r/etd

I was having a really bad bout of anxiety as a teenager and randomly my right ear started getting a slight clogged feeling and accompanying mild tinnitus. Just that ear. I’ve now had this issue for like 12 years and it has not gotten worse but it’s also never gone away. My ear doesn’t always feel clogged and my tinnitus is so quiet that sometimes it’s barely noticeable or I can easily ignore it, but it’s a mystery to me that this happened because other than anxiety I had done nothing that I feel like would cause this. When it first happened I used ear drops to try to see if it was wax that was causing it but it didn’t seem to do anything. No matter what it never seems to completely disappear though for good. Is it possible for anxiety to make this happen? It’s baffled and annoyed me for years. My other ear is completely fine.

Hi all!
I’ve always had problems with flying as my ears of course react to the pressure. My problem being, I cannot physically unblock my ears.
I have tried every manoeuvre & every remedy, yet NOTHING seems to work, EVER.
Usually after a few days of flying I give it time and it returns to normal, however after flying 2 whole years ago this unfortunately never happened and I have had pressure in my ears ever since.
ENT specialist recommended ET balloon dilation.
Can anyone share thoughts or feedback on this?
The procedure is new to Australia and I have been referred to a different specialist who specialises in this guy procedure. I am desperate & sick of the pressure.
Thanks in advance

Has anyone dealt with this before or have any idea what this could be?
For quite a while now I’ve had constant fullness in my right ear. Every time I swallow I get a little click/pop. If I intentionally pop my ear (like equalizing the pressure), the fullness goes away for a few seconds and I can swallow without any pop at all. But then within a few seconds it feels like it “closes” back up or whatever it’s doing, and the fullness comes right back. Then every swallow has that little click/pop again.
I saw an ENT. They did a hearing test and said my hearing is normal. They also did the pressure test (tympanogram), and that came back normal too. They said they didn’t see anything wrong with my ear.
The ENT thought it could be inflammation, but even after getting my inflammation markers way down (from around 28 to about 5), the ear fullness never changed. He also prescribed muscle relaxers in case it was from muscle tension or TMJ, but those didn’t help either.

What do I make of this? It’s been this way for months now. I hate this full feeling in my right ear… I’m guessing this is just something I’m gonna have to live with… does anybody have any methods on how to fix this?

Last week I was diagnosed with pet and I'm trying to understand what exactly happened. 2 years ago I was diagnosed with mold toxicity and got really sick. I left my apartment for a while and moved North I didn't realize that being a relatively higher altitude but not by much could cause issues.. at the same time I was dealing with mineral deficiencies and absorption issues ETC.. I started to get a lot of pressure and I wasn't able to pop my ear.. eventually it popped and then it was okay . After the winter started to get worse again and when I came back home it just progressively started getting worse.

For the past few months I've been dealing with extreme pressure in my left ear and in my left eye to the point of vision issues dizziness sinus issues swelling. I can't even see straight because of all of the lack of drainage. I'm unable to take medication or you sprays because of severe reactions. My ENT referred me to neuro autology. I didn't even know that existed. She said that I have very wide open eustachian tubes and that's pretty much causing a lot of my issues. I also have severe TMJ and occipital issues. I've been doing all the therapies and everything else. I do still have absorption issues and deficiencies because of all of the mold consequences.

I have an appointment with the specialist at the end of the month and she said that perhaps he could do the cigarette paper method or another non-invasive procedure that could alleviate some of the pressure in my ear and allow things to flow better.

Can anyone give me any insight or what to expect? I just want to feel better.

My ear is blocked 1month back, but it got opened now that mucus is sticking around and its not going away , i feel like its a sticky mucus if i open mouth it will stick , do anyone faced this issue ? How did u cleared it ... pls say its driving me insane

Hi everyone. I am deep in medical debt, desperate for answers, and hoping someone who went through something similar can help.

My Timeline:
18 months ago: Took an antidepressant that completely dried out my nose, mouth, and ears. 2 weeks in, my ears became painful and plugged (worse on the right). Mild vertigo started. I did stop the med after 30 days but symptoms remained ever since.

6 weeks ago: Had a very minor cold/stuffy nose. Woke up with constant whooshing tinnitus in my right ear, a sharp increase in vertigo, and severe pain/fullness. It hasn't stopped since.

My Test Results So Far:
Sinus CT, Brain MRI, MRV, and CTA: All completely clear.
Tympanometry: Normal (ENT claims this rules out Patulous ETD).
Physical Exam: ENT sees no fluid (claims this rules out obstructive ETD).
Caloric Test: Showed a 32% weakness on my right side. This is my only measurable clue.
My current ENT seems clueless about advanced testing. I know things like Dynamic ETD exist, but my doctor isn’t looking into it.

My Questions for the Community:
Have any of you had clear first-line ENT tests, but finally got a diagnosis through advanced testing?
Could a 32% caloric weakness point to something like Ménière’s Disease / Hydrops or Superior Canal Dehiscence (SCDS)?
What specific tests should I demand next? (e.g., VEMP, ECOG, Tubomanometry, or a High-Res Temporal Bone CT?)
I really need to figure out what specialized tests or doctors to look for next. Thank you so much for any insights.

I scheduled a short flight (1.5h) for a vacation, and it is in 2 days. This will be the second flight of my life.

Today I randomly remembered I took my first flight 25 years ago and that afterward I had clicking in my ears whenever I swallowed, and this has persisted for over 25 years. I barely hear it anymore, maybe I have learned to tune it out somewhat? But it's still there. I decided to ask Gemini about it.

Google Gemini gave a bunch of recommendations of medications and devices, then I mentioned it had been 25 years and it said:

Given that you have navigated chronic Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD) for over 30 years and the standard Valsalva maneuver does not work for you, flying unprepared is highly likely to cause severe pain or ear barotrauma. Because the Valsalva maneuver fails, your Eustachian tubes are structurally or chronically locked tight. You must bypass or mechanically force them open using advanced techniques and medical stabilization before your flight in two days.

I tried multiple mechanical techniques like pinching the nose, blowing, and swallowing at the same time. My ears still click. I will not be able to get to an Urgent Care clinic before my flight. I'm not sure if it's worth a huge ER bill when I'm not even sure they can help me. Could it be unsafe for me to take this flight?

After CT scans, MRI’s, audiology tests. All my doctors have concluded it’s either vestibular issues, ETD, TMJ, or all of these above.

I got an ear tube placed at the end of April. Only my left ear for now. After a couple weeks it finally felt normal again but now it feels full again. If i lay on that one ear it seems to subside. This is annoying.

Anyone else?