Any tips on how to deal with ear infections?

[Carl-Richard]

I got influenza again last saturday (fever, sore throat, stuffed nose), and this morning I woke up with tinnitus and somewhat clogged ears. I actually thought my life was over for a second.

Then I took a nap, and afterwards, my ears became even more clogged and somewhat painful, one much more than the other. What is fascinating is the pitch difference between each ear. I literally can't listen to music without it sounding like a deep fried meme video. It's all just a microtonal mess.

I've done some reading and talked to my mom who is a doctor, and it's most likely caused by fluid/mucus in the middle ear, and it seems like there is not much else to do than wait.

I'm just a little bit worried that if it were to get worse, that it might cause some permanent damage. Considering how thick my nasal mucus is, I wonder how the hell that is supposed to get out of there. I've tried plugging my nose and blowing several times, but it doesn't work at all.

Any tips?

[yetineti]

@Carl-Richard if they get bad enough, you can go get them drained.

Otherwise, steamy showers, vitamin C, etc. standard cold stuff.

Edited May 3, 2022 by mw711

[Michael569]

Sometimes grommet has to be used to drain the build-up if it doesn't fix itself. Best to speak to a Otolaryngologists to discuss treatment options.  I wouldn't try to poke it myself or do anything radical to make sure you don't actually cause yourself any harm. 

[Carl-Richard]

30 minutes ago, Michael569 said:

Sometimes grommet has to be used to drain the build-up if it doesn't fix itself. Best to speak to a Otolaryngologists to discuss treatment options.  I wouldn't try to poke it myself or do anything radical to make sure you don't actually cause yourself any harm. 

Yeah I saw pictures of that. Spooky.

I don't know how I'll be able to sleep when my ear is like Thomas the Tank Engine.

[EugeneTheSage]

I have the same issue, I would go to a doctor in the coming days

[Grateful Dead]

14 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

I don't know how I'll be able to sleep when my ear is like Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

let it run when you're trying to fall asleep

[The0Self]

It will likely just need to drain. I would presume a thinning out of the mucous and wax would help facilitate this. Some interventions which would induce that include: more fluids, more protein, more exercise. If the tinnitus is a constant very high pitch single tone (rather than the usual white noise sound of silence), particularly on one side, then even though it could be neurological, it's far more likely a perforation in the eardrum, which very likely will heal over time, possibly after any current infection clears up.

Maybe get your ears cleaned eventually. One time I had this done. I didn't have any serious ear pain but I was a competitive swimmer with fairly frequent mild ear infections/issues, and so it was suspected there might be some issue... The sheer amount of stuff they pulled out of my ear... It was hard to even believe. I didn't even have hearing issues beforehand which was crazy! They pulled out what looked to be grams and grams of material...  and it hurt surprisingly bad when the doc was ripping it out of my ear with tools.

Edited May 4, 2022 by The0Self

[Carl-Richard]

58 minutes ago, The0Self said:

It will likely just need to drain. I would presume a thinning out of the mucous and wax would help facilitate this. Some interventions which would induce that include: more fluids, more protein, more exercise. If the tinnitus is a constant very high pitch single tone (rather than the usual white noise sound of silence), particularly on one side, then even though it could be neurological, it's far more likely a perforation in the eardrum, which very likely will heal over time, possibly after any current infection clears up.

I would like to think there has been a very slight improvement from yesterday, as my fever and sinuses have cleared up a bit. I might workout soon if the pain isn't too bad and try the sauna. I tried to go without NSAIDs today, but it was futile after breakfast.

The pain isn't sitting as much in the ears as in and around the Eustachian tubes and a bit down my neck. The tinnitus is just a very exaggerated version of white noise, and it's in both of my ears now, as they're equally clogged up. Very annoying (that and the hearing loss).

 

1 hour ago, The0Self said:

Maybe get your ears cleaned eventually. One time I had this done. I didn't have any serious ear pain but I was a competitive swimmer with fairly frequent mild ear infections/issues, and so it was suspected there might be some issue... The sheer amount of stuff they pulled out of my ear... It was hard to even believe. I didn't even have hearing issues beforehand which was crazy! They pulled out what looked to be grams and grams of material...  and it hurt surprisingly bad when the doc was ripping it out of my ear with tools.

I've had some mild re-occuring earwax issues over the years and had some cleaning done when I was little, but this is definitely all inside the middle ear. If my ear is just clogged from earwax, it doesn't stop me from popping my ears. I've tried popping it so many times now with no success.

[Carl-Richard]

@acidgoofy Thanks. I tried some rain sounds last night and it worked.

Btw, by Thomas the Tank Engine, I mainly meant the very loud sound of my heartbeat, not the tinnitus, although both are annoying.

[Carl-Richard]

I just noticed that if I'm mouth-breathing while watching something on my computer, I get a slow running sensation in the back of my throat, and I think it's also making my ears better (although I'm not sure).

I think mouth-breathing causes better ventilation of the Eustachian tubes, which might facilitate drainage of mucus. Think about how nose-breathing is almost always done with a closed mouth. With mouth-breathing, the nose is always open (unless clogged), which will allow for additional passive air flow.

[thisintegrated]

Just ask your doctor for a prescription for ear drops.  I did that last year.

Oh and.. never mouth breathe. 

[Leo Gura]

@Carl-Richard Try Allicin, it's a natural antibiotic made from garlic extract. People say it can help with ear infections, and really, any kind of bacterial infections.

[Carl-Richard]

I went to the gym and used the sauna afterwards, and I managed to pop my left ear, which was a pleasant surprise. Now I can hear much better. I hope I can pop my right ear soon, but it's difficult when one ear is already open.

EDIT: Literally just popped my right ear the minute after I wrote this.

[The0Self]

3 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

I went to the gym and used the sauna afterwards, and I managed to pop my left ear, which was a pleasant surprise. Now I can hear much better. I hope I can pop my right ear soon, but it's difficult when one ear is already open.

EDIT: Literally just popped my right ear the minute after I wrote this.

Nice. I've noticed water, protein, and exercise seem to thin out the fluid buildup in the middle/inner ear -- probably helps to fight any infection present too; less viscosity, so the macrophages and whatnot can travel and do their job quicker. Sauna may help too, but I'd stay hydrated.

[Carl-Richard]

2 minutes ago, The0Self said:

Nice. I've noticed water, protein, and exercise seem to thin out the fluid buildup in the middle/inner ear -- probably helps to fight any infection present too; less viscosity, so the macrophages and whatnot can travel and do their job quicker. Sauna may help too, but I'd stay hydrated.

I've got most of those going for me now as the flu is mostly gone. I stopped doing saunas during the COVID years, but now I'm rediscovering its many benefits

[Carl-Richard]

15 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

@Carl-Richard Try Allicin, it's a natural antibiotic made from garlic extract. People say it can help with ear infections, and really, any kind of bacterial infections.

I got prescribed some antibiotics just in case, but I haven't started them yet. I don't think I have to as I believe I'm going to bed without NSAIDs tonight.

[The0Self]

13 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

I got prescribed some antibiotics just in case, but I haven't started them yet. I don't think I have to as I believe I'm going to bed without NSAIDs tonight.

If you do take them, make sure you take the full course. Essentially, halfway through a course is when all the weak bugs have been killed, so the strong ones are the only one's left to adapt and multiply -- at this point it's most crucial to continue the antibiotic, otherwise you're basically giving the bugs a breeding and training ground to potentially become more virulent.

[Carl-Richard]

17 minutes ago, The0Self said:

If you do take them, make sure you take the full course. Essentially, halfway through a course is when all the weak bugs have been killed, so the strong ones are the only one's left to adapt and multiply -- at this point it's most crucial to continue the antibiotic, otherwise you're basically giving the bugs a breeding and training ground to potentially become more virulent.

Alright. I'm also taking some eye drops with antibiotics in them for a small eye infection (I just became asymptomatic, but it says I have to continue for 2 more days), but you're mostly talking about the oral ones, right? My mom said the eye drops could possibly leak into the sinuses and help out in the fight  

[The0Self]

1 hour ago, Carl-Richard said:

Alright. I'm also taking some eye drops with antibiotics in them for a small eye infection (I just became asymptomatic, but it says I have to continue for 2 more days), but you're mostly talking about the oral ones, right? My mom said the eye drops could possibly leak into the sinuses and help out in the fight  

It goes for all routes of administration. Take the drops for the full length of time that it says.

[Epikur]

My ear got clogged too lately. I did use the shower for my ear to wash it out for more than 5 minutes. It was helpful.