CPAP and my Ears?

So I've been on CPAP since December 2019 and have had terrific results with my AHI going from 140+ down to 4-10 on a Full Face Mask and now under 2 with a Nasal Mask, however recently I've been having some issues with my right ear which my GP is struggling to figure out what is going on. I'll start by saying I hope to be referred to an ENT ASAP and I've done some reading on here, but I really just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced similar.

Randomly throughout the day when moving my jaw I'll noticed a rubbing sound in my ears, almost like the sound you will hear when moving your pillow around with the fabric rubbing together. From a lot of Googling I'm guessing it's an issue with my eustachian tube as when I was a kid I had grommets inserted in there, there isn't a lot of pain or anything like that, just the noise a lot of times throughout the day and then sometimes the feeling of my right ear being blocked (solved through holding my nose and blowing, which is probably a bad thing somewhere along the line)

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar, and if so what your solution was. I'm unsure if it might be the pressure from the strap of my mask which goes down below my ear, it's even possible that I've only experienced this since going from a full face mask to a nasal mask, but I can't be 100% sure.

Any help is greatly appreciated

Please wait and see the doctor.
The internet will only yield more anxiety.
Any pregnant woman will tell you of unsolicited worst-case scenarios
they receive from total strangers--all in the best of intentions.

Google..TMJ
https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide ... ders-tmd#1

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 10, 2020 12:20 am

Please wait and see the doctor.
The internet will only yield more anxiety.
Any pregnant woman will tell you of unsolicited worst-case scenarios
they receive from total strangers--all in the best of intentions.

That's so true.

MBix wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:46 pm

I really just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced similar.

Every medical condition known to mankind and some not known to mankind have been blamed on CPAP.

MBix wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:46 pm

I'll start by saying I hope to be referred to an ENT ASAP

Keep calm and report back in this thread after you have been examined by the ENT.

MBix wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:46 pm

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar, and if so what your solution was. I'm unsure if it might be the pressure from the strap of my mask which goes down below my ear, it's even possible that I've only experienced this since going from a full face mask to a nasal mask, but I can't be 100% sure.

Nothing is impossible but what you describe sure isn't common.
The fact that you think it might be related to strap placement with the recent change from full face mask to a nasal mask....it's a possibility because most of the time strap positioning is different between the 2 types of masks.
My suggestion....get a different nasal mask that has different strap placement and see if it changes anything.

Do get and keep that ENT referral as well. Sounds very suspicious for TMJ issues and strap placement is well known to accentuate TMJ issues.

Thanks folks,

I know I should probably wait before jumping to any conclusions, my GP is normally pretty great but has been a little lackadaisical regarding this one, mostly because it's not actually causing any pain I think. But during my upcoming appointment I'm going to push a bit harder in getting something done. TMJ sounds like it could be something that's at play as I've noticed since starting with my Nasal Mask I wake up blowing raspberries/grinding my teeth (something I've never ever noticed prior when not on CPAP/on the FFM, though it's possible I've done it all along) Anyways, the benefits of using CPAP have far outweighed the little issues that have popped up I'm happy to say.

Thanks again for the tips and suggestions and calming down my brain firing on all cylinders, I will report back once I've spoken more with an ENT / possibly a dentist.

At my age, any new creak, squeak, or croak can be arthritis.
At your age (whatever it is)---no way of telling . . .

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:30 pm

At my age, any new creak, squeak, or croak can be arthritis.
At your age (whatever it is)---no way of telling . . .

haha, I'm 32, so hopefully not arthritis yet, well not in my jaw hopefully at very least. CPAP has been a mostly positive journey I should point out, these little issues in no way outweigh the absolute improvement in quality of life I've already got from starting treatment. I'm no doubt a little neurotic about any little issue popping up possibly in connection to CPAP, but this forum is an absolute amazing source of help!

Hi @mbix have you ever figured out the source of your ear issues? After about 10 yrs of CPAP therapy, I developed a strange eustacian tube / ear clogging situation in one ear that comes and goes. My doctor doesn't think it's CPAP but one night, my CPAP didn't turn on (not sure what happened, maybe it was a mask leak and the auto shut off happened) and I woke up the next morning, pretty tired but my ears were clear.

I'm going to the ENT tomorrow - my sleep doctor dismissed my concern and said I should go see an ENT....these doctors...always thinking it should be someone else to address...please let me know! Thanks