Can Eustachian Tube Narrowing Lead To Chronic Ear Wax Buildup?

[drz]

What do the ENT docs say, especially those with experience working with us Weggies?

[annekat]

What do the ENT docs say, especially those with experience working with us Weggies?

My ENT doc doesn't say a whole lot. I think he cleans ear wax out of a lot of ears, and in frequently recurring cases, refers them to the PA in his group, and she does it. I'm not sure to what extent he has treated any Weggies before me, though he says he has seen three cases. He hasn't given me any reason to think my narrowed e-tubes or other inflammation in the area have contributed to earwax buildup. And I don't know for sure that I have any more earwax than I did pre-Wegs.

[marta]

Hi!

Since Nov- Dec, 2011, my ent doctor has had to frequently remove ear wax. When I saw him in Dec, 2011, I also tested positive for eustachian tube dysfunction and since then, my ears gets blocked (with ear wax) too frequently. For example, one month after recently seeing my ent doc, my hearing decreased (along with experiencing symptoms such as ear popping and high pitch tinnitus sounds).

It seems like now I will have to go to my ent doc every one to two months and have him remove the ear wax, so I can hear better. I find this so frustrating and was wondering if anyone has had similar symptoms and could this be from a narrowing of the eustachian tubes? Thanks!

So I am not quite getting this. From my experience, and I know this from the last two and half years since this was my first symptom and the one I deal with most often, wax is not your issue. The reason you're having hearing trouble and tinitis and all of the other fun stuff that goes with it has nothing to do with ear wax. The problem is that once your eustachian tube is inflamed (due to Wegener's - my ENT calls it the canary in the coal mine for inflammation because the opening so small to start with that the smallest amount of inflammation will cause blockage) it creates a vacuum in your middle ear because it's blocked on both sides - eustachian tube on one side and your ear drum on the other. This vacuum ends up sucking fluid out of your adjoining cells and you get fluid build up inside your ear, which in turn creates all sorts of issues including hearing loss, and an increase possibility of infection. The only way to remedy this from my experience is either treat the WG very aggressively which does not guarantee that the tubes will open up, the other is to have tubes surgically inserted into your ear drum. It's quite painless and very quick (five minutes) and makes a difference within a day - a significant difference. The only thing is you can't swim with them in your ear unless you have ear plugs ( I made the mistake of forgetting to put in some plugs one time and went into a pool and immediately felt the rush of water going into my head - yuck). I just lost my last tube (they last about 6-8 months and then come out on their own as your eardrum heals and slowly pushes them out, then they migrate out in your earwax, and then I've been dealing with a cold for the last month and inflammation is rampant in my head so my tubes are plugged again, but I'm going to hold off for a while and see if they unplug on their own.

Ask your ENT about getting tubes put in. Next time you see your doc (any doc) ask them to look in and see if there is fluid build up in your ears. You can tell too if you move your head and the quality of sound going in changes as your head is in different aspects... then you have fluid in there (which I suspect is the case) and if you want relief and your hearing back then this is your option. I have to say that once you get the tubes the quality of sound is a little different than normal. It sometimes sounds very loud to you from the inside and then changes suddenly, I tend to talk quieter when that's happening because I don't want to be like my granny who use to yell because she was deaf, but it sure beats not hearing what is going on around you.

I hope this helps in a small miniscule way.

[annekat]

That's a good explanation, Marta. I agree that earwax doesn't have much to do with any of this, though it could possibly contribute to the hearing loss that was already there from other issues. I think people need to look at a good diagram of the anatomy to see that the e-tubes are not directly connected to the outer ear, where earwax is produced, and wax doesn't go into or come out of the e-tubes at at all....

My ENT doc had discussed putting tubes into my eardrums earlier, pre-WG dx, but couldn't do it because of other issues like thick scarring of the drums from previously healed holes caused by infection. Or because there was still an unhealed hole which served the same function, temporarily, as the tubes. Now he says that tubes won't help or can't be put in. I'm guessing it's because my eardrums are so caved-in that they are up against the delicate bones in the middle ear, and/or that the fluid in the middle ear has solidified to the point that it won't flow out. I have heard of "glue ear" and wonder if I have it. It's been awhile since I talked to the ENT doc about any of this and will try to get some more specific info next time I see him.

[marta]

That's a good explanation, Marta. I agree that earwax doesn't have much to do with any of this, though it could possibly contribute to the hearing loss that was already there from other issues. I think people need to look at a good diagram of the anatomy to see that the e-tubes are not directly connected to the outer ear, where earwax is produced, and wax doesn't go into or come out of the e-tubes at at all....

My ENT doc had discussed putting tubes into my eardrums earlier, pre-WG dx, but couldn't do it because of other issues like thick scarring of the drums from previously healed holes caused by infection. Or because there was still an unhealed hole which served the same function, temporarily, as the tubes. Now he says that tubes won't help or can't be put in. I'm guessing it's because my eardrums are so caved-in that they are up against the delicate bones in the middle ear, and/or that the fluid in the middle ear has solidified to the point that it won't flow out. I have heard of "glue ear" and wonder if I have it. It's been awhile since I talked to the ENT doc about any of this and will try to get some more specific info next time I see him.

Hey Anne,

They were telling me that I have glue ear before I got diagnosed. Now I feel like a bit of an expert on this stuff - booo. I've had three sets of tubes (actually maybe four) put in, and on a couple of occasions the fluid had thickened into glue that wasn't draining out, but you get drops (antibiotic and steroid) that you put in twice a day and they help with changing it into a liquid that can come out of the tube. I'm attaching a couple of shots of the tube that I just lost a month or so ago while we were in Hawaii - I had actually never seen how big or little they were until this one came out of my ear.
IMG_1561.jpgIMG_1560.jpg

[annekat]

Wow, thanks, Marta! I'll have to find out more about glue ear and if any of that could work for me. My ENT doc tends to be pretty blase' about everything, which can be frustrating. He's jaded, I guess. But if I press on with really specific questions, he will answer them. I hadn't thought I'd need to see him anytime soon, but maybe I should.

[marta]

My ENT was the dude I was most upset with right after diagnosis because I had gone to him about 5 - 6 times within 15 days when the proverbial poo hit the proverbial fan and I lost 20lbs within those 15 days, in front of his very eyes, and he kept telling me nothing is wrong other than a bad ear infection. I think he felt so bad after I got diagnosed that he is over the top now. He'll see me within an hour notice. When he does, he spends at least a half an hour after whatever I'm there to see him for talking about all kinds of stuff. I feel bad for taking up his time, but it's him that initiates the conversations. I guess they just gotta feel guilty enough for letting you down then they become your best buddy.... ha ha ha.

[annekat]

Yeah, mine felt bad, too, I'm sure, as it was a bad ear infection followed by 2.5 years of sinus and ear troubles before I was diagnosed, and he was the only doc really in a position to have thought of Wegs as a possibility. By the time I went to him with a saddle nose and swollen parotid gland, it was pretty clear what I probably had, and he and his nurse stayed at least a half an hour past closing time getting the biopsies done for my diagnosis. And to the nurse's credit, since they've gotten to know me, even pre-Wegs, she has almost always worked me in for an appointment on short notice. I just go through her instead of the front desk.