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Eustachian tube problems with balance
#1
Eustachian tube problems with balance
Since having my machine turned up to 20 by my doctors office, I have become very, very, very dizzy. I can't even drive right now and it is giving me viscious panic attacks too.

I have been to the ENT doc and he says my ears are fine but he is wrong. I think my eustachian (spelling??) tubes may be blocked because my ears are popping all day long and aching and the sound is muffled and even when I breathe it is loud in my ears (right ear more). My question is has anyone else had problems with their eustachian tubes because of cpap?

This is driving me nuts. Any help? Thanks.
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#2
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
Hi neil-v1, First of all, Welcome! to the forum. What was your pressure before the Dr. turned it up and how did you do at the lower pressure? Did you go to a sleep study recently and did they at the sleep lab say your pressure needed to be turned up? I would talk to your Dr. and tell him the severe problems you are having. Best of luck and I'm sorry you are having such a ROUGH time.
trish6hundred
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#3
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
Yes, I have ear issues at times as well. It's a good thing that you've seen the ENT but not so good that he doesn't understand the full issue. Most of the time, the issue settles down as

What was the machine's pressure prior to it being raised to 20?

Have you spoken to your sleep doc about this?

One solution would be to back the pressure down then slowly increase it a point or two at a time.

Twenty is a very high pressure. It is not surprising you are having ear issues!
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#4
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
(07-10-2012, 04:59 PM)neil-v1 Wrote: Since having my machine turned up to 20 by my doctors office, I have become very, very, very dizzy. I can't even drive right now and it is giving me viscious panic attacks too.

I have been to the ENT doc and he says my ears are fine but he is wrong. I think my eustachian (spelling??) tubes may be blocked because my ears are popping all day long and aching and the sound is muffled and even when I breathe it is loud in my ears (right ear more). My question is has anyone else had problems with their eustachian tubes because of cpap?

This is driving me nuts. Any help? Thanks.

Neil-V1,
Welcome to the forum! I went through a huge problem with this last year. It was not my CPAP, but I went in for surgery and they had that thing cranked to the max! I still have a little hearing loss in that ear even after rounds and rounds of steroids, antibiotics, etc. Ear problems are a real pain (no pun intended!). Unfortunately the best thing for this is just time and if you will talk to your Doc, just see your GP for this, ask him about eustachian tube exercises. It can help a lot. I have a bit of a hearing loss, but at least I'm not all dizzy anymore! Good luck!
As always, YMMV! You do not have to agree or disagree, I am not a professional so my mental meanderings are simply recollections of things from my own life.

PRS1 - Auto - A-Flex x2 - 12.50 - 20 - Humid x2 - Swift FX
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#5
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
My machine was set at 16 and then raised to 20. My ENT is useless as one of my ears clearly feels full, pops and has bouts of pain at times. He says my ears "look great". I don't get it.

Is there not an x-ray they can give you to see if your eustachian tubes are backed up? How can they tell everything is fine when I am dizzy as hell, ready to have a nervous breakdown and they can't see past my eardrum???

Has anyone ever taken any meds for this or used those patches behind the ears? If so, did it help? Thanks.
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#6
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
Hi again neil-v1, Were you having ear problems when your pressure was set at 16, or did this start when they set it up to 20? Hopefully you can get this worked out. If you can't get your ENT to understand your problem, maybe a second opinion is in order. Best of luck to you.
trish6hundred
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#7
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
No, I had no problems with being dizzy before they put my machine to 20. I was told on this site how to lower it and I have but now I am afraid to use it at all. I can't even drive right now. When the car come to a stop or I try getting out of the car after driving, I almost fall on my face. I think it caused a problem with my eustachian tube because my ear ALWAYS feels blocked and it pops all the time and has pain when I am near air conditioning. This is driving me crazy. Thanks.
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#8
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
(07-17-2012, 03:05 PM)neil-v1 Wrote: No, I had no problems with being dizzy before they put my machine to 20.
According to AASM titration protocol if pressure threshold of 15 cm H2O is reached - switch to Bi-level

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#9
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
(07-16-2012, 08:05 AM)neil-v1 Wrote: .....Is there not an x-ray they can give you to see if your eustachian tubes are backed up? How can they tell everything is fine when I am dizzy as hell, ready to have a nervous breakdown and they can't see past my eardrum???

If you are having a problem with Eustachian tube dysfunction, or air or fluid in the middle ear, an audiologist can do a tympanogram, which can show whether there is a problem within your middle ear or not. The only problem may be , if your blockage is intermittent and you aren't feeling blocked when the tympanogram is done, the test could be normal. Use your CPAP while at the audiologist, so you can duplicate and he can verify what is going on with your ears.

Usually dizziness, or possibly vertigo (if the room is spinning), could be associated with inner ear problems, and NOT air in the middle ear as might be expected with CPAP therapy at high pressures if you were to breathing through your mouth. I really can't explain the dizziness.
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#10
RE: Eustachian tube problems with balance
(07-17-2012, 04:43 PM)zonk Wrote:
(07-17-2012, 03:05 PM)neil-v1 Wrote: No, I had no problems with being dizzy before they put my machine to 20.
According to AASM titration protocol if pressure threshold of 15 cm H2O is reached - switch to Bi-level

How do I switch to Bi-Level???
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