________________
1974 Marlen S-12 1968 Tele 1969 Martin D-35H

Rick Barnhart · From: Arizona, USA

In a small squeeze bottle (the kind you can slowly squeeze one drop at a time) mix 1 part rubbing alcohol, 1 part white vinegar. Lay on one side and put in a few drops in the affected ear. The alcohol will dry up the excess moisture, and the vinegar will neutralize the ph balance and make your ear canal a less friendly place for bugs to grow. I know it sounds odd, but I used it for years, it works. Ear pain sucks!!! Hope you feel better, chris
_________________
Clinesmith consoles D-8/6 5 pedal, D-8 3 pedal & A25 Frypan, Pettingill Teardrop, & P8 Deluxe.

Ray McCarthy · From: New Hampshire, USA

I have what seems to be an unusual problem--my left ear distorts loud sounds. I first noticed it while listening to a live band. I kept insisting to my wife that bass speaker was broken--that's exactly what it sounded like.
Long story short; the e.n.t. doc told me I have a chronic sinus condition. Then other, more important medical stuff came up and I never followed up with the e.n.t.'s recomdations-I.E. a steroid nose spray and a sinus flush system.
Think any of the above solutions would work for me?
Ray

Andrew Roblin · From: Various places

Chris...

Man, that's rough! It's got to be frustrating. I'm sorry, buddy.

Are you working with an allergist? I'm guessing that if your allergies were well controlled, you wouldn't get blocked-up ear.

I have allergies and asthma, well-controlled most of the time. When not controlled, it has a terrible effect on my hearing, singing and mood.

Take good care of yourself, Chris.

Andrew Roblin
Internatonal Sho-Bud Brother & Sisterhood
Member #79, Janitor

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

thanks stephen and rick and everyone for the ideas. i'm working on some of these.
kinda got a crappy attitude at the moment though. i feel sorry for my angel of a girlfriend who puts up with this. it's a good thing i'm as good looking as i am!!

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

oh yeah....i've always been a 'horker' so i'm trying to avoid that now!

Walter Killam · From: Nebraska, USA

I used to have terrible problems with allergies, Nasal Irrigation changed my life. I rarely get sick anymore, and an added bonus is less back trouble (I would sneeze or cough and throw my back out).

Walgreens sells a unit for ~80 bucks, it's worth every penny. You can mix your own Saline Solution, or purchase packets (don't try straight water it's painful!)

I recently started using distilled water with the packets warmed up a bit in the microwave, but used tap water for years.

You would be amazed at how much gunk is up your nose, it can be pretty gross, but I think I'm better off flushing it down the sink than keeping it in my head!
_________________
Mostly junque with a few knick-knacks that I really can't do without!

Bud Angelotti · From: Larryville, NJ, USA

Get local honey, not the processed kind.
The stuff from a farm stand thats fairly local.
_________________
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

bud..yeah i've heard that before. i've been keeping my eyes open for some but haven't found a source yet.
would you just like use it in tea sort of, or do you need larger doses. i know the local bee pollen has something to do with helping with allergies.

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Chris-
The Bee Store in Sac that has raw honey- try the raspberry, it's really good.

http://www.sacramentobeekeeping.com/honeyprices.php

We have local honey, from Tammy's Dads place out near Lincoln if the Bee Store doesn't have what you want.

Jay

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

thanks jay..i'd never heard of that place. i figured the natural food co-op would be my only option.

so, you could have made me well a year ago but you decided to keep it a secret???
(hope no one smears honey on your mando strings)

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

TURMERIC !!!
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com

Bill Ladd · From: Wilmington, NC, USA

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Curcumin (Tumeric) is available in capsules, in case you don't want to eat massive amounts of India curry.

http://www.physiciannaturals.com/-67/super-curcumin-1000-w-bioperine-1000mg-100-caplets-129.html?gclid=COumo7yHirkCFZA-MgodSVgAiA#supplement_facts

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I think too much headphones can be a culprit. I use them so that I can listen at lower levels, but it 's still pretty "unnatural". Shooting guns? Pneumatic air tools? But I have a few allergies that can lay me out if I don't treat 'em with respect, in years when the springtime yellow tree pollen is roaring, I can get all the way to swollen glands, those painful closed Eustachian tubes, nausea, swollen joints, evil thoughts.... A doctor told me that your body responds to "poison" fairly consistently, whether it's lead poisoning, alcohol, arsenic or - just pollen that happens to kick your specific immune system into war. Swelling, flu-iness, eventually your hair starts falling out and your teeth loosen up.

Beside the obvious "avoid the pollen" - keep the inside of your car clean (yes wipe down the seats and vacuum), if you're outside for a spell dosing up on pollen change your shirt for a clean one, all that. The best (& only) thing I found for real relief is benadryl. Yes it makes you drowsy, no you can't have a beer too, but in the pits of pollen hell I take 3 or 4 a day as a preventative. Don't wait till you're already all pollened up.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

thanks everyone for the tips. i've found 'the bee store' in sac for honey and bee pollen, and will be pursuing the turmeric per bill(thanx bill for all the advice) and ricky when i get to the natural food store.

i'm finding this stuff is quite reasonable in affordability.....especially compared to the well over $6000+/mo they charge my insurance for chemo.

workin' the nasal rinse more also as i had a squirt bottle designed for that from back in the throat cancer days. wheeee ..it's fun to get old!

the ironic part is that, at 65, i feel pretty damn good otherwise.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Chris,
I found an online source for the curcumin/tumeric. Curcumin is the active ingredient in tumeric. The price is good, and there's free shipping in the US. I don't know how much of the raw spice you'd have to ingest to get the right dosage, so the tailored capsules seem like an easier deal to me.

http://www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/super-bio-curcumin-400mg-LE60-p-arthritis-pain-relief.html

Forum Index > Steel Players		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic