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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 258970" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Look after yourself. Do not put any liquid in your ear. Don't put ANYTHING in your ear except maybe a plug of cotton weeol which you change frequently.</p><p></p><p>You probably have a good idea by now, of how it all works/connects. The inner ear is connected to the sinuses and back of nose/throat by the eustachian tube. Generally the pressure on either side of the eardrum is equalised, but if there are blockages in the eustachian tube for whatever reason - infection, mucus, crud, whatever - then it's more difficult to equalise the pressure. Also, if pressure outside changes suddenly (a sudden increase/decrease in pressure due to doors closing, compressor pumps switching on; a sudden change in altitude, for example - going up in an elevator fast, or in a plane; or coming down; diving underwater) then you feel the unequal pressure and you want to 'pop' your ears. This helps equalise it again.</p><p></p><p>To hear - vibrations are picked up by the eardrum, a membrane stretched across the end of the ear canal leading from the outside, to the inside. This membrane is normally a perfect seal, which also means it transmits vibrations effectively and evenly. Think about the sound made when you tap a drinking glass that is in perfect condition. You get a pure note. But if there are imperfections, especially a breach in the membrane, it's like tapping on a cracked glass. You can hear a crack in a glass often when it can be too small to see.</p><p></p><p>Unlike glass, eardrums can repair themselves, especially if the damage is not too severe. But until it is repaired, your hearing will be affected mainly at the transmission of vibrations stage. A lot more happens from the eardrum stage, that shouldn't be getting damaged by this unless the infection is really bad and continues for a while.</p><p></p><p>What infection does - well, you've seen a boil. It gets hot, it swells up, it produces gunk. And you know how a boil feels, when it's in a spot where it can't freely expand to release the pressure. You also know how much relief you get when you finally CAN release the pressure.</p><p></p><p>An infection in the eustachian tube (ie middle ear infection) that produces gunk is likely to be a bacterial infection. Therefore it is likely to respond well to antibiotics, but also probably NEEDS antibiotics to heal faster and more effectively. The gunk builds up and produces so much pressure, that something has to give somewhere. If the eustachian tube can't drain fast enough, what goes is the eardrum. The stuff coming out of your ears is the gunk from the infection, and having it drain is a good thing, because that sort of pressure can damage the tiny bones in the middle ear. These little bones under normal conditions transfer the vibrations form the eardrum to the cochlea, which is what we use to actually pick up sound frequencies specifically and transmit them to the brain where we identify what it is we're hearing. Until then, the transmission of sound is mechanical. But in the cochlea, mechanical transmission becomes electrical/neurological.</p><p></p><p>Without the eardrum working well, you can still hear by bone induction. Vibration travels other routes. For example, you might have a hearing test which puts headphones on you and sounds are played, but often a doctor will check for nerve deafness by hitting a tuning fork on the edge of a table, and placing the end of the vibrating tuning fork to your head behind your ear. It's amazing how loud it can sound! It's being picked up more by your skull and transmitting through the bone to your cochlea, bypassing the eardrum route. If you hit a tuning fork and listen to it being held in the air, it's not so loud as when you hold it against the table.</p><p></p><p>As things are with your ear right now - of course it's going to feel like you need to unblock your ear - but since the pressure is automatically equalising right now (due to the hole you currently have) then trying to unblock isn't going to work. ALso, things are gfoing to sound 'off' and buzzy, in the same way an amplifier cone with acrack in it sounds tinny or buzzy as an overtone of whatever other sound you're listening to.</p><p></p><p>Fix the crack or tear or hole, and the speaker cone is whole again and it won't buzz any more.</p><p></p><p>So the moral here - take the antibiotics, keep youself in as good health as you can (take extra Vitamin C and also perhaps B complex as well, to boost your immune system, and get plenty of rest and fluids) and you have the fastest chance of recovery. Take any antibiotics the doctor gives you, keep your ears clean and dry and hopefully things should begin to heal soon.</p><p></p><p>Alternatively, learn Ameslan.</p><p></p><p>Ok, just kidding.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 258970, member: 1991"] Look after yourself. Do not put any liquid in your ear. Don't put ANYTHING in your ear except maybe a plug of cotton weeol which you change frequently. You probably have a good idea by now, of how it all works/connects. The inner ear is connected to the sinuses and back of nose/throat by the eustachian tube. Generally the pressure on either side of the eardrum is equalised, but if there are blockages in the eustachian tube for whatever reason - infection, mucus, crud, whatever - then it's more difficult to equalise the pressure. Also, if pressure outside changes suddenly (a sudden increase/decrease in pressure due to doors closing, compressor pumps switching on; a sudden change in altitude, for example - going up in an elevator fast, or in a plane; or coming down; diving underwater) then you feel the unequal pressure and you want to 'pop' your ears. This helps equalise it again. To hear - vibrations are picked up by the eardrum, a membrane stretched across the end of the ear canal leading from the outside, to the inside. This membrane is normally a perfect seal, which also means it transmits vibrations effectively and evenly. Think about the sound made when you tap a drinking glass that is in perfect condition. You get a pure note. But if there are imperfections, especially a breach in the membrane, it's like tapping on a cracked glass. You can hear a crack in a glass often when it can be too small to see. Unlike glass, eardrums can repair themselves, especially if the damage is not too severe. But until it is repaired, your hearing will be affected mainly at the transmission of vibrations stage. A lot more happens from the eardrum stage, that shouldn't be getting damaged by this unless the infection is really bad and continues for a while. What infection does - well, you've seen a boil. It gets hot, it swells up, it produces gunk. And you know how a boil feels, when it's in a spot where it can't freely expand to release the pressure. You also know how much relief you get when you finally CAN release the pressure. An infection in the eustachian tube (ie middle ear infection) that produces gunk is likely to be a bacterial infection. Therefore it is likely to respond well to antibiotics, but also probably NEEDS antibiotics to heal faster and more effectively. The gunk builds up and produces so much pressure, that something has to give somewhere. If the eustachian tube can't drain fast enough, what goes is the eardrum. The stuff coming out of your ears is the gunk from the infection, and having it drain is a good thing, because that sort of pressure can damage the tiny bones in the middle ear. These little bones under normal conditions transfer the vibrations form the eardrum to the cochlea, which is what we use to actually pick up sound frequencies specifically and transmit them to the brain where we identify what it is we're hearing. Until then, the transmission of sound is mechanical. But in the cochlea, mechanical transmission becomes electrical/neurological. Without the eardrum working well, you can still hear by bone induction. Vibration travels other routes. For example, you might have a hearing test which puts headphones on you and sounds are played, but often a doctor will check for nerve deafness by hitting a tuning fork on the edge of a table, and placing the end of the vibrating tuning fork to your head behind your ear. It's amazing how loud it can sound! It's being picked up more by your skull and transmitting through the bone to your cochlea, bypassing the eardrum route. If you hit a tuning fork and listen to it being held in the air, it's not so loud as when you hold it against the table. As things are with your ear right now - of course it's going to feel like you need to unblock your ear - but since the pressure is automatically equalising right now (due to the hole you currently have) then trying to unblock isn't going to work. ALso, things are gfoing to sound 'off' and buzzy, in the same way an amplifier cone with acrack in it sounds tinny or buzzy as an overtone of whatever other sound you're listening to. Fix the crack or tear or hole, and the speaker cone is whole again and it won't buzz any more. So the moral here - take the antibiotics, keep youself in as good health as you can (take extra Vitamin C and also perhaps B complex as well, to boost your immune system, and get plenty of rest and fluids) and you have the fastest chance of recovery. Take any antibiotics the doctor gives you, keep your ears clean and dry and hopefully things should begin to heal soon. Alternatively, learn Ameslan. Ok, just kidding. Marg [/QUOTE]
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