Muffled ears: Tested positive end of august... - PMRGCAuk

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Muffled ears

Bedwell profile image
20 Replies

Tested positive end of august. Suddenly a month ago My ears were all muffled. Thought it was wax and arranged for a clearing of wax. No wax !!!

Cranial osteopath said ears quite red and that I had an infection. She sent a letter to my gp who gave me a very small spray bottle. I’ve used it fir 3 days.. no improvement. I’m on 12.5 pred down from 15 in July. Pmr had been triggered again by second vaccination. !!!

Anybody had ear trouble. Doesn’t hurt but is very debilitating!!

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Bedwell profile image
Bedwell
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20 Replies
DorsetLady profile image
DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer

As you found with other post, it can be a symptom of GCA, so think you may need to follow it up….but do give the meds time to work on the infection…you may need more than one course.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador

Have you tried chewing gum? Or chewing hard crusts. It could be your eustachian tubes not draining properly so worth a try, can't harm.

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell in reply to PMRpro

thanks havent! will,......

SnazzyD profile image
SnazzyD

A few questions spring to mind. Did the GP prescribe the spray without looking at you? Did the osteopath make any comment as the whether the redness is in the canal or visible through the eardrum? Did they say whether it looked normal through the eardrum? Is there any discharge? What’s in the spray?

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell in reply to SnazzyD

Go found a little wax and suggested codliver oil dropswhich I did for a few days.. decided to book an app locally to have wax cleared.. but none there. So contacted gp again and she prescribed spray called otomize which I’ve taken fir 3 days with littke change.such a small bottle.. only one more spray this eve. In meantime have a colonoscopy booked fir Friday.. pain in pelvic area not responding to cocodomol.. but that’s another story!!! Surgery will see me at 5.

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell in reply to Bedwell

Very dizzy! But so what’s new????

SnazzyD profile image
SnazzyD in reply to Bedwell

It’s all bit confusing. So presumably the wax hid from the GP any of the signs of infection that the osteopath saw because they just suggested oil first. Then the wax clearing people saw the inflammation and asked you to contact the GP again? The Otomize should calm things down a bit because it has a bit of steroid as well as an anti fungal and bacteriacidal . If you are not feeling any better they need to have another look as you might need a different formulation. They can also see if there is fluid on the other side of the eardrum now that your ear is clear. As always avoid poking anything in there to clean it out and avoid getting the canal wet. Trauma and soggy ears are the biggest culprits.

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell

blood tests done last week.. havent heard back....

Chewy21 profile image
Chewy21

This happened to me, my ears became very muffled when I got covid back in September, some nights I couldn't hear very well at all. It has taken until now for it to start clearing properly. I think there was a lot of congestion build up from covid.

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell in reply to Chewy21

Did you have antibiotics? Was it an infection?

Chewy21 profile image
Chewy21 in reply to Bedwell

I used the earcalm ear spray for a week and it helped a bit. I didn't see a doctor.

Nanalinboy profile image
Nanalinboy

I have pmr and assumed my ear problem was just that , an ear problem , but it’s getting steadily worse louder and louder tinnitus , muffled conversations , tv turned up till the family can’t stand it ! I have a benign brain tumour and have read that they can cause ear problems but neurosurgeon said no it’s not that , I also have nasal probs , could that be connected . I don’t know ,it seems everything we get is blamed on the fibro or the thyroid or pmr . We don’t have stand alone illnesses any more

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply to Nanalinboy

It COULD be GCA making its presence felt - or it could be good old common-or-garden aging ...

Nanalinboy profile image
Nanalinboy in reply to PMRpro

This is true pmr pro , no one tells us what to expect when getting older , we just have to learn as we age .

mgrogers99 profile image
mgrogers99 in reply to Nanalinboy

A common side effect of prednisone is tinnitus (noise or ringing in ear).

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell in reply to mgrogers99

Definitely not that though! It feels as though I have earplugs in my ears. Muffled!

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell

GCA would show up on blood tests wouldn’t it. ?

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply to Bedwell

Not necessarily - about 1 in 5 patients has blood markers that don't ever rise out of the "normal range" - though that doesn't always mean they aren't raised for them

Grammy80 profile image
Grammy80

I was diagnosed a bit over two years ago with GCA. The only thing I can add is that it definitely affected my hearing on and off for months...but it hasn't for some time now. Hopefully, you will get your blood test results soon. Can you press for that? Positive thoughts going your way....💖

Bedwell profile image
Bedwell

Blood tests all normal!

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