Ear, Nose & Throat Community

I have the same problem actually, my ears have been incessantly clogged for months and months and it drives me crazy. My dad is an MD and has checked my ears, there's no presence of wax and there doesn't seem to be fluid built up. Have you had someone check for these factors? Because if it is fluid (and sometimes this even works if its simply a pressure-differential issue), you can lay on that side on top of a heating pad for up to an hour every night. If it's fluid or a minor pressure-differential (which would be allergies) the heat can open your Estatian tube. The pain/pressure you feel is a result of the tube between your ear drum and your inner ear being clogged... When it is clogged, either fluid remains trapped in the ear drum and causes the pressure, or if your eardrum has no fluid, the closing of that passageway turns your eardrum into a vaccum, where it is highly pressurized and thus "full-feeling." So in any case, you're trying to open that tube and THAT will relieve the pain. My final question is, have you used antihistamines as your allergy medication? Antihistamines are typically used to relieve allergy symptoms because they are anti-inflamitories. They relieve the typical runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing etc. (Histamines are in your body, and they initiate the allergic reaction. They are what recognize the pollen, pet dander etc as a foreign invader and initiate the immune response, one which results in the itchy nose, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing etc. The histamine uses these means to flush the invader out... Antihistamines prevent this process and therefor prevent the symptoms that result.) Antihistamines are the primary active ingredient in MOST allergy medications because they treat MOST of the symptoms. They do not, however, treat decongestion. So taking benedryl, claratin, or generic allergy relief medications will NOT treat any congestion that you have in your ear canal...Your ears require decongestants, a different kind of allergy medication, which will narrow the blood vessels and dilate closed tubes such as the closed estatian tube in your ear. So if you have been doing that, you're doing everything you can do. If not, decongestants my doc has suggested are Sudafed or Allegra D (the "D" stands for decongestant.). Good luck and fill me in if you finally resolve this!! I am dying to clear mine up too!!

You may want to consider getting a RAST test for dog dander, to prove that you are, indeed, allergic to the dog. A person with allergies can get a cold at the same time (and vice versa), but they are treated different.y.

See a medical provider, or better yet, an ENT so you can be properly diagnosed...two years is a long time. Get those ears checked for middle ear effusion (fluid), Eustachian tube problems, and other structural blockages.

Finally, there are better allergy medicines out there than what youc an buy over-the-counter. For instance, you may need to get a steroidal anti-inflammatory spray for you nose. This could make your life much more pleasant.