Strong ear cracking/popping already for 5 months/any advice

Ears, nose and throat
1

Hi, my problems started with ear infection in august last year, which caused then one side subjective tinnitus, had cope with dealing with tinnitus and just got stronger after stress, somehow got used of it with some masking in the night, but then other problems started.

One month later my other starter to popping/cracking and after a while cracking got more frequent and stronger and in the both ears.

I live in Central Europe, went to to more than 6 different ear doctors all gave me different opinion, but no real diagnosis that the cause ear, ending with diagnonis tinnitus. it could be Eustachian tube dysfunction, open tube or TMJ, however last specialist rejected the possibility of PET as the membrane is moving, i went to dentist specialized in joint issues also coudnt confirm TMJ and said, that cracking sounds are not coming from jaw but Ear, Suggested me to wear mouth guard though even though i have no pain in jaw, however the cracking sounds are sometimes so hard that are causing pain in the ears. I tried different medicine , from steroid sprey, muscle relaxants, salin solution (one doctor said it might come from nose) etc, the only things that temporary helps me is deep breathing exercise.

I found a specialist in Germany, which a lot of experience with ETD and PET as my next try.

If any of you have similar symptoms and could give me any kind of advice with treatment i would be thankful.

 

2

Hi Otto, 

I am sorry to hear about your situation. I am glad you were able to visit so many ENTs in a short amount of time. I live in Berlin and  it was hard for me to get an ENT appointment on time.I had similar situation 4 months ago. It took me almost two months to diagnose that I had ETD. I always had sinus issues. But it turned into ETD with Tinnitus 4 months ago. I believe cold weather is one of the problems. I visited a sunny country couple of weeks ago and I felt alot better. My ears were not blocked anymore. Though, tinnitus persisted. Just like you, I have tried steroids, decongestants, Ambroxol etc.. I am guessing only time and warm weather can cure me at the moment. I would suggest you to continue breathing exercises.  Also, green tea with a bit of turmeric, ginger and honey has helped me (this was suggested on this forum). I still have tinnitus. I am hoping it will go away in a couple of months. fingers crossed!

good luck, 

Abhi

 

3

Thanks a lot for the advises, Abhi. And good luck to you as well.

4

Sorry to hear about your troubles with your ears. There could be several reasons behind your problems and I first did the same thing you did: I went from doctor to doctor and from one specialist to another without any answers. In the end I had to figure it out for myself. Start by listening to your body and try listening to the smallest details: what causes the symptoms to flare up, what part of the day is best and worst (morning, afternoon, evenings, at night?), is there something that makes is better and does anything particular effect it in a good or bad way (such as weather, seasons, foods you eat etc). It's also important to pay attention to any other symptoms you might have that may appear -on the surface -to be unrelated: such as mucus, sore muscles, toothache, reflux etc. Any of these could help you investigate the cause. Once you figure out the cause behind the ear problems, you'll be able to make lifestyle changes or treat it with medication. 

For me it ended up being the FOOD and liquids what I eat and how much i eat and what and how much I drank. Today I am 90% better, but it took me about 3 years to figure out things. 

You pretty much have to become a detective like Kojak and feel free to share your details on here and the community will try to help you with the diagnosis. 

One more tip: don't read about it too much on the internet, you're gonna go nuts

5

I also have been dealing with the popping and cracking noises and the tinnitus in my right ear only. I also had moderate to severe jaw pain, but the main source was coming from the eustachian tube and I don't grind my teeth at night.  Went to ENT and they did a test to see if there was fluid in the inner ear.  Came back negative and no issues with hearing.  Another contributor on this list suggested a course of Prednisone, but I couldn't get my ENT to go along with that.  They suggested that I use Flonase decongestant which I have been using.  

I think mine is a viral infection of the inner ear, as I was already on an antibiotic before the symptoms for another issue.  Antibiotics wouldn't work on a viral infection so I was left with the Flonase spray decongestant treatment as my only recourse now.  

I have gotten better - the cracking sound is minimal now and the tinnitus and the jaw pain have subsided.  Maybe it will run its course in a couple of months.  Mine has been 3 months since onset. Tinnitus is an ongoing thing I deal with, but it got way worse with this infection and now is better.  

Have hope, try the flonase spray - mild treatment with no side effects and it might help, and if that doesn't help after a couple of weeks maybe you could suggest a Prednisone treatment to your ENT doc.

Good luck!

6

I am not in the medical field. After a middle ear infection with fluid, my eustachian tube was stuck closed for three months. It finally started moving and then it stuck in the popped position. I've been to several Dr's and have done a lot of research. No luck.

First, you must be healthy, drop any bad habits like alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. If you do not have a clear sinus passage, resolve that. But if you can breathe well through you nose consider stopping all medication and nasal spray. Wait til you have free time. Drink enough water til you have to pee several times an hour. Make sure you're environment is not dry. Sit in a hot bath or shower with steam... 

If you've changed anything in your lifestyle before or after the ear infection, investigate that. Look at places you spend most of your time and see if there's any irritants. We often forget that we spend 8 hours in contact with our bed. 

If you hold your nose and blow and your ears pop, and hold your nose and swallow and ear drums feels suction then you don't have a major Eustachian tube issue. If your Eustachian was stuck open, most likely your voice would sound funny to you. There is a difference between it being stuck open and being stuck in a "popped" position.

If you're comfortable with it, and at your own risk try a neti-pot. Follow the instructions, buy distilled water from the store, watch a video first. I wouldn't do it any more than one time in a day, and maybe every couple days at most. Sterilize it well and let it air dry away from contaminants. 

My doctor suggested I take over the counter meds, pseudoephedrine hydrochrloride and triamcinolone acetonide for about 5 days. I wouldn't take the pseudoephed before bed.

Don't get too excited when you start to have success, It'll be that much more frustrating if the problem comes back. Healing process of the ear is a long cycle.

I've had the best luck when I live as healthy as possible, accept that I am stuck with my condition for now, leave the meds alone(if they don't make a difference), stay very hydrated, and focus my attention elsewhere... TV, books, hobbies, etc.

 

7

Sound advice, thanks

8

Thanks Laszlo for the tips, I am also trying to be detective and figure it out, what is triggering the symptoms as they vary a lot during the day, from hard cracking/popping to light one or even few hours breaks without any. What i figured out that alcohol is causing more problems and weather or warm temperature or a lot of moving could also have impact..Part of the day vary a lot, also laying position has no impact.

9

Thanks, i will check that spray, I have tried Prednisone for tinnitus and made it just worse. I also think i could still have infection in the ear, initially at the beginning i got antibiotics  for ear infections but next doctor asked me to stop taking them.

10

Thanks Steve for tips , i realized that is not good to get to excited with some success and then comes back again

I believe that changing life still can have impact, for example doing yoga helps me as well. When cracking symptoms occur i try to hold nose and blow which causes strong popping sound at both ear at same time, or first one then second ear. When hold and swallow also pops, seems like ear blows from my ear.

11

With my condition, i find that i get in panic mode easy. There's a fear that my ear will fill with fluid again and in may rupture... BTW, from what I understand the main function of prednisone is to prevent fluid from building in your ear and eventually dry it up. It did work in my case, but after taking it and an antibiotics for 10 days, it took another 2 weeks to recover from side effects.

I have a feeling that a lot of us get in a habit of constantly moving our jaw or trying to pop our ears just to see if they are functioning. My gut tells me this is only irritating the problem. Try to make it a goal not to do this. Get them to where they are somewhat tolerable and leave it alone. If anything try not to hold your nose and blow as often as you'd like. And again, definitely don't pop your ears if you feel dried out.

12

would you please tell me know if your tubes were completely blocked during all this time? did you manage to pop your ears and relieve the pressure? thank you. greatful for any info you could share

13

First of all please do research before trying anything that I have tried. I would never want to be the cause of anyone's suffering.

My right ear was blocked. After months of trying to do everything as natural as possible, limited medication, it started to move. I had one good day of hope. My ear was moving, so I thought I should occasionally pop it to make sure it stayed moving... I popped my ear and it stayed in that position.

Originally I could not pop my ear, but I would get some movement and noise when I moved my jaw. Now my ear will pop and fill with air, but I can't move my jaw to get it to come back and there is no noise. I have to put steady pressure on my outer ear to get the air out. I would rather not be able to pop my ear. The discomfort is much worse now than before. When it first happened I would have went to the ER if I knew they could do anything. Let that be a warning to anyone that cannot get their ear to pop.

Since then I've started trying medication. If I had it to do over, I would have taken the medication before and may have had better luck, but perhaps the same thing would have happened... an ENT Doc did tell me to keep trying to pop my ear.

My general advice: Understand where your Eustachian tubes are and what they look like. The best video I found was of an ET balloon dilation. Live as healthy and natural as possible. Drop all bad habits. If you have congestion issues, stop consuming major dairy products. Stay hydrated, but not too hydrated, consider occasionally adding electrolytes to your water. Pee should be pale to light yellow. Research any vitamin/supplement you may be deficient in. If you have allergies, correct them. Remember, a lot of us spend the most time, 8 hrs in bed. Keep your bedroom and bedding allergy free. If you go on a deep clean rampage, wear a mask. Change the filter in your furnace/AC. Don't turn your heater above 68. Buy a humidifier. Don't dry your ears out, normal ear wax is good. Stop habitually moving your jaw and trying to pop your ears. If it hasn't worked yet, it's going to take time or something else. Focus on the cause of your ETD. What got you there in the first place?  If you do try to exercise your ears, only do it in a steamy environment and notice the position of your posture. Ie: straighten your back and neck. If you have been taking medication and it hasn't helped, consider it could be contributing to the problem. Lastly, believe that you will get better with time.

Advice for a person who wants to try medication. Again, research medication before committing and note this is not a quick fix. This could be a week to 3 week process. If you want to try Flonase instead of Nasacort, let me know how it works. It could take up to 3-5 days for the nasal spray to start taking effect. When you start your day, take some Sudafed with your breakfast. Wait til you notice it kick in, about a half hour. It makes me cold when it sets in. Take one dose of Nasacort, wait about 15 mins and get in the shower and breathe some steam through your nose. You can take the Sudafed every 4-6 hours, but the Nasacort every 12 hours. I try to have the Sudafed out of my system before I go to sleep. I have attempted to replace the Sudafed with 12 hour Claritin D. Not sure what I think, I'm not thrilled with it. May have been more effective before my ear stuck in this position.

If you click on my user name, you will see my other posts. I should wait until I'm completely healed before I post anything. It seems my strategy and condition is always changing. 

Can you pop either ear, and what happens when you hold your nose and swallow? 

 

14

Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer. Very sound advice indeed. i think i am now in the trying everything natural zone. and the only one and only ent i have seen did tell me to stop trying to pop my years and let them be as they might recover in time. thing is he also found a moderate low-tones hearing loss. would have never thought that can actually be caused by a mild flu, to be honest

I am not trying to pop my ears (both blocked) lately and just pray they would recover soon. my diet is pretty natural for a few years now, and dairy is minimal (no cheese, milk) but a little butter and soured cream. never had alergies or sinus problems before. and yeah, losing my mind with this issue. 

nothing happens to my ears when i hold my nose and swallow and when i did the valsalva maneuver a while ago just heard some squicky sounds (like mucus moving towards the exterior), more diziness and then my ears went back to their usual block state. 

i have read online that having them open all the time it feels worse and see you say the same.

Don't know what to do except wait for now. i even paid for an MRI scan in a private clinic to rule out any other issues , as i also feel a very stiff neck and wierd feeling at the back of my head above the neck...but that might be the anxiety i am feeling since all this started. i am due to have the mri soon.

It just puzzles me that doctors don't really have a straight cure....just trying meds for months until it becomes chronic.

I really hope you get better and wish that to all of you with this issue.

After reading a few threads regarding this issue..maybe i might be a bit happy as i haven't got tinitus or vertigo (yet), which seem to appear with this issue.

i am planning to do some more research also. I amalso reluctant to medication but if I knew it will help would try anything I guess. Has your hearing been afected in any way?

Thank you so much Steve for sharing your experience. It surely helped. 

15

Very minimal hearing issues and dizziness. They also questioned my hearing, but I believe it took me a second to get in the rhythm of reacting as soon as I heard the tone. They told me to come back in 6 months. I'm not going to worry about it until I say "huh" and "what" a lot. Return visits mean more money for them, and if they can sell some hearing aids, even more. I think your hearing is going to improve when your ears clear.

I cant remember all the details that I provided you, but my ear stuck in the popped position only about 11 days ago. I called the Docs office for advice and by the time he got back to me, some people must have lost some details. His nurse told be to keep taking the steroid and trying to pop my ear... Its popped Lady, thanks for the help.

I know I said I felt better without meds... BUT, out of pure misery, I gave in and tried to give the meds a serious attempt. Before, I had only tried the steroid for 4 days and didn't notice a change so I stopped it in fear that I may dry our my sinuses. 

For the first 6 days I took sudafed before and after work and 24 hour Nasacort, 2 pumps with the afternoon dose of Sudafed, 15 mins after the Nasacort I get in the shower and breath steam. Yesterday, I switched to 12 hour Claritin D and switched to taking one dose of Nasacort with it. There has been an improvement since the ear stuck open. The first try with Claritin D was rough. I woke with strange pressure issues in mid night. I panicked a bit, but was able to fall back to sleep. When I woke I felt ok. The side effects calm down once you get used to it. Wouldn't make the first attempt on a work day. Sleep is not the best, but if it means an improved ear I'm ok with it. This upcoming weekend will be 2 weeks, I'm going to continue for 3. I chose the combo of the 2 drugs based on research, and bounced some ideas off my Step-Father who is a retired pulmonologist. If you do try the Nasacort, 2 doses at a time, take one dose, wait 15 mins, breath some steam and then take the second dose. So far, no instant relief, but I see improvement. I believe it to be a 1-3 week process.

Again, as far as flying goes, I'm not going to risk it. I'm on vacation next week and have cancelled plans to spend time with family In Florida.

I think time is the cure and maybe some doctors that treat patients instead of symptoms.

I'm glad to help. Let me know if you have any luck. Stay positive.

 

16

Thank you for sharing with us. I really really hope the treatment works for you. will give some hope to the rest of us. I mostly felt pressure, dizziness, stuffed head/ears feelings which seem to diminish with time. i am so afraid of side effects from medicine. my gp prescribed  generic Mometasone furoate (Nasonex) which i've been taking for 1 week 2 days but stopped 2 days ago. have lost the sense of taste and smell and only discovered now that it is a really nasty side effect and that some people didn't got their senses back after stopping it. So, now i have to worry about this too. i had the impression initially that this was caused by the stuffed ears. ..Quite p****d off now and very cautious of trying any other treatment.

my ears are still blocked, both, but pressure/fullness and hearing seems to improve. taking some ibuprofen once a day only. thing is, my friend from overseas (i'm in uk) asked 2 ent specialist from europe about my simptoms and they both said it won't be a problem with flying (given that i have no fluid behind ears) and that i shouldn't read forums reg. this issue anymore. Don't know why I can't belive them and won't risk any more damage, as you said yourself. 

feels funny as my ears felt fine for two days but last night my nose got bit stuffed and the fullness/pressure/muffled hearing was present this morning again.

Also i don't have any diagnosis from the private ENT specialist i saw last time, just got the invoice but no information. at this point, i am just waiting to see what happens as time goes by.

Appreciate your last words "stay positive". Iam slowly begining to accept the facts i guess.

Let me know how it goes with your treatment. hopefully, it will work out for you.

 

17

I guess  it is possible to get much more advises from people with similar problem on internet than from the doctors. i went yesterday to award winning  ear doctor in Austria, who just told me that after asking about ear cracking/popping problem he also has ear cracking after swallowing and there is nothing here to do, amazing. 

Good luck to everyone with this issues.

18

Hey, how is it going with the treatment?do you feel any improvement? started taking sudafed pseudoefedrinne 30 3 days ago just 1 pill /day and can't feel any improvement yet(ears still blocked). i'm also dizzy and lghtheaded since yesterday and have no idea if it's sudafed or not. did you have any side effect from sudafed? please let us know how it's going with the treatment.

i decided to book another private consultation with ENTto do a tympanometry and nasoendoscopy. 

19

Back to square one, starting the process over. I stopped with all the meds after my ear opened and my sinuses started getting too dry. I had a good few days leading up to St. Pats and my birthday so I went out to celebrate. I didn't hit it too hard but perhaps it was enough to set me back.

Sudafed didn't make me dizzy. 

 

20

Has anyone heard of “Eustachi”? I confess my ears have only been blocked 3 days. The blockage is due to a week long cold/sinus infection. I’ve been taking Sudafed regularly with cold/flu medication and ibuprofen  to relieve some of the pressure and to manage ear aches. Anyways, i just ordered Eustachi and should be receiving it tomorrow. People with tinnitus/vertigo/any kind of ear blockage due to flying and colds have been raving about it. It was recommended to me and i hope it will fix aid with the blockage. Will update after I use it but here is the link: 

Best of luck! 

Moderator comment: I have removed the link(s) directing to site(s) unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.