Ear issues after covid

[letsgetweird]

Very specific question here but I'm wondering if anyone has had ear issues after having covid. I had covid in late November and my ear issues started about 5 to 6 weeks later.

My ENT says I have eustachian tube dysfunction. (urgent care diagnosed me with an ear infection twice). I have ear fullness, popping and cracking, occasional pain, frequent dull headaches and pressure. I've read that some people are experiencing ear issues post-covid but it's mostly hearing loss and tinnitus. I'm getting flare ups any time I'm sick or have congestion from allergies (common issue living in texas).



Edit: I've been taking Flonase & zyrtec for awhile for my allergies. I've switched out the zyrtec for xyzal. My ENT also prescribed Azelatine.

My ENT suggested I get a hearing test since that will allow them to look at my drums

[VillainV]

I haven’t had COVID, but I’ve had Eustachian tube dysfunction like you describe for most of my adult life. 20mg of Claritin a day and four squirts of Flonase per nostril per day helps some.

[letsgetweird]

Jul 20, 2021 14:07:16 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I haven’t had COVID, but I’ve had Eustachian tube dysfunction like you describe for most of my adult life. 20mg of Claritin a day and four squirts of Flonase per nostril per day helps some.

I take zyrtec and Flonase every day. I switched to xyzal after reading a thread on here and it seems to be working well. I have my allergies under control currently but ear issues are still here.

Are you constantly having ear issues or just flare ups? If just flare ups, how long does it last? Have you ever had vertigo?

[Patsy Baloney]

Do you have standing fluid? I’ve had some “glue ear” issues over the years, and the Otovent, in combo with regular allergy medication, is the only thing to give relief.

I’m sorry you’re experiencing ear issues. It’s torture.

[letsgetweird]

Jul 20, 2021 15:04:15 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

Do you have standing fluid? I’ve had some “glue ear” issues over the years, and the Otovent, in combo with regular allergy medication, is the only thing to give relief.

I’m sorry you’re experiencing ear issues. It’s torture.

not that I know of! I believe eustachian tube dysfunction is when the tubes become inflamed and it causes pressure in the ear. Regardless ear issues are not fun!

[icedcoffee]

Only partially related: I’ve heard from doctors that they are seeing a lot of tinnitus issues from mask wearing.

[VillainV]

Jul 20, 2021 14:33:01 GMT -5 letsgetweird said:

Jul 20, 2021 14:07:16 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I haven’t had COVID, but I’ve had Eustachian tube dysfunction like you describe for most of my adult life. 20mg of Claritin a day and four squirts of Flonase per nostril per day helps some.

I take zyrtec and Flonase every day. I switched to xyzal after reading a thread on here and it seems to be working well. I have my allergies under control currently but ear issues are still here.

Are you constantly having ear issues or just flare ups? If just flare ups, how long does it last? Have you ever had vertigo?

I’m not allowed to take Zyrtec for my current job (military flying, it’s not on the cleared list, likely due to drowsiness) but I don’t know about Xyzal. For me it’s basically constant, but varies in intensity between mild when I’m medicated and don’t have any other exacerbating factors, and moderate when I’m in a high-allergen environment or have any other URI. Flare ups last until the exacerbating condition is removed (sometime weeks). I’ve never had vertigo. Sometimes a warm compress on my jawline helps.

[estrellita]

My H and I have had this issue. We've never tested positive, but it did start around the time my mom did. So there's a very tiny chance we had it without knowing. But my doctor did mention she's seen this as an effect from covid.

[JayhawkGirl]

I have eustachion tube dysfunction in my left ear. Four Flonase and azasteline (sp??) daily helps. mucinex and Sudafed may help too.

[ellipses84]

I haven’t had Covid but I’ve suffered from issues like this for years and it seemed to get far worse after flying to hawaii with a bad sinus infection where my ears didn’t pop after landing. I use Zyrtec and Flonase daily.

My Dr. told me to use Afrin nasal spray before descent on flights and it is amazing, but she said not to use it daily.

[cinnamoncox0]

My mom had a virus that lasted from 9/19-12/19, right before covid, she was coughing up her lungs and Judy really really sick, kept getting ears and lungs checked and no issue.

Then about a month after she recovered her hearing started to get messed up and she since wears hearing aid. I don’t know if it’s the medical term you used but she went from perfect hearing to hearing aid just like that.

[tacom]

Jul 20, 2021 18:51:24 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Only partially related: I’ve heard from doctors that they are seeing a lot of tinnitus issues from mask wearing.

I can’t think of a physiological rationale for this (as an SLP) so I reached out to my Audiologist friend. She said she’s seeing tinnitus and sudden hearing loss after covid but thought the mask concern sounds suspect.

I’d love to see the purported explanation.

[VillainV]

Jul 21, 2021 7:38:47 GMT -5 tacom said:

Jul 20, 2021 18:51:24 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Only partially related: I’ve heard from doctors that they are seeing a lot of tinnitus issues from mask wearing.

I can’t think of a physiological rationale for this (as an SLP) so I reached out to my Audiologist friend. She said she’s seeing tinnitus and sudden hearing loss after covid but thought the mask concern sounds suspect.

I’d love to see the purported explanation.

I’m also curious! I have moderate tinnitus and haven’t noticed any change with mask wearing, but HOLY CRAP I never realized how much I rely on seeing people’s lips to understand them, and when voices are further muted/muffled by masks I REALLY struggle to understand people a lot of the time. I didn’t realize my hearing was so bad.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jul 21, 2021 8:05:39 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Jul 21, 2021 7:38:47 GMT -5 tacom said:

I can’t think of a physiological rationale for this (as an SLP) so I reached out to my Audiologist friend. She said she’s seeing tinnitus and sudden hearing loss after covid but thought the mask concern sounds suspect.

I’d love to see the purported explanation.

I’m also curious! I have moderate tinnitus and haven’t noticed any change with mask wearing, but HOLY CRAP I never realized how much I rely on seeing people’s lips to understand them, and when voices are further muted/muffled by masks I REALLY struggle to understand people a lot of the time. I didn’t realize my hearing was so bad.

I’ve had my hearing tested like half a dozen times, and they say it’s fine (except if there’s any background noise, I can barely hear, so I know there’s something wrong).

Once people put on masks, I literally cannot understand anything. A friend of mine is an audiologist, and without testing my hearing has told me it’s likely I have selective hearing loss, and most testing won’t pick it up until it’s really bad. It’s so incredibly frustrating.

[abs]

I've had ear issues my whole life.

As a kid I got constant ear infections and had tubes twice. I probably needed a third set. I can't remember a time in my life where I haven't had tinnitus and ear fullness. For a long time I thought that was normal.

Almost two years ago I started to get vertigo episodes. I saw an audiologist and ENT. Turns out I have nerve damage in my left ear along with 50% hearing loss. Add me to the lip reading club. I definitely need people to repeat themselves frequently in this new world of masks.

Anyways sudafed helps but I only take it occasionally because I literally won't sleep for two days after. Allergy meds help, too. I can't do Flonase anymore but Xyzal layered with Benadryl during flare ups works.

[jaylea]

Not from Covid, but I have constant ear crackling/eustachian tube dysfunction in my left ear that has been around for 8 years off and on but for the last 6 months has been nearly constant and is keeping me up at night.

It makes me feel like I am losing it. I need to go back to the ENT to hopefully get relief, though they couldn’t fix it before. I also had vertigo then, whenever the crackling happened. That has fortunately stopped.

[letsgetweird]

Yikes I didn't realize how common of an issue this is for people!

[TR]

Jul 21, 2021 8:05:39 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Jul 21, 2021 7:38:47 GMT -5 tacom said:

I can’t think of a physiological rationale for this (as an SLP) so I reached out to my Audiologist friend. She said she’s seeing tinnitus and sudden hearing loss after covid but thought the mask concern sounds suspect.

I’d love to see the purported explanation.

I’m also curious! I have moderate tinnitus and haven’t noticed any change with mask wearing, but HOLY CRAP I never realized how much I rely on seeing people’s lips to understand them, and when voices are further muted/muffled by masks I REALLY struggle to understand people a lot of the time. I didn’t realize my hearing was so bad.

Maybe it's something like this and there are people who didn't realize how bad their tinnitus was or didn't even realize they had it or hadn't been diagnosed, but once they lost the crutch of reading lips they went to their doctor so now the doctors are seeing an uptick in complaints.

[Deleted]

Jul 21, 2021 8:09:24 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jul 21, 2021 8:05:39 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I’m also curious! I have moderate tinnitus and haven’t noticed any change with mask wearing, but HOLY CRAP I never realized how much I rely on seeing people’s lips to understand them, and when voices are further muted/muffled by masks I REALLY struggle to understand people a lot of the time. I didn’t realize my hearing was so bad.

I’ve had my hearing tested like half a dozen times, and they say it’s fine (except if there’s any background noise, I can barely hear, so I know there’s something wrong).

Once people put on masks, I literally cannot understand anything. A friend of mine is an audiologist, and without testing my hearing has told me it’s likely I have selective hearing loss, and most testing won’t pick it up until it’s really bad. It’s so incredibly frustrating.

Hi, look up auditory processing disorder. It's not hearing loss, it's a processing disorder/difficulty. It comes along a lot of times with other SPD (I am ASD)

Just a suggestion. When I found out I was this is was such a light bulb.

And yes, masks and phone meetings at work (vs in person meetings) are hell for me right now.

[cjcouple]

So glad I read this. I've had that for years and did not know about Flonase/xyzal

[katlizabeth]

Sorry-order thread, but YES.
I had covid In January and my right nostril was achy, more stuffed, and had bloody mucus for months afterwards. In May, I was completely blocked in my right ear, diagnosed with eustachian tube dysfunction. Took Sudafed on a regular basis, and the ear cleared up, but I had low pitch buzzing. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a nasal polyp, on the right side, which is why my Flonase wasn’t making it to my ear. Two months after finally getting the ear unplugged the buzzing and popping stopped. I think mine was directly covid related, but I can’t prove it.

[Gato]

Jul 21, 2021 12:36:36 GMT -5 jaylea said:

Not from Covid, but I have constant ear crackling/eustachian tube dysfunction in my left ear that has been around for 8 years off and on but for the last 6 months has been nearly constant and is keeping me up at night.

It makes me feel like I am losing it. I need to go back to the ENT to hopefully get relief, though they couldn’t fix it before. I also had vertigo then, whenever the crackling happened. That has fortunately stopped.

Message me if you want a recommendation for an ENT and/or a PT. I almost completely got rid of my ear ringing and popping after three months of PT. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep up my exercises and it came back. But it feels good to know that it’s possible to get rid of it!

[jaylea]

Jul 31, 2021 15:46:29 GMT -5 Gato said:

Jul 21, 2021 12:36:36 GMT -5 jaylea said:

Not from Covid, but I have constant ear crackling/eustachian tube dysfunction in my left ear that has been around for 8 years off and on but for the last 6 months has been nearly constant and is keeping me up at night.

It makes me feel like I am losing it. I need to go back to the ENT to hopefully get relief, though they couldn’t fix it before. I also had vertigo then, whenever the crackling happened. That has fortunately stopped.

Message me if you want a recommendation for an ENT and/or a PT. I almost completely got rid of my ear ringing and popping after three months of PT. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep up my exercises and it came back. But it feels good to know that it’s possible to get rid of it!

I’ll send you a message - thanks! I went to someone at the big practice group here, but after all the testing they ran out of ideas. I saw an OT who did some manipulation and gave me some stretches too, but they clearly didn’t solve it!

[rubytue]

Jul 21, 2021 8:09:24 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jul 21, 2021 8:05:39 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I’m also curious! I have moderate tinnitus and haven’t noticed any change with mask wearing, but HOLY CRAP I never realized how much I rely on seeing people’s lips to understand them, and when voices are further muted/muffled by masks I REALLY struggle to understand people a lot of the time. I didn’t realize my hearing was so bad.

I’ve had my hearing tested like half a dozen times, and they say it’s fine (except if there’s any background noise, I can barely hear, so I know there’s something wrong).

Once people put on masks, I literally cannot understand anything. A friend of mine is an audiologist, and without testing my hearing has told me it’s likely I have selective hearing loss, and most testing won’t pick it up until it’s really bad. It’s so incredibly frustrating.

This my H, plus tinnitus. He’s been to an audiologist who found nothing. Meanwhile, he can’t understand with masks, when you aren’t facing him, or people with accents. I don’t know if the last one is related. I’m going to look into this more because it’s frustrating for me, because devices are always so loud and I find it embracessing. I would like more empathy (especially if the accent thing is real and not just him not trying)

[dragon's breath]

Non-covid related: For those having hearing tests that are "fine", but you cannot understand people without reading lips, accents are really difficult, can't hear with background noise, etc, request a bone-gap hearing test as well.

Long story short, after a lifetime of ear issues, it was discovered through a bone-gap test that was the issue. Had surgery for it as an adult and the doctor told me that the middle bone (incus) had been worn down to a nub (combo of ear infections and hyper-movement of the eardrum). For the first time in my life, I could talk with the phone on my left side. I ended up breaking that replacement bone and having a second one built, but things have been great for a few years now.

I still depend on reading lips quite a bit though, so masks have made that really hard. I probably have some processing issues tied to it as well, after going so long, and from such a young age, without "normal" hearing.

[eb777888]

Jul 31, 2021 15:46:29 GMT -5 Gato said:

Jul 21, 2021 12:36:36 GMT -5 jaylea said:

Not from Covid, but I have constant ear crackling/eustachian tube dysfunction in my left ear that has been around for 8 years off and on but for the last 6 months has been nearly constant and is keeping me up at night.

It makes me feel like I am losing it. I need to go back to the ENT to hopefully get relief, though they couldn’t fix it before. I also had vertigo then, whenever the crackling happened. That has fortunately stopped.

Message me if you want a recommendation for an ENT and/or a PT. I almost completely got rid of my ear ringing and popping after three months of PT. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep up my exercises and it came back. But it feels good to know that it’s possible to get rid of it!

My H has really bad tinnitus and after seeing an ENT (pre-COVID) that ran a bunch of tests, he was basically shruggy guy and sent him off with an Rx for valium. Can you PM me? I'm interested to hear about your PT experience and how you got to that point.