<p>Looking: D takes the decongestants sporadically and it seems that the pain killers don’t offer much relief at all.</p>
<p>Is she taking proper dosages? Pain relief only starts at threshold points–if the dose is two pills, one won’t work. Decongestants especially.<br>
Rebound effect that you hear about from decongestants stems from nasal sprays versus taking the medication orally.
Sounds like your daughter (from what little we know) may not like the idea of taking medications to relieve the problem. I don’t blame her. But living with pain is not a good option for a LOT of physiological reasons.</p>
<p>Just a mom, not an expert. D needed a CT to determine what was going on with her ears/sinus situation. And I would follow up that TMJ situation. If that made things worse, there would seem to be SOME sort of connection.</p>
<p>My d’s allergic symptoms improved when she went on an antidepressant. And her ear discomfort went away within days of removing dairy from her diet. If you must use dairy, use organic only, but I would recommend a dairy free week, and if that did not help, a gluten free week. These measures really helped her. Speaking for myself, I can tolerate dairy nowadays but those fake creamers bug my ears. Good luck!</p>
<p>Tree: good advice…and those fake creamers bug every part of me :)</p>
<p>My daughter is a swimmer and has occasional ear problems. My friend just suggested this ear drop product to me. We haven’t had a chance to use it yet but my friend swears by it.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Wallys-Natural-Products-Ear-Liquid/dp/B001E11CPQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Wallys-Natural-Products-Ear-Liquid/dp/B001E11CPQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top</a></p>
<p>And those fake creamers - I started a new job and soon after got a horrible rash on my arms. It was from those little flavored chemical cups!</p>
<p>I’ll through in my anecdote since I haven’t seen it mentioned. Inner ear disorders are notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat. I had prolonged pain and periodic dizziness after a bout with west Nile virus. In and out of doctor’s offices until I sought out a specialist at a teaching hospital. He told me that symptoms may sometimes be caused by an auto immune attack of structures in the inner ear. He put me on a one week prednisone regimen, "medrol dose pack " that causes a transient immune supression. It is often used for people with sudden onset vertigo with hearing loss. My symptoms decreased dramatically within a week or two of treatment and have not returned . My own gp was skeptical and claimed everyone just feels better on prednisone, but I think it is logical that the symptoms could be due to immune response.</p>
<p>Wow, so many new paths and options to explore…I feel much more hopeful…thanks everyone!</p>
<p>We discovered through an allergist that D had abnormally deep sinus cavities. I believe she had a CT scan. Apparently in spite of several different rounds of antibiotics over the years, none were strong enough to rid her of a sinus infection that she had for years. She suffered all kinds of ear issues and this was never diagnosed by other drs.</p>
<p>She went on a very very strong antibiotic for an extended period which finally resolved her problem. Sorry I don’t recall which one but it wasn’t a garden variety medication.
It was frustrating to see her suffer for all that time so I understand both your D’s feelings-and yours. The allergist was the last specialist she had to see.</p>
<p>I agree that the next step should be a CT scan of the sinus region and really her whole head. Do you have access to a multi-specialty clinic like Mayo? It might be worth a trip there. The consultation between various doctors in all the specialties might be what you need. They will look at “everything” and since they are used to seeing unusual things, they may very well have dealt with something like this before.</p>
<p>I suffered from recurring sinus infections for years [ like my Dad] until my ENT prescribed Biaxin, which was specifically formulated for sinus infections [ but which also cleared up my mild acne]. At my insistence, my Dermatologist put me on it for over a year for the acne, and viola! I didnt have a sinus infection again for 20 years ! When one cropped up 2 years ago, a 2 week dose of Biaxin, [NOT the generic formula clarithromycin] took care of it.
Sinus bacteria often have to be completely eliminated, which can and often does take a long time, in order to prevent re-occurrences. Other wise they just hibernate and then come roaring back when circumstances are ideal . </p>
<p>Does your D catch colds easily? When the immune system is under stress or attack, that is when other bacteria can come alive and cause secondary infections.</p>
<p>I’ve suffered from eustachian tube dysfunction since my early 20’s. Have to take sudafed to fly ever since I tore an eardrum flying. I have had numerous normal hearing tests even though it often feels as if I can’t hear. That pressure feeling your daughter is describing distressing at times. Unfortunately, I am not usually able to clear my ears by blowing back. I find the ear thing to be an ongoing battle that waxes and wanes.</p>
<p>Things that help me:
sudafed (the real stuff that you now have to sign for in the pharmacy).
Prednisone - am currently on some at the moment for my ears. Been a horrible allery season.
Mucinex
Antibiotics - especially when there is fluid in my ears
Antihistamines (Claritin, Allegra, etc)
Flonase steroid nasal spray - must use every day for weeks at a time in order to be effective
Running a humidifier in my bedroom at night
saline Nasal spray </p>
<p>I have recently thought about purchasing this:</p>
<p>[EarPopper</a> – Earache, Ear pain, and Ear Pressure Relief Device](<a href=“http://www.earpopper.com/earpopper/index.htm]EarPopper”>http://www.earpopper.com/earpopper/index.htm)</p>
<p>Don’t know if it works or not but looks promising.</p>
<p>My doctor’s theory is that I get allergy related inflammation in my eustachian tubes (right one is much worse) and this causes me difficulty in equalizing my ears. I will get that pressure feeling if only one window in the car is down, riding elevators, driving up slight elevations, swimming under water, etc. I recently developed a bit of tinnitus I believe is related to my eustachian tube issues. Not at all happy about that. Am now considering allergy shots to try and get a handle on this. Many people with allergies suffer from EUD.</p>
<p>Well, for anyone interested…I thought I’d post an update just in case it might be helpful.</p>
<p>I convinced D to let me go ahead and do all the prep work (records transfers, appointments, Dr. vetting and choices etc) if she’d agree to go to Stanford and be evaluated. Our visit was yesterday and we have a diagnosis! (that we trust and intuitively feel is correct)</p>
<p>One of the items we provided to the clinic was a complete history of all that had been previously tried, retried, poked, prodded, X-rayed, MRI’d, scoped, tube and massaged. Not just the physicians records but a very detailed 5 page description by both D and I of our recollection of the past 4 years of experiences. Dr. conducted another examination, including several tests which D had not had during any prior visits. He reassured us that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the ears ( and declared D had just beautiful Eustachian tubes - just as big and functional as they can be) and after re-examining the brain MRI pronounced that area also clear and free of any suspicion. </p>
<p>So, the final diagnosis…non-standard (as defined by symptoms) TMJ. Our next step is a mouth guard to see if it gives the muscles an opportunity to relax. If this is not successful…then off to the UCSF TMJ clinic we go.</p>
<p>Oh goodness, I hope that’s it, Dietz. Good luck with the mouth guard. I’ve had one for maybe 15 years and wear it religiously.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting the update, and I hope the mouthguard works!</p>
<p>Consider Alternative physician.</p>
<p>Agree w/ Miami DAP. In particular, make sure neck bones are in proper alignment. Look into Atlas alignment work. Works great for some folks (not all, of course). Perhaps Osteopath?</p>