Plugged ears?

[winning_by_losing 107]

After some heavy duty searching, I finally found a little information that this may just be a side-effect of losing so much weight.

Any others frequently experience plugged ears?

Of course I always have had it happen when heading up to the mountains or flying, but it seems now that it just comes on while sitting at my desk, exercising, or any other number of random times.

I don't have allergies, haven't been sick since surgery almost 7 months ago, yet am dealing with trying to unplug my ears every day or every other day. The old tricks of yawning, pulling on my lobes, drinking Water etc... just don't help any more.

Anyone have a magic cure?

[James Marusek 5,244]

My ears would get plugged whenever I got Water in them, such as bathing or swimming. I began to use a swimmers earplug anytime I got them wet and it helped me.

[Pixers 26]

I have noticed that too! I just thought I was getting sick or an ear infection and then it would go away! Never even thought it was weight loss related...thanks!

[dcostella 14]

Me too! I thought I was losing my mind!! I couldn't figure out why I had issues with my ears all of a sudden. That makes since now.

[winning_by_losing 107]

Well I'm happy to hear (or not at the moment) that it isn't just me.

I'm really hoping this is something that goes away over time, but I guess even if this turns out to be a lifelong side effect, I'll deal with it. It is nothing compared to the happiness I have now compared to life before surgery.

[HighPriestess 1]

I'm 10 days post-op and just got the plugged ears today. I googled it, and several others talk about it.

I found this post by a poster named JayNay on another site: ( http://www.gastricsleevesupport.com/t3341-weird-weight-loss-side-effects)

Hi,

Went to see the Ear, Nose and Throat Doc today. I have Patulous Eustachian tubes (exactly what my GP said). He says it is from weight loss and I have three options to deal with it. 1. Do nothing and put up with it. 2. Steroid Spray twice Daily. 3. Grommets.

I can't do nothing cause it's driving me nuts so I'm going to try the spray for 6 weeks first. If it doesn't work I'll go for the grommets but he can't guarantee them either.

When I told him my surgeon laughed at me when I said what my GP had told me he was very surprised. He said while it is rare to occur it's a well know cause. It was first discovered in Cancer patients when they had rapid weight loss.

I Googled Patulous Eustachian Tube and one site said this:

Patulous Eustachian tube, also known as patent Eustachian tube, is the name of a rare physical disorder where the Eustachian tube, which is normally closed, instead stays intermittently open. When this occurs, the patient experiences autophony, the hearing of self-generated sounds. These sounds, such as one's own breathing, voice, and heartbeat, vibrate directly onto the ear drum and can create a "bucket on the head" effect. (THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I HEAR)

Symptoms

Patulous Eustachian tube sounds very similar to the standard congestion one gets from a cold or allergies, though there are subtle differences. The effect is often described as "drier"; with normal congestion, breathing and talking echo in the head with a muffled sound. With patulous Eustachian tube, all breaths echo on the eardrum without the muffled effect. Similarly, external noises such as the voices of other people are also not muffled. In addition, patulous Eustachian tube generally feels dry with no clogged feeling or sinus pressure.

Some patients with this condition are debilitated by the perceived volume of their voice, causing them to speak very quietly. Their own voice may also sound lower to other people, because with the trachea has more volume when the Eustachian tube is open. The patient may also sound as if they have congestion when speaking. Some sufferers may have difficulty in normal activities. Increased breathing rate, such as that brought on by physical activity, would cause more air to be pushed onto the eardrum more frequently, which can become quite loud and sometimes lead to a period of increased tinnitus after exertion.

Causes

Patulous Eustachian tube is a physical disorder. The exact causes may vary depending on the person. Weight loss is a commonly cited cause of the disorder due to the nature of the Eustachian tube itself. Fatty tissues hold the tube closed most of the time in healthy individuals. When circumstances cause overall body fat to diminish, the tissue surrounding the Eustachian tube shrinks and this function is disrupted. While this is seen in severe cases of anorexia nervosa, it may also happen with very small amounts of weight loss in individuals with no eating disorder.

[dark n lovely 70]

Wow, i did not understand y i had started experiencing the plugged ears. No one i knew who had wls never spoke about it. I started having this issue 4weeks post op...lol glad to have some clarity on where it came from.

[devint 162]

I just encountered this very thing today! I thought I was crazy and kept trying to pop my ears or yawn to take it away.

The only "trick" that I found to temporarily fix it was to put my head between my legs at my desk. Gravity forces them closed. I've had to do that a couple times today so if it doesn't improve or becomes recurring I'll investigate the treatments mentioned above.

This is like the fourth QUIRKY side effect I've had from wls that I didn't expect or hear people talking about before. I hope all my weird discoveries come to an end soon.

[HighPriestess 1]

Yeah, I just had it once so far for about an hour. I saw my ENT last week, and he was aware of the phenomenon, showed me a pic of the tube and explained how it can happen. He wasn't surprised, since I lost 20 in 10 days post op, but said that as the pace/rate of losing slows down, it should occur less frequently. He said only in very rare cases does it ever become something that you have to address.

And to your other point, devint, I remember when my brother had gastric bypass seven years ago that he went through 2 years of all kinds of quirkiness. He didn't remember plugged ears when I asked, but he remembered months of gum/teeth problems as he lost weight in his face. Interesting, huh?

[jannylou 3]

Wow! This was so helpful. I'm 5 days post op. I asked my anesthesiologist about it and all he could say was that during surgery all tissues swell and it would go away. Didn't really make sense to me since if that were the case, I'd think it would be resolving by now. Riding in the car is an experience - it's as if as pressure changes my inner ear pain fluctuates. My voice has also changed to scratchier and lower. My first post-op visit is next Friday and I'll check with the surgeon then. Let you know if I learn anything new.