ETD with post nasal drip back and TMJ and deviated septum

Ears, nose and throat
1

I've been diagnosed with ETD for about 3 years. There has been no single diagnosis for my ETD just oh it will clear up on its own from ENT and my doctors and my dentist has told me it won't go away because I have TMJ. 

Went I my doctors couple months ago because I had the feeling of lump in my throat and immense pain radiating from my ear to my throat then down to my chest. My doctor prescribed me omeprazol and said I was getting post nasal drop back because I have a deviated septum so that's why my ET is always blocked. Oh and it's also causing silent reflux like wtf how many things is this ETD causing. 

I am absolutely helpless right now constantly in pain I feel like GPs aren't bothered about such a condition not to mention that my tinnitus is ridiculous they don't seem to care its a case of it will get better. 

Is anyone experiencing the same thing. Is there any advice. I need help. Going to see GP in the morning. I'm demanding that this be take. Seriously. 

2

Very, very sorry to read this, obviously you're at the end of your tether with it  and who could blame you?

Please don't take this the wrong way: you're using the terms 'ETD, TMJ'.  What do these abbreviations stand for?  It’s just that others suffering the same symptoms might not understand

3

Hi Paul, 

Not taken the wrong way at all. I understand.

 ETD- eustanchian tube dysfunction 

TMJ- tempormandibular joint disorder ( which is a jaw condition ) 

Hope that's helps. 

4

Hi chanel30681, 

I know what you're going through. I am 43, male, living in Southampton and I have had ETD for several years. It is slowly getting worse and I am going insane. Sounds are becomming more and more uncomfortble and now I walk around at work with headphones on and everyone thinks Im an anti social freak. On top of that the loss of sense-of-well-being and GP's only ever wanting to prescribe antibiotics. Crazy ;( Steve

5

Hi Steve

Really sorry to hear about your problem. I recently just pushed my gp to give me another ent appt because I had had enough. 

The new ent has now referred me to have an MRI on my ear to see exactly what is going on. However he's said that upon inspection of the ear it looks completely healthy and has explained to me that it's the TMJ disorder of the jaw that's causing all my ear problems. 

My only option now is to consider surgery on my jaw which includes facial reconstruction. It's quite scary so I am weighing up my options right now. I definetly do not want it to hers worse. 

6

Chanel, thanks for getting back with the info. I was curious because as a fellow 'ear' sufferer I'm doing all I can to learn from others because sadly the medical profession can't.

It's nice to know there's others out there that are happy to share their experiences.

7

I found your thread whilst trawling the net in the early hours after being woken up by this damn tinnitus. i can't believe I have almost the same issues. I have suffered with ETD on and off for many years, never as bad as this current episode though. I had a septoplasty on left nostril years ago and complained of ETD on that side although didn't realise they were related. I dont have any issues with the left side nowadays.

I still suffer with blocked hearing regularly when I have a head cold, and during a particularly bad one a couple of years ago I sat over a bowl of steaming water with olbas oil, Sinex and whatever else I could get my hands on trying to clear my head buy trying to pop my ears.  This is the point where my current problem with ETD started. I feel as though I may have forced a blockage into the tube myself.

A few months later I was having the lump in the throat problem, I had suffered heartburn for 20 odd years after taking Diclofenac sodium long term for a herniated disc (long since sorted sucessfully). I went to ENT, where I had numerous cameras etc, and eventually was informed it was reflux with the standard prescription of 20mg Omperazole and Gaviscon. I mentioned that my hearing was dulled after lying down overnight and gven a hearing test, which was pretty pointless as I had cleared my hearing many hours before by popping my ears and trying to suck out the eardrum with my finger whilst equlising the pressure. I also mentioned about the tinnitus, not realising it was related. the specialist said unsuprisingly there was nothing wrong with my hearing, and there was nothing they could do for tinnitus. Accepting this I was signed off and the lump in the throat feeling although not fixed is somewhat kept in check. 

Two years have now past, I still have to physically clear my hearing every morning, I am constantly suffering the tinnitus, it's waking me up almost every night, it's driving me mad, and it's the worst feeling to know I probably caused it myself trying to sort myself out during the head cold. 

I know there's something stuck between my eardrum and Eustation tube but i dont know if a grommit will sort it out. I can feel a fullness in my inner ear all the time and I fear that if I go back to ENT for a grommit they might not suck whatever it is out and I will be left unable to clear my hearing myself in the mornings by creating a positve  pressure in the middle ear like I currently do at the moment.

I have read on various forums that a grommit insertion may not help the tinnitus problem at all so I'm just living with it at the moment.

And just to add the final similarity to our symptoms, I've always had a problem with my jaw clicking when I'm chewing something and everytime i open my mouth. It's never been painful though, so never bothered to get it checked out. I don't think its related in my case and I wont be mentioning it to the GP should I go, but to be honest, he's only got to look at me square on and he will see my jaw is lob sided. In any case I've managed 45 years with it, I  think I'll live with that one, lol.

I hope you get sorted, that tinnitus is just the worst thing about the condition. I've yet to decide whether to bother the GP with it. After all that I've read I feel as though I'm wasting my time, I just hoping it doesnt get any worse.

8

Hi everyone, hold on, it's the most unplesant thing that you are suffering of. I know what you feel, exactly trust me,soon i will try one way to treat all of it and then disscuss it here. hope for the best and don't let the doctors bring you down.

9

What to do you plan to do?

10

hello. I'm sorry to hear your report. I do know I also have a post nasal drip and today my etd has come back. I have had ETD all of last summer but it cleared up in November and I have been clear until this week. Try yoga breathing exercises and taking garlic and plantago herb to help a bit.

11

Thanks for posting. Similar issues. Irritated. After what feels like 1000 hours of research because the ENT only wants to give medicine. And I don't do that. I wrote my issues in my profile, maybe you can relate and find an answer. Glad to hear the septoplasty went well. I am looking forward to it.

12

I have most of what you have and have had it for over 5 years. You are right, ENT's don't have a clue & appear NOT to be assertive in addressing these issues. I have now been diagnosed with moderate anxiety & believe it is directly related to these issue. I am just turning 65 on the 25th of June. The older you are, the less they do for you.   

 

13

I have reason to believe self pity can be a culprit. Check your muscle memories, what have we been clinging to. Perhaps superseded memory

14

*suppressed

15

I've never heard of  ETD- eustanchian tube dysfunction until reading this, but have had similar symtons for almost 2 years.

My GP referred me to an ENT consultant where I had a CT and MRI scan on my head. Nothing showed up unusual, so the ENT consultant discharged me with yet more nasal drops and sprays. I've been on Flixonase steroid capsules and various prescribed sprays, Yes, they "may" clear the problem for a few hours or a day, but the next day the symptons reappear.

I wake up in the morning with a blocked nose, but worst of all I cough up and spit out lots and lots of saliva. I do this thoughout the day, but it's worse in the morning. With this my tinnitus is getting worse.

After reading this I may go back to my GP and insist on being referred to a different ENT consultant to discuss ETD as I don't belive the last ENT person I saw took these symptons seriously and just told me to drink more water to thin out the musus. !!

Does this sound like a ETD condition to you  ?

 

16

Hi there all am sitting here with my iPad  just can't do a thing  excess saliva ears ringing and I've been diagnosed with tmd...the drs here are usless I was diagnosed in Spain  with overgrown turbinate  I used to wake up 6 am burning in mouth and blocked nose took me over 3hours of blowing vomiting to get mucus out, went to  ent grays inn road they wouldn't view the scan I had in Spain  and of course as the nasal turbinates fluctuate when they did the scan they couldn't see the problem, I was so distress I wrote a letter of complaint. Next appointme

17

They also told me to thin out the mucus aswell but mine is heavily related to a deviated septum and jaw misalignment. Yes definelty push for an ENT that will take your symptoms seriously. It can be frustrating.

18

I know this is old but I'm dealing with this too I keep going to the doctor and my doctor thinks I'm a hypochondriac. It's driven me nuts and I have really bad anxiety from it I'm in a lot of pain. I started vomiting every morning NO I'm not prego lol but

19

I think it has something to do with my postal nasal drip I just realized I have this and I have acid reflux sometimes and I have tinnitus in my right ear I've had it for 2 months it won't go away I have it all threw out the day I try to let it not bother me but it's starting to drive me crazy. My jaw pops when I yawn so I try to not open my mouth when I yawn but it's really hard my throat is sore 2x out the week and I have the feeling of something in my throat somedays. It's really messing with my sleep I sleep 4hrs a day it's been like that for the past month I'm exhausted I cry all the time my family is tired of hearing it my sister has tmj but somehow she cured hers by sleeping on her back and doing the jaw exercises she had tinnitus too and it's gone. But I think mines is more severe I do hot compress on my neck when it gets real bad that helps some. I sleep on my side and I heard that's horrible for tmj. Today I just got that clicking sound in my throat I think it's from me clearing my throat to much. Does anybody have suggestions to make it better? I'm going to a tmj class in a week hopefully I get some help I pray my tmj didn't do permanent damage. This all started from me clenching my teeth smh

20

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum. I know that this discussion is over 3 years old, but I have all of these symptoms. It didn't have a serious impact on my life until the Tinnitus started 7 months ago. I initially thought it was from barotrauma, but I have come to realize there is alot more contributing to my symptoms.

My Tinnitus sound changes and fluctuates constantly which is not typical to the kind related to just hearing loss. This is what made me start researching other causes.

I have a severe deviated septum on my left side, ETD, and TMJ. My jaw has been misaligned for years. And I grind my teeth at night. Everything is on the left side. But in the last couple months I've started to develop Tinnitus on my right ear as well. My ear and nose is always clogged, and I get some temporary relief when I clear my nose and ears in the morning.

I just want some advice on how to approach treatment for my symptoms, because my GP already thinks I'm an anxious mess. The ENT offered no help. Only that I had to live with it. I refuse to accept that this condition can't be helped. Please any advice would be appreciated.