A rant

Shellie_p wrote:I wonder why the doc didnt possibly suggest tubes. After all kids who have issues with drainage get em pretty commonly. they are temporary though and only last up to like 3 years or so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tympanostomy_tube
But one of my kids had hers for almost 5 years.

I had tubes put in when I was 4 or 5. We moved out of state when I was 9 and returned when I was 14. At age 19, I went back to the same doctor for something else, and he was surprised to find one still in my ear. He took it out, and it messed up my balance for a few hours as I adjusted.

mgaggie wrote:I have no idea about him not suggesting tubes (I have 3 lots of them over the years). When my drum burst, I could feel the air rushing through the hole, so maybe tubes would just do the same? They are really only designed to drain fluid.

He said that can't stop the air going through the eustachian tubes.

Did the air blowing out of the ruptured eardrum bother you?

I would expect the same to happen with tubes, although perhaps it would feel differently.

Unbelievably, my ear started acting up just before I logged onto this forum. I do wish I could find out a reason why my ear won't equalize--one that could be easily fixed, of course.

SethW wrote: Did the air blowing out of the ruptured eardrum bother you?

I would expect the same to happen with tubes, although perhaps it would feel differently.

Unbelievably, my ear started acting up just before I logged onto this forum. I do wish I could find out a reason why my ear won't equalize--one that could be easily fixed, of course.

Unfortunately yes it does bother me. Not only does it hurt to varying degrees when it bursts, but I feel and hear the air rushing through.

Ears are just one of those mysteries IMO

If you can adapt to using it correctly without the nose plugs, an Oracle oral mask will not put any pressure in your ears. You put the mask into your mouth like a scuba mouthpiece and breathe entirely through your mouth. Used properly, there is no air pressure in your nose where the Eustachian tube connects.

The mask has some drawbacks. It tends to dry your mouth and throat out, even with humidification. Your brain may not happy with no airflow through the nose. I was able to learn to use it without the nose plugs, but never got comfortable with sleeping with it.

I wouldn't recommend the mask to anyone without problems using other masks, but it has the potential to fix your :air in the ear" problems.

archangle wrote:If you can adapt to using it correctly without the nose plugs, an Oracle oral mask will not put any pressure in your ears. You put the mask into your mouth like a scuba mouthpiece and breathe entirely through your mouth. Used properly, there is no air pressure in your nose where the Eustachian tube connects.

The mask has some drawbacks. It tends to dry your mouth and throat out, even with humidification. Your brain may not happy with no airflow through the nose. I was able to learn to use it without the nose plugs, but never got comfortable with sleeping with it.

I wouldn't recommend the mask to anyone without problems using other masks, but it has the potential to fix your :air in the ear" problems.

Thank you archangle, if my pressure needs to be increased I'll certainly look into it. Since they lowered the pressure to 8 I've only had one episode, and I put that down to the fact I had started to show signs of a head cold. My ears always play up when I start to get a cold.

You put the mask into your mouth like a scuba mouthpiece and breathe entirely through your mouth.

OMG!

Christine L wrote:

You put the mask into your mouth like a scuba mouthpiece and breathe entirely through your mouth.

OMG!

OMG bad or good?

I can see how that mask would be useful for some people.