Contact
If you would like to contact me privately, email me at
azureus
at
harborside
dot
com
Please be advised that my life is hectic these days — three hours’ commute daily does not leave much time for answering emails. Some tips:
I’m far more likely to answer a short email than a long one. Emails requiring any scrolling whatsoever tend to get deleted unread.
I’m far more likely to answer informational questions than outright treatment/diagnostic questions. Those questions are best directed at your doctor.
Please don’t be miffed if I don’t answer you promptly, or not at all. When I started this back in ’98, my life was a whole lot simpler and I had time to answer everyone. Those times are past.
Remember to search this site and The Medical Consumer’s Advocate. Chances are, I’ve already answered your question.
D.
Hi.
I need help dealing with a horrific ear pressure problem.
Over a year ago,I had a cosmetic rhinoplasty
Since then I’ve experienced a horrible sensation of ear pressure. The pressure is of equal intensity in both ears.
I had a corrective rhinoplasty surgery in an attempt to correct the pressure. The supposition behind this surgery was based in that my obstructed nasal passages were promoting Eustachian tube dysfunction.
My air passages were improved, my breathing improved amazingly.
My ears improved a little, but not much. It appears my ear pressure problem was aggravated by my breathing deficiency, but not caused by it.
Now the follow up theory B is that my Eustachian tube function was physically damaged by the rhinoplasty in some way by disturbing something in the naseopharnx area.
Apparently, there are nerves and muscles that are located in the nasopharynx area that control and influence the Eustachian tubes.
What exactly in the nasopharynx could have been nicked, cut, or disturbed so that I would have a feeling of equal pressure in both ears?
(I’m just trying to get differing insights and leads here on a hard to treat indefinitively diagnosable disability. I know you can’t say anything with certainty.)
Also, does anyone here know of any specific clinic that deal in hard to treat Eustachian tube dysfunction, perhaps specifically ETD related to physical trauma of the nose, or problems similar to mine?
I’m willing to travel anywhere in the country, including out to see you.
Right now I am happy with my current dr., but want to keep abreast of my options.
You didn’t mention whether your surgeon is an ENT or plastic/cosmetic surgeon. If he’s a plastic/cosmetic surgeon, then you should have an ENT evaluate yours.
I have a pretty good imagination but I’m having a hard time thinking up a connection between cosmetic rhinoplasty and Eustachian tube dysfunction. Did the rhinoplasty somehow increase your postnasal drainage? If so, the usual treatments (antihistamines, nasal steroid sprays) could be considered. An ENT is the appropriate person to diagnose and treat this problem. I am not aware of any specialty clinics; Eustachian tube dysfunction is a common enough problem that all ENTs are good at diagnosis and treatment.
Again, I really can’t imagine any sort of damage done during a typical cosmetic rhinoplasty that would affect Eustachian tube function. Rhinoplasty does not involve the nasopharynx.
Hope this helps . . .
I was in an car accident and hit my ear/head on the left. Since then I have have horrendous bouts of vertigo that are incapacitating and I’m in bed for about 2 days, vomiting after any movement. It will take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months to feel normal again. I was diagnosed by one doc as having BPPV, but these symptoms don’t really fit with that.
I have abnormal fluid in the inner ear as tests revealed by my ENT. I was on low salt and directics for a month but still have intense pressure in my ears and ringing and clicking that doesn’t stop.
He sent me away and told me to investigate TMD. Couldn’t explain the vertigo or give me any relief from the ears.
I did the fingers in the ear test that I read about. I have big “bumps” that I can feel when I open and close my jaw. First it happens on the left and then as I close further, my right.
This has been going on for almost 3 years now with vertigo happening 4-6 times a year.
This is one instance where it’s worth the bother of finding an otologist. This may or may not be difficult, depending on how close you live to a large city. My recommendation: find the nearest med school, call them, ask if they have an Otolaryngology (ear nose and throat) department. Speak to someone in that department. Tell them you need an otologist. They may have one on staff, and if they don’t, they will know where to find one.
Two things I’m certain of: it’s not TMJ (oh, you may have TMJ, but it will NOT give you vertigo), and it’s not BPPV (BPPV will not give you incapacitating vertigo that lasts for 2 days). You need the best. You need an otologist.
My 8 yr. old son has recently had a 2nd set of tubes fall out following an ear infection. A tympanogram indicates possible fluid in one ear now. When the tubes were in and functioning his balance, speech, grades, peer interaction were greatly improved, but currently he says they hurt. ENT’s do not recognize the relationship between ears, learning, language, etc. Several research articles recognize correlation, but surgeons don’t. Could a dysfunctional eustachian cause these symptoms? Can you suggest an ENT in Maryland?
Also, no allergies or teeth grinding.
Well, I disagree with your assertion that we don’t see the relationship between ears, learning, language, etc. You may have had a few bad apples, but I can assure you that this is part of our training and most all of us are familiar with the data. I’m afraid I don’t know anyone in Maryland . . . nearest person I know is Tim Queen in Newport News, Virginia. He and I trained together.