Clogged/Fullness in Ears and Pressure/Vertigo in Head

[playaz]

Hi everyone,

I have been having this problem for the last 4 years and still didn't find a solution for my problems. It started with ear pressure and my ears feel clogged and full all the time and I keep trying to pop them every day. I keep opening jaw and pushing through nose to try to keep them open but with no longterm success. This has been happening on a daily basis for the last for 4 years and it is really hard to live like this.

The second problem is the head pressure and these weird feelings in my head. This is something that comes and go (or is bearable at least for some time), but when it is there I feel like there is constanly some pressure around my forehead, eyes, sometime at the back aswell and in my neck. I feel a bit of vertigo and I find it hard to focus because of this (with stress it gets even worse). If i lie down I can also very easily hear my hearbeat in my head.

I have already been to multiple ENTs,Neurologist, took CT of head, sinuses, went to TMJ specialist,chiropractor,bioresonance and probably some other stuff that I can't remember now. Thing is all results came back normal and noone could tell me what is wrong with me while I know something is not right.

If someone has experienced this or found a relief or know what it is, then PLEASE help as I am desperate to get better.

TY

[onlysarah]

Sorry to read all your symptoms..
very similar to mine..
I found this site because of my ear clogging issue.
If you have something called 'spontaneous intracranial hypotension', you will have all those symptoms. Symptoms may be relived by resting in bed, including ear clogging. The condition is caused mainly by CSF leak, and the site of the leak may not be found at all. (by CT, MRI, etc).
If your symptoms get better with a treatment called 'blood patch', most likely you have the leak. You may need more than 1 treatment, or you may need to actually go for CT of spine with contrast to find the site of the leak. I've already got 2 blood patch and the condition got better but it seems like the leak did not get healed..I am getting most of symptoms back..
I am debating whether to go for further testing or not..CT of spine with contrast is pretty invasive procedure; you need to get injection in the spine..
But meanwhile, lot of drinking water,  bedrest..

Hope you mention this condition to your doctors and find a right treatment for you..Intracranial pressure is measured by spinal tap..usually done by a neurologist or anesthesiologist..

Good luck everyone

[Heytheregeorgiegirl]

Pps, I'm not sure if all the symptoms you all mention (head pressure, dizziness, ringing in ears etc)  which I have also are Lyme related, but just thought I'd mention I get these particular symptoms badly during humid summer stormy/overcast weather (in Perth, that's January)... My anxiety increases also.
I try dehumidifying the house with aircon, massage my head & even try a bit of stretching/yoga/movement & then relaxation.
I have it right now and I'm trying to remind myself that it has passed in the past, so this too should pass. I hope it does soon!!'

[Heytheregeorgiegirl]

Hi all,I have all the same symptoms & was diagnosed with benign positional vertigo about 15 years ago. I've also got multiple autoimmune conditions. But I had so many crazy symptoms that I also had all the specialist testing etc..., turns out my diagnosis is LYME DISEASE PLUS COINFECTIONS. It's gotten into my nervous system. Plus Epstein Barr Virus - this can be the root cause of many peoples' health problems (as most people have had it).
If you have any fatigue along with your symptoms, I recommend getting checked out for bacteria like Lyme (which is a type of bacteria and mimicks almost 400 different conditions). I'm in Perth, Australia - a place supposedly where you don't get infected...but so many people do! Just an idea...
Ps. There's actually a Nobel prize winner at the university of western australia who discovered a cure for tinnitus. Google it if you need treatment. Good luck to all & my thoughts are with u xx

[Norry7]

Several sound like meniere's disease which is my problem. Some don't. Read up on it, and see what you all think. It's a miserable experience and has lasted 12 years (so far) in my case. Seems worst during winter months. The pressure and ringing in my ears can make daily interactions near impossible since I can hardly hear (amazon sells bioflavonoids which has helped A LOT with the ringing aspect and made it so I can function, but I only found this in the last 2 years, I will never be without them again). Sometimes taking an antihistamine will help reduce the vertigo long enough for me to get somewhere to sleep through the worst of it. When this first started, it could come on instantly, the world would spin so much I couldn't stand upright let alone function. Really scary to have happen when driving. There are some suggested assists for the symptoms, but no real cure. The only thing is surgery which can cause total deafness (not interested), and even then the symptoms could return in time. I have tried the low sodium thing, thought it was helping until I had an "episode" with no change in diet. Stress can add to it at times which just compounds on itself since it stresses me when these episodes happen. I know it may not help a whole lot, but try the bioflavonoids if you have the ringing, those that they work for will love them. It's not what you all want to hear, but that's all I've found through the years. I don't drink alcohol, so that wasn't an issue, but I read that can make it a lot worse on the vertigo part (for obvious reasons).

[Stayswinging]

I think I have you all beat, I'm 29 years old right now and I've been dealing with the exact same thing since I was 17 years old. I can still remember the exact date started, I was in Amsterdam and I went on an amusement park ride and during the ride I could feel intense pressure in my head and I knew something was not right. After that I came back with a very bad viral infection that gave me an earache that was unbearable. I took a couple of antibiotics and the pain went away. Soon after that I had fullness of the head ears and trouble hearing for one year straight. I gained 80 pounds because I was so depressed I couldn't do anything. The head pressure and confusion, vertigo etc slowly diminished, in its place came ear fullness that lasted 7 years or so. Came down with a cold about 2 years ago and experience intense intense intense ear pressure and fullness, that would not go away for 6 months. I was doing everything you could think of. Then I started treating myself with mucus thinning medicine that took the pressure away by 80%. Since then I've developed a brand new symptom a severe case of post nasal drip, that literally is there every time I swallow. If I ever throw up I will literally throw up two or three cups of mucus straight. My throat hurts, my ears feel like they're being pulled every time I swallow. I have a very dry nose but a very lubricated throat that hurts from all the mucus. It's good to hear that I'm not the only person dealing with this. I have no medical insurance so I've never had the chance to go to the doctor about this. Except when I lived in Canada for the first two years of my symptoms, all CT scans and MRI came back clear, they just said I had a minor sinus infection. Longest sinus infection in history!

[Stayswinging]

I think I have you all beat, I'm 29 years old right now and I've been dealing with the exact same thing since I was 17 years old. I can still remember the exact date started, I was in Amsterdam and I went on an amusement park ride and during the ride I could feel intense pressure in my head and I knew something was not right. After that I came back with a very bad viral infection that gave me an earache that was unbearable. I took a couple of antibiotics and the pain went away. Soon after that I had fullness of the head ears and trouble hearing for one year straight. I gained 80 pounds because I was so depressed I couldn't do anything. The head pressure and confusion, vertigo etc slowly diminished, in its place came ear fullness that lasted 7 years or so. Came down with a cold about 2 years ago and experience intense intense intense ear pressure and fullness, that would not go away for 6 months. I was doing everything you could think of. Then I started treating myself with mucus thinning medicine that took the pressure away by 80%. Since then I've developed a brand new symptom a severe case of post nasal drip, that literally is there every time I swallow. If I ever throw up I will literally throw up two or three cups of mucus straight. My throat hurts, my ears feel like they're being pulled every time I swallow. I have a very dry nose but a very lubricated throat that hurts from all the mucus. It's good to hear that I'm not the only person dealing with this. I have no medical insurance so I've never had the chance to go to the doctor about this. Except when I lived in Canada for the first two years of my symptoms, all CT scans and MRI came back clear, they just said I had a minor sinus infection. Longest sinus infection in history!

[sickoflyme2]

Hi stayswinging. I just read your post and I know it was many years ago. I truly hope you have gotten an answer  by now. Have you ever gone to a chiropractor? When you have a subluxation in your spine, you can experience various medical issues which are directly related to the specific vertebrae that is out of place. Perhaps when you were on the amusement park ride, there was enough force to do this to your cervical spine. Sinus issues can be the result of a subluxation in this area. I hope this helps.