Popping ears

So, my friend was dealing with this annoying popping sensation in her ears because her jaw was acting up, but after getting some imaging done, she had to wear this little device to basically "reset" everything back into place, and now she’s feeling totally fine!

nimblebison81 said:I’m checking in on the forum because I’ve been dealing with this one nagging issue for about a year and a half now.😠 It’s this constant popping sensation in my ears—I don't even know the clinical term for it—but basically, I can't equalize the pressure in my ears properly. Almost every time I swallow, I have to pinch my nose and try to force air through just to get things to feel like they're "settling" back into place.🙄 I actually went under the knife for a septoplasty because I was told that was the culprit; one side had an 80% deviation, and the other wasn't much better. While breathing feels easier now, the ear issue hasn't budged.🙏 The surgeon who operated on me assured me that everything would normalize after about nine months, claiming it takes time for "everything to fall into place" and that I’d see steady improvement day by day. Well, it’s been a full year since the surgery, and I honestly don't feel any significant change. The only relief I felt was during the summer months, but even then, it wasn't a complete fix. Since I suffer from dust allergies, my doctor suggested that might be contributing to the problem, so I’ve tried using Rinza, Letizen tablets, Flonase, and Aquaphor nasal sprays, but nothing has worked. If anyone here has dealt with something similar or has gone through this, I would really appreciate any advice or help you could offer. Feel free to send me a private message.👍

To go back to the very beginning of this thread, I think what this person is describing sounds like Patulous Eustachian Tube. Essentially, it's a condition where the Eustace tube stays constantly open or fails to close when it should. Normally, the tube opens when you yawn to equalize pressure in the middle ear, but the problem here is that it stays open. This causes all sorts of annoying symptoms, like hearing your eardrum move while you breathe (that popping sound), autophony, or that weird sensation where you can hear your own breathing or voice way too loudly. It's incredibly irritating.
Everything I could find regarding this condition was in English or another foreign language. Unfortunately, there isn't much information available in American medical literature under this specific context, but if your English is good, you can check out this site:
http://www.patulouseustachiantube.net/ Read everything there about the condition. I basically diagnosed myself because my symptoms match their descriptions perfectly. There is also a Facebook group where people share their experiences with this disorder.

So, I’m back after quite a while... just wanted to chime in and say that I’m still dealing with the exact same issue. Honestly, at this point, I’ve basically just learned to live with that constant popping sensation, though looking around, it seems like a lot of you are stuck in the same boat as me.
I have to agree with goldenowl11 that the symptoms described over at http://www.patulouseustachiantube.net/ match up perfectly with what I'm feeling; I'll definitely be diving into that site to see if it hits the mark.
Thanks to goldenowl11 and everyone else for the advice and input!

Hi everyone. It’s been a while since anyone posted here, so I figured I’d weigh in with my own experience regarding ear inflammation and that constant popping sensation. I’ve been dealing with this since 2012; it all started with a brutal bout of the flu. Back then, I didn't think much of it, but it turns out managing this is a massive headache—two months of ear drops and endless doctor visits. I eventually saw an ENT specialist who told me my eardrum had thickened, which is exactly what causes that popping. He also gave me strict orders to keep water out of my ear at all costs. Now, whenever I shower, I have to plug the ear with cotton and a bit of Vaseline. He explained that if water gets in there, it interferes with the three tiny bones in the ear, throwing everything out of sync and causing that popping feeling. Once you develop this, you're essentially stuck being hyper-vigilant about catching colds; you have to stay on top of nasal sprays to keep the passage between your throat and ear clear. Since I struggle with sinus issues too, it just makes everything worse. I try to follow the protocol, but there are still days when it aches. Every time I catch a cold, that "popping" returns. And here we are again... I've been dealing with an ear infection for a week now. I'm currently using Neosporin drops, cleaning it with Debrox, and taking Aleve. My head is throbbing, so I take Tylenol when needed, though my GP mentioned 🤔 isn't particularly effective for this kind of thing...