Ears "plugged" after ear infection??

[ckso]

I have a bad case of ear infection in both ears about a week and a half ago and the antibiotics ended on Sunday. All the pain and dizziness is gone but I have this weird plug ear feeling in both ears, kind of like I'm underwater or on an airplane. I can't hear very well and when I talk I feel like there's a echo in there.

Anyone experienced this? What do I do to get rid of it? Things like chewing gun, opening mouth wide...things I do when my ears are plugged normally aren't working.

Advice? do I need to go back to the doc? Or do I still have the infection?

[amom526]

I had a very bad ear infection a couple years ago, and te clogged feeling took an extra week or two to go away. I know how aggravating it is-hope it passes soon.

[BDKmom]

Sounds like you still have a fluid and/or pressure buildup behind your eardrums. Most ear infections start with the eustachian tubes not working well to properly equalize pressure behind the ear drum, so a vacuum develops, and pulls fluid from the membrane lining the middle ear space. The fluid filled space is a nice dark, damp area for bacteria to breed in. The antibiotic killed the bacteria, so infection is gone, but if the eustachian tubes still aren't working properly, the fluid may take a while to clear. You can try the Valsalva maneuver, where you hold your nose, keep your mouth closed and put pressure like you are blowing you nose. That forces air through the eustachian tubes, into your ears to help get air circulating and equalize the pressure.

Could be a couple of more weeks before you feel like your ears are completely back to normal, but as long as you aren't having any pain or fever, I wouldn't think it necessary to go back to the dr. I work in an ENT office, and this is pretty common.

[Smillow]

This happened to me back in January - it was very aggravating. I took Mucinex, drank a lot of water, held off using the neti pot, chewed gum & put my plugged ear over a mug with a washcloth I had dampened with boiling water. It went away, but I'm not sure which was most effective as I did it all! Hope you are feeling better soon!

[Tondi G]

You might want to try taking Mucinex or Sudafed or Afrin nasal spray. It might be residual fluid or just swelling. I would give it a few more days.