well, actually my ears...

as some of you know, i have fought with infected ears and perforated eardrums off and on for the last couple of years...

unow, for the pdate on the ear...

severe ear canal outside the ear drum infection, unresponsive to the original antibiotics. inner ear infection cleared, finally. changed meds, already some better dr cleaned out the goop, did a culture, and said the ear drum was thickened with scar tissue, will be doing more tests after it heals.

notable hearling loss in both ears, sending me for hearing evaluation/possible hearing aids, the "good" ear has a very thin spot in the drum, need to keep eye on it, but not infected or perfed, so that's good.

also suspected eustation tube deformity as cause of whole mess, and will look farther at that when the mess is cleared up.

finally, sending me for a new sleep study, suspects that sleep apnea is an issue and tied to the rest of the mess.

the good news is that there is a plan in place (of sorts) to figure it out and deal with it

final note, i almost forgot, dr said i couldn't ignore my allergies any more :rolleyes: back on claritin... :p

Thank you for updating us Jiffy I was wondering how you were doing! I hope that spot is nothing to worry about. Its good that you've got a buncha stuff cleared up better now though!

~Phoebe

Oh, Jiffmeister...I miss you!

I hope you can get this straightened out. My mom had this problem for so long...and finally had new eardrums made out of something...


Cindymeister

Phoebe owes me a big fat beer now...and that ain't gonna taste too good with Jim Beam! :rolleyes:

Jiffy, So glad to hear that things are on the road to getting handled. Also want to say I have thoroughly enjoyed talking to you when you called!

Sorry you have to go through all this discomfort, but it's good that they're able to diagnose the problem and do something for you.

All the best with that.

Jiffy - while I'm sorry you have to go through all of this, I'm very glad that your doctor has a plan for you. I have suffered from hearing/ear problems my entire life, been to many doctors and not a single thing has been resolved. Still have the horrible pressure in my left ear, ringing a lot in both - I once told a dr. that my ear was ringing and he said "well... did you answer it?" I wanted to kick him - not funny!

Hope you get it all resolved soon, so you can rest easier and enjoy life!

I had Sleep Apnea myself. Had to use a CPAP machine every night for months. After my Gastric Bypass surgery I was completely cured of my Sleep Apnea as well as my Type 2 Diabetes. I rather liked the Cpap machine.

Jiffy - there's no place like GA for allergies and if the Claritin stops working ask your dr for some samples of Zyrtec. Ear problems are awful, now we know why our kids cried so much.

Lynne - sometimes ringing is caused by a reaction to medication. Are you taking anything that might trigger it?

Thanks for that, Bev - the only medication I'm on is for high blood pressure, but I've had this on and off ever since I can remember. The ringing usually goes away on its own, but the plugged ear is constant. The last diagnosis was sinusitis for which Flonase was prescribed, but it didn't really help, and when the pharmacist told me that he had been charging me the wrong price, I had to stop buying it. But, as I said, it didn't help me anyway.

Jiffy, As a person who was RAISED on ear infections, I can relate! (I'd rather have a Root-canal... or a baby, than to have an ear ache!) There is scar tissue on my Eustation tubes, which causes a frequency deafness for me, too. (Sometimes, when it's convienient for me, I tell Hubby that my ears are bothering me & that his voice just happens to be right within that range!) :p

Several years ago I had a broken Ear Drum from an accident, & the ENT Dr. patched it... With what, I can't remember, but I think it was some type of synthetic surgical fabric that's compatible with the Tympanic Membrane.

I'm not in the Medical field, but I'm thinking that if Perforated Tympanic Membrane can be patched to hasten new tissue regeneration, as it did in my case, your built up/"thickened" scar tissue, which formed through repeated ear infections, should be able to be removed & the membrane patched. Of course, new scar tissue will form from that procedure (that's just the nature of ANY skin/bone regeneration within the body), but it seems logical to me that replacing the "excess" scar tissue with new, "thinner" scar tissue, might reduce some of your hearing loss, as well as possibly aid in preventing chronic ear infections in the future.

As the ENT Dr. explained it to me, "Bacterial ear infections only happen when fluid is trapped in the Inner Ear, thereby allowing the bacteria to culture." He also said that such conditions are commonly created by blockage from thick ear wax, which some of our bodies just seem to manufacture... so, it seems to me that excessive scar tissue (whether it's interference involves the Eustation tube OR the Ear drum), could also be an Ear Canal blocking culpret; contributing to our frequent ear infections.

While I'm aware that hearing loss from high decibels is irreversible, I believe that's because of nerve damage. I would think that if hearing loss were caused by blockage , it would be in a whole different category, & can be restored without hearing aids. (?)

I hope I've said this in a way that makes sense to you! If you can follow my drift, you may want to ask your Dr about it. (It never hurts to ask questions... & I'd like to know the answer, myself!)

Hi Jiffymouse, my friend ~

I'm so sorry you are going through all this but I am very glad you have a good doc to help. And gladder still you dropped by to leave us word on how you are!

You've been very missed.

Merme
PS thanks for your call...

Jiffy- I have bad allergies too. My doc gave me Allegra D. Have you tried that? When my ears ache from my allgeries I take one ant it usally helps. I hope you feel better soon.

Kareena

you folks are great i think the plan is to get the infection cleared up, then look at the options. if i understood the dr right, he thinks that my eustation tubes are malformed and the allergies make them worse. then, adding the scar tissue to the problem, well, i do know that when all the symptoms are better, he wants to do a ct scan of my ears/tubes to see just what everything looks like.

but for now, if i could just hear a little better, i'd be happier!

Jiff...thanks for keeping us posted...you will continue to be in our thoughts & prayers till this clears up...I'm sure it is really uncomfortable. I have been meaning to ask you if you are still working that job you really liked?


~V~

i am, and still loving it!

Sounds like your Dr. is right on top of things, Jiff. I gather that he didn't elaborate about the Eustation tubes being malformed/deformed, huh? I'm just wondering if it's a case of them not developing properly prenatally, or if the scar tissue has altered them. (Well, I suppose that's why he wants to do a Cat scan... Duh!) Anyway, I'm glad you have a good Dr. who wants to treat the problem, rather than the symptoms ...sounds like you've had a lifetime of the latter, already!) When is your next appointment?

You're lucky to have a good doctor that follows up on things. Some don't bother - they just prescribe more pricey drugs - a bandaid solution.

LOL! Patty, I love that signature - If Evolution were true, women would have 3 arms.

(and I've stolen that kitty cat)