Ears Plugged Up &#^$#

suefox51 · Post by **suefox51** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:22 am

Help!
My pressure was set to 17, using a Invacare Polaris CPAP with humidifier.
The pain in my right ear at night would wake me up, so I lowered pressure to 15 - was better for a short while and now my ear is plugged up again, feeling like sinuses are messed up as well.
ANy suggestions to remedying this? I do have history of sinus problems

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 7:21 am

suefox, you mentioned having a history of sinus problems. I'm not a doctor, and I sure don't know how serious your sinus problems are, but there are some cases where cpap is contraindicated. You might want to talk to your sleep doctor and/or an ENT about the pain you had in your ear and the way it (and your sinuses) are feeling.

15 is a pretty big blast of air. You might want to also talk to your doctor about the possibility of getting onto an autopap machine instead of using a straight cpap machine. If you don't need a high pressure all night, an autopap could let you use considerably less pressure most of the night, varying it as needed, since an autopap can be set for a range of pressures, like 10 - 17 or whatever range was best for you.

suefox51 · Post by **suefox51** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 12:05 pm

Thanks for the tip - I'll check with my doctor this week.

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 3:06 pm

17 is indeed a lot of pressure.

But a slightly different tact for the ear problem....
I suffer from pretty bad earwax buildup and combined with working a fair amount around dust, dirt, and sawdust, my ears can get plugged up pretty easily. I thought I lost my hearing in one ear at one point, before going to a doc to get my ears professionally cleared. He said all the ear swabbing in the world will not get the wax out but will only drive it in and make it worse.

I do notice that the CPAP tends to blow or try to blow the wax out of my ears to some extent, although I don't notice air rushing out of my ears or anything. If my ears are plugging up, that can be pretty uncomfortable if my ears are plugged badly.

I use a cheap over the counter ear flush solution rig (bausch and lomb sp? or similar) and its amazing what it does for hearing and for comfort.

I also have a history of sinus issues. You might want an ENT to check THAT out. I got my sinuses fixed and dropped my average 90% pressure from 13cm(approx) to 6cm

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:46 pm

Sue, it seems weird, but my ears start to hurt if I run my humidifier above 1. I also have sinus problems and the warm humid air seems to plug up my ear canals.

Gidgie · Post by **Gidgie** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:55 pm

Hi, Linda, long time no read.

john5757 · Post by **john5757** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:54 pm

CPAP air does not blow out of ear unless you have a hole in the ear drum which then it needs to be looked at by a ENT or you have ear tubes installed. What can happen is that air and fluid can built up in the eustachian tubes and that the Middle ear not the outer ear where the ear canal is. CPAP Air in the eustachian tube can push again the ear drum somewhat and can cause ear pain in ceratain situations. Other factors like how often you swallow because that act will open the eustachian tubes.

Yoga · Post by **Yoga** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:33 am

Snork,

Bausch & Lomb has eye products. Can you provide an internet connection to the setup you are using.

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:21 am

Yoga wrote:Snork,

Bausch & Lomb has eye products. Can you provide an internet connection to the setup you are using.

I was certainly suprised to see their name in the ear products department!
I have no link, but they seem to have the B&L "kit" at every pharmacy/drugstore that I have ever been in, including in Hawaii when my wife's ear suddenly plugged up. The kit is just a blue squeeze bulb like you would use on a baby's clogged nose.(ah the good ole days) and a small bottle of drops that fizz in your ear as you lay on your side and let it "cook". I am generous with the amount I put in the ear, and give it a good 8-10 minutes. Then use the squeeze bulb to blast it out with warm water. You may have to repeat. The doc uses the same solution but has a high pressure pump that feels like its going to blast out the other ear.
You would be amazed what most people are carrying around in their heads. No wonder ear infections happen. Also you will often notice a dramatic improvement in your hearing.

YMMV

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:32 am

Here's a link to it:

Bausch & Lomb Ear Wax Removal System

Gidgie · Post by **Gidgie** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:58 am

Hi Snork1, thanks for the post......I was looking for a solution to that problem.......aside from letting the good ol' doc blast my brains out.....again.

john5757 · Post by **john5757** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:23 pm

I am no longer having any doctor blasting my ear with water ever again. I threw the water pan across the room the last time. I use a ENT like every six months to vacuum out the ear canal Kaiser ENT's never use water. I am using a mixture of distilled white vinegar and alcohol and putting in the ear canal three times a week using a eyedropper. This will prevent ear infections or fungus in the ear canal. The alcohol dries out the ear and the vinegar makes a hostile environment for bacteria and fungus. This is a recommended treatment by ENT's for swimmer ears and a preventive aid for people that wear hearing aids all the waking hours. I never had much luck with over the counter ear wax removal products and hope that the alcohol and vinegar mixture will keep my ear problems at bay.

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Ears Plugged Up *&#^$*#

Ears Plugged Up *&#^$*#

Ears Plugged Up &#^$#

Ears Plugged Up &#^$#