Clogged ear, can’t hear (oh dear)

[emer95]

I’m hoping someone can give me some advice. My right ear has been plugged for over a week. It is uncomfortable but not excruciating. I’m now completely deaf in that ear which is irritating. I have no other symptoms. No recent colds, haven’t gone swimming recently, etc. I went to the doctor on Monday and he said it was infected and gave me amoxicillin. It is not even a tiny bit better and I’ve taken 8 doses of the medicine. Usually antibiotics start to work pretty quickly, right?

I’ve done everything under the Sun to unclog it- taken Sudafed, used nasal decongestant, tried yawning, chewing gum, plugged my nose and breathe out, heat, massage, etc. Nothing works.

I have a follow up appointment on September 5th but I’m really hoping it resolves before then. Any advice?

 

[mom2rtk]

A few suggestions here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/what-do-you-do-for-clogged-ears.2354950/#post-60442893

 

[smrice95]

I would go to another doctor and not wait until your next appointment.

 

[focusondisney]

I wouldn’t do anything on your own knowing you have an infection. Antibiotics usually start to help after 48-72 hours. If it has been that long & you have had no change, call your doctor tomorrow & let them know. Are you on a decongestant? That might help to decrease some of the fluid in your ear & make you more comfortable. Unfortunately fluid in the ear sometimes takes a long time to resolve. That’s why little kids who get a lot of ear infections have trouble with speech. If you’re not taking a decongestant or over the counter pain meds, call your doctor & ask about those. Plus let them know you have not noticed a change & ask when you can expect to. A bad infection might take longer to clear up. Or you might need a different antibiotic.

You don’t need another doctor yet. You just need to be in contact with the one you have.

 

[john7994]

With similar circumstances a few months ago - with no preceding illness or cold - it was a severe ear infection. I went to an Urgent care, they had me on antibiotics and it cleared within 24 hours. Obviously, those were my circumstances, but I also was faced with a two week wait for my physician.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

My son was on Flonase and antibiotics without much success for his ear infections last year. It was the addition of Mucinex that finally did the trick and got things to resolve.

 

[tvguy]

My left ear was plugged for nearly a week, seems to be unplugged mostly now. But it was all wax, no infection. I used an over the counter ear wax removal product, but it takes a long time to work.
When I was a kid my Pediatrician would make quick work of it using a tool to pull the wax out. None of my Primary Care Doctors would do that, they always want to use liquid to rinse it out, which takes days to work, or refer me to an ENT.

 

[amcnj]

Just a word of caution, an ear infection can lead to nerve damage and hearing loss. If you think the situation is not improving, check with your doctor, or see someone else. An ENT can be difficult to schedule quickly as a new patient though. Hope it clears soon!

 

[MamaMermaid]

Not to freak you out BUT, this happened to me. I had an ear infection and then permanent hearing loss enough to warrant a hearing aid. FYI - I'm 32. This happened when I was late 20s!!!

Go to a different ENT, get a hearing test, and go from there.

 

[slo]

You could have wax with an ear infection - this has happened to my DD20 more than once. She now goes to the ENT every 6 months (like going to the dentist) to have the ENT suck out wax in both ears before an infection starts.

My suggestion is to call an ENT and explain you are new but are suffering - they hopefully will find a way to fit you in. If that doesn’t happen, discuss with the doctor you already saw about ear wax and ask if you have any. Maybe you have it and they didn’t notice it, even though they should have noticed it.

Good luck - I hope you feel better soon

 

[Micca]

I can't say you have a wax problem (surely the doc diagnosing the infection would've seen it?) For future reference, if you have a CVS with a Minute Clinic they can clean out wax from ears. Book an appointment on-line and you won't even need to wait around for long.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Emer95! Please take care.

 

[DLgal]

My son was on Flonase and antibiotics without much success for his ear infections last year. It was the addition of Mucinex that finally did the trick and got things to resolve.

I was going to suggest this. You need to thin the fluid so it can drain.

Also, buy Sinex Nasal Spray. Has to be this brand. Use it on the nostril on the affected side. 3 sprays. Blow your nose. THEN, boil some water and place a towel over the pot and put your head in there and breathe in the steam with your nose for 20 minutes. Eventually you should feel your ears unclog. It may take a few times doing the steam. A hot shower will NOT work the same way. You need to inhale hot steam over a period of 20 minutes or so. Every once in awhile, pull your head out and look up by pointing your chin up at the ceiling, sort of pushing your lower jaw as far forward as you can.

This happens to me a lot and this is the protocol that finally unclogs my ears every time.

 

[AustinTink]

I have chronic ear issues. I am already deaf in one ear, so when the good ear clogs up it is very scary as I become totally deaf. As others suggested, antihistamines help. Benadryl works best for me in this type of situation.

I have also been given a high-dose steroid on one occasion which unclogged the ears immediately but left me with horrific tinnitus.

Try this video.

It looks 100% nuts but it works.

 

[tazdev3225]

I had this issue a few years ago, I needed to see my PCP at least once a week to get the ear flushed. I'm surprised an ENT didn't do that as the one I was sent to cleaned it out too.

I was having chronic infections and like others have mentioned lost some hearing til we finally figured out the allergies were causing the infections and wearing headphones daily didn't help at all. I take an antihistamine several times a week and have cut back on headphones and no issues for over a year.

I would go to Urgent Care. My husband had an infection and they flushed his ear before giving him antibiotics.

 

[focusondisney]

I had this issue a few years ago, I needed to see my PCP at least once a week to get the ear flushed. I'm surprised an ENT didn't do that as the one I was sent to cleaned it out too.

I was having chronic infections and like others have mentioned lost some hearing til we finally figured out the allergies were causing the infections and wearing headphones daily didn't help at all. I take an antihistamine several times a week and have cut back on headphones and no issues for over a year.

I would go to Urgent Care. My husband had an infection and they flushed his ear before giving him antibiotics.

The OP didn’t specify if they went to an ENT or her PCP. And did not say they have wax in their ears. A severe infection causes fluid in the middle &/or inner ear which can cause the ear to feel plugged & hearing loss. No point in going to Urgent Care but not contacting the doctor who is already treating you.

 

[emer95]

I do appreciate all of the suggestions! I went to my PCP. I bought Mucinex Nasal spray and Debrox ear wax drops. I’ll try those for a few days, but otherwise I think I’ll have to wait it out until my follow up. Good to know I’m not the only one. Thanks again!!