I am wondering if anyone who suffers from allergies can recommend any relief measures for the symptoms I describe below. I have never had allergeis so I am at a loss for what to do.
For the past 3 weeks my ears have been filled with fluid. My hearing is muffled. Occassionally I am dizzy and nauseous. The nurse practioner I first saw said there is fluid in my ears, but no infection. Most likely the eustachian tubes are inflamed as an allergic reaction to pollen. She gave me nasal spray and said to take Claritin if it didn't clear up in about 4 or 5 days. Unfortunately, it was much worse after a week so I made an appt with my PCP. She agreed with the nurse but also gave me a week's worth of steroids to help. She suggested I use the nasal spray all spring. I did get some relief for the past 4 or 5 days - I am suspecting due to the steroids. Now today, my hearing is off and I feel a little bit of pressure in my ears just as I did at the onset of this. Neither the nurse or the dr have given me much more hope than to use allergy meds and nasal spray and wait it out. I can't imagine having these symptoms for the entire season. Does anyone who has suffered from allergies (specifically fluid in the ears) have any at home remedies to manage this sort of thing? Thanks for your help.
I alsos have horrible spring allergies, its a great way to ruin my favorite time of year. Claritin does nothing for me, i find that tylenol severe allergy works best, it helps with all my symptoms and most stores make a generic brand. Unfortunetly nothing seems to releive my symptoms completely, i just have to wait out for summer to end them. good luck
go see an ent might need tubes and yes many adults need them
Hi L.,
I seriously feel you pain. I am a year round allergy sufferer. Last fall I battled fluid in the ears like you wouldn't believe. I "lost" my hearing the last week of September and was already on allergy meds. I ended up going back to my ear, nose, and throat specialist. He numbed my inner ear with some numbing medicine similar to what they use at the dentist, then he made a small incision in my ear and drained the fluid. He then inserted a small tube to keep it draining. There was so much fluid that built back up even after he did all that, that it caused the tube to pop out while I was sleeping. I ended up going back to see him, but at that point most of the fluid was out, but he gave me a prescription to clear up the rest of the fluid. Having him make the incision and get out most of the fluid was the best thing I did. Immediate relief and I could hear. Now, keep in mind I had issues for a couple months before I went to see my specialist. None of the over the counter stuff worked at that time. Normally though I take Clarion and I swear by the Netty Pot. Also, it is best to shower at night to get everything off off your body before you go to bed. Also, I always wash everything I wear before I wear it again. My bedding also has allergy covers on both the mattress and the pillows. When I went to see my ear, nose and throat specialist they ran allergy tests. I know now exactly what sets me off, so I know what to try to avoid. They also gave me a lot of information on things such as bedding and cleaners and things like that. The information has really helped. Good luck with ears.
Kristin
Hi L.,
I am so sorry to hear of your allergies. I have been a lifetime sufferer. The combination that seems to work for me is musinex and zyrtec. The musinex will dry the fluid and the zyrtec is for allergy relief. They are both over the counter so you will not need a prescription. Good luck, I hope the suffering ends soon.
Hi L.,
Go to a Massage Therapist who does Lymph Drainage.
Check with an Alternative Medicine Physician at
or an EENT Specialist.
Good luck. D.
Hi L., I have not had the fluid in my ears part of allergies, only the itchy eyes and runny nose. I try to take vitamin C and an immune formula along with my multi vitamin. The one thing that kicked my problem big time is alfalfa tablets. GNC has them. I was told about this by a friend and thought it was silly...but it worked for me! All natural and not expensive. Good luck!
If your ears are clogged how about trying sudafed? If you are taking claritin, you can use claritin-d instead as it has sudafed in it. Make sure you are not on any blood pressure meds or anything else that can interfere with it. Some people also eat raw honey for it's anti-allergenic effects. I have not tried this myself but some people swear by it. If you are not getting anywhere with your drs, maybe you should see and allergist or talk to your pharmacist. good luck!
L.,
Zyrtec-D works very well. You can only get it at the pharmacy counter and you have to sign for it due to kids using it for drug purposes. Netipot also makes a spray bottle that contains packets that you mix and spray into your nose that may work for you. Walmart carries it and I believe the chain drugstores carry it also.
This is for your nasal passages too, but since all those things are connected, it can help, it's a little more intense than the sprays, and harmless. My husband discovered it on tour-he'a singer and was stuck on a bus with chain smokers and dogs for 2 months (he's allergic to smoke) and got a bad sinus infection. His meds didnt' help much, but this really did, he was able to sing by doing it every couple of days:
Get a "netty pot" online or at a really good drug store. It's a little tea kettle looking thing. It lets you pour warm salt water into one nostril, it washes out your upper sinuses, and pours out the other nostril. Then you do the other side. Holistic people insist that if people did this once a week, they wouldn't need allergy medicine. Maybe if you do it every couple of days, it will help keep your ears from being so inflamed. Sorry for the suffering! Good luck!
I have suffered with allergies my whole life and finally an allergist recommended the "Sinus Rinse". You can find it in most drug stores. It is a bottle with a straw in it and you mix water with the packets that come with it. You actually squirt the solution up your nose until it comes out the other side. Sounds a little gross but it relieves so much pressure and you can do it 2x per day and it is all natural. When you squirt it up your nose, once it starts coming out the other side, you can pinch your nose and blow gently like you are trying to pop your ears. This will force the solution into your eustachian tubes and help to clear them out. My allergist always had me do the "Rinse" first then do the nasal spray after I blew everything out. You can force the medicine into your tubes the same way. Hope this helps.
L.,
I would sick with the spray and allergy meds. I may get flack for this, but I am a fan of ear candling....it helps my husband immensely. He used to get fluid/ear infections CONSTANTLY (every 6-8 weeks). I started using the ear candles and he has not had an infection since.
Try being treated by a chiropractor. Having your neck adjusted can open the eustachian tubes and allow them to drain. I've treated lots of patients over the years during allergy season and this has worked for many of them. It usually takes 2-4 treatment until the eustachian tubes stay open consistently.
To address your allergies directly, I've had many patient who have gotten allergy shots from their allergist. It can be a long time commitment, (5 years total, I think) but in the end they are either completely not allergic to whatever they were allergic to before, or only minimally allergic.
One very simple trick I suggest to my patients with pollen related allergies is to wash their hair before going to bed. Strip your bed and start with all clean linens (wash your comforter, too). Over the course of the day, pollen lands in your hair and clothes. When you go to bed, some of the pollen on your hair falls onto your pillow and bed, so you are accumulating more and more pollen in your bed every day. If you wash your hair before bed, you're not carrying all that pollen into bed with you. Works best if your spouse does the same thing. This way, you're not breathing in pollen all night long.
Hope this helps.
I suffer from allergies all year round so I live off of zyrtec. The one thing that I cannot live without is the netti pot. It takes a bit to get used to but helps sooooo much! Plus you can use it as often as you need. Right now I am using it almost every hour because they are so bad and I am 6 months pregnant and don't like using medication during. Also you can use a dropper and put a few drops of peroxide in your ears and let them pop a bit to dry up what fluiud is in there. It is cheaper than buying the ear stuff in your local drug store and it is afe and works.
Hi L.,
I have very bad Spring alleriges. My Dr. gave me Nasacort AQ (for my nose) & Allegra D for the stuffy nose/head/ears & itchy watery eyes. Those 2 together seem to keep me open.
Home remedies that helped me:
Hot showers ( warmest you can stand ) lean your head back and let the shower pour on your head. I get sinus pressure in my cheeks and above my eyes so I let the shower hit my face too the hottest I can stand.
I also boiled water and put a towel over my head & pot to make a tent. Inhaling thru your nose exhale thru your mouth. You can even try inhale thru your mouth exhale thru your nose whichever feels better.
For me by relieving the blocked sinuses it relieves the pressure in my ears & head.
For the upset stomach (from swallowing the mucus) I brew a hot tea and put about a teaspoon of ground ginger(baking kind) or you can use ginger root in the fresh produce section of the grocery store. Peel off the outer skin. Cut a thin strip suck on it like a candy until the flavor is gone then discard. Honey is also good for thinning mucus. Lemon helps too. You can boil hot water and put ginger - honey & lemon in your cup without the tea if you'd like.
I hope this helps?
A little about me: MOM of 4 Grandma of 1.
I. B.
